As Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are set to end tomorrow amid the federal government shutdown, measures are being taken to address the sudden end of food access at both the state and local level, though these efforts won’t be able to cover the full loss of SNAP funding.

As previously reported, the SNAP program will lose federal funding Nov. 1. With the benefits administered by the states, funding for the program comes entirely from the federal government.

In Illinois, $350 million in SNAP benefits are dispersed among roughly 1.9 million recipients. Locally, that number stands at around 5,000 with residents of Monroe and Randolph counties receiving these benefits through the Randolph County SNAP office.

An Oct. 30 article by Maggie Dougherty with Capitol News Illinois reports that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed an executive order allocating $20 million in state funding to Illinois’s seven food banks which supply over 2,600 food pantries throughout the state.

Among these food banks, the St. Louis Area Foodbank serves Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and a number of other neighboring counties in Illinois.

The article notes that half of this $20 million comes from the state’s Budget Reserve for Immediate Disbursements and Governmental Emergencies Fund, otherwise known as BRIDGE, while the remainder is from the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Pritzker noted at an unrelated press conference Thursday that the federal government had shut down SNAP machines, preventing the state from depositing funds into SNAP accounts directly even if such a measure were approved.

A number of food assistance advocates and state officials have acknowledged that the emergency state funds would not be enough to completely cover the loss of federal funds.

The article cites Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, who said Cook County food pantries alone serve over 900,000 individuals necessitating $45-50 million in weekly benefits for just that area.

Maehr further noted that pantry donors are fatigued, with most food banks in the state having come to serve double the number of people served prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the state government is seeking to provide some support for Illinois food pantries, a number of local businesses are also getting involved in keeping pantries stocked and citizens fed.

The largest such business is Schnucks, which announced Thursday via Facebook that they will be conducting a food drive through Nov. 11, encouraging folks to purchase and donate canned or packaged goods, other nonperishable groceries and necessities like toothpaste or deodorant.

Some hometown businesses are also offering their generosity, with Mamma’s on Mill posting that, starting Nov. 1, a single meat 4-inch sandwich, cookie and bottle of water will be free for youth ages 4-15.

Hopskeller Brewing Company similarly posted on Facebook, saying that locals who rely on SNAP benefits could show their EBT card and “one way or another, we’ll find a way to get you something during this shutdown.”

The aforementioned article also provides further context for the halting of SNAP benefits, noting that funding has never been halted by the federal government since the program began over 60 years ago, not even during a government shutdown.

Another Capitol News Illinois article from Oct. 28 by Ben Szalinski further details a lawsuit which Illinois recently joined against the Trump administration over the halting of SNAP.

The lawsuit argues that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has money to continue paying benefits in November, adding that Congress has appropriated contingency funds for emergencies such as a government shutdown that the department can use to continue funding SNAP.

Per an AP News article, some hope arose for SNAP recipients Friday afternoon as two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must continue to fund the program using contingency funds during the shutdown.

These judges, from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, each ruled that the program must be funded at least by these contingency funds if not funded fully via additional funds, requesting an update on progress by Monday.

It’s not currently clear how or if these rulings will offer relief for SNAP recipients given the possibility of appeals from the administration and the fact that EBT cards are not able to be reloaded with funds immediately.