1-in-6 Illinoisans rely on food stamps for Christmas dinner

By Patrick Andriesen

12/23/2022

Illinois has the 6th-highest number of residents buying their meals with nutrition benefits, and the number grew almost 11% from a year earlier.

TAGS: food stamps, poverty, SNAP

Food stamps put Thanksgiving on more Illinois tables

By Dylan Sharkey

11/22/2021

Illinoisans are more likely to give thanks that their Thanksgiving meal was purchased with food stamps than in any surrounding state. As the national participation declines, SNAP in Illinois has grown.

TAGS: food stamps, Illinois, Thanksgiving

Up to 140,000 able-bodied Illinoisans may need jobs to get food stamps in 2020

By Vincent Caruso

12/05/2019

Just Cook County food stamp recipients were facing work requirements Jan. 1 if they were under age 50, able-bodied and had no dependents. Now the rules will apply throughout Illinois starting April 1.

TAGS: criminal justice reform, Donald Trump, food stamps, Foundation for Government Accountability, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, job creation, jobs, labor force participation rate, Michigan, National Conference of State Legislatures, regulations, small business, SNAP, Springfield, tax burden, unemployment, West Virginia, Wisconsin

More Illinoisans on food stamps this Thanksgiving, 50K recipients will soon need jobs

11/26/2019

This Thanksgiving, about 17,500 more Illinoisans will be using food stamps. By New Year’s, about 50,000 Cook County recipients must find jobs or lose benefits.

TAGS: constitutional amendment, Cook County, Donald Trump, DuPage County, food stamps, Illinois, JB Pritzker, link card, Midwest, progressive income tax, SNAP, social services

Illinois is more dependent on food stamps than any other neighboring state

08/23/2019

Illinois has a higher percentage of its residents on food stamps than its neighboring states, and has seen a much slower decline in food stamp recipients following the recession.

TAGS: employment, food stamps, jobs, SNAP, unemployment, welfare

Illinois bill would allow fast-food restaurants to accept food stamps

By Brad Weisenstein

07/19/2019

Homeless, disabled and elderly Illinoisans who can’t easily cook a meal could get help by using food stamps at fast-food restaurants.

TAGS: food stamps, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Tom Demmer

This Thanksgiving, food stamps will buy nearly 14 percent of Illinoisans’ meals

11/21/2018

Food stamp participation has seen an encouraging decrease, but lagging economic growth leaves Illinois ranked highest among neighboring states in SNAP enrollment.

TAGS: food stamps, SNAP, unemployment

Ill-timed computer glitch causes drop in Illinois food stamp rolls

By Vincent Caruso

12/21/2017

Some SNAP-dependent households saw their benefits disappear this holiday season.

TAGS: food stamps, SNAP

This Thanksgiving, nearly 1M Illinois households forced to rely on food stamps

By Vincent Caruso

11/21/2017

The failure of lawmakers to enact policies that spark growth will render millions of Illinoisans dependent on assistance for meals this holiday season.

TAGS: food stamps, SNAP

Cook County officials claim resolution of food stamp soda tax problems

By Brendan Bakala

08/18/2017

Retailers will now have to either program cash registers not to tax purchases made with food stamps, or implement a “manual override.”

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, food stamps, SNAP, soda tax