March 2017 saw 15,000 more Illinoisans on food stamps than March 2016, while the number of Indiana SNAP recipients dropped from March 2016 to March 2017.

Recent data from the Illinois Department of Human Services show nearly 2 million Illinois residents need government assistance to put food on the table this holiday season, as the state continues to hemorrhage manufacturing jobs and other blue-collar opportunities. Each year’s end is a time for reflection.

Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has increased more than six times the rate population has grown over the last five years.

More than 1 in 5 Illinois households rely on food stamps to make ends meet.

Less than half of Illinois households are defined as middle class.

For nearly six years, Illinois was the only Midwestern state where growth in food stamps was outpacing jobs growth.