An estimated 150,000 Illinoisans are at risk of losing food assistance from new federal work requirements that began May 1, according to state agencies.

Julie Yurko, president and CEO of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, based in Geneva, said the nonprofit is “deeply concerned” about the recent changes.

The organization serves about 570,000 people across 13 counties, through more than 900 food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and feeding programs.

Claiming the new work requirements will reduce fraud in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans expanded the definition of Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, therefore making more applicants subject to work requirements.

In 2023, less than 1% of applicants in the program, or 41,476 people, were disqualified from SNAP for fraud, according to the Associated Press.

Only U.S. citizens and some lawful immigrants are eligible for SNAP.

Under the new requirements, anyone aged 18 to 64, or without children younger than 14, is considered “able-bodied,” meaning physically and mentally able to work. Recipients without an exemption must spend at least 80 hours each month working, earning $935 a month or more or participate in an approved work program.

Previously, adults aged 54 and older, or with dependents aged 18 and younger, were eligible.

The changes also add new work requirements for people experiencing homelessness, veterans and former foster children aged 24 and younger.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes will reduce federal SNAP participation by 2.4 million over the next decade.

As of March, around 1.9 million people received SNAP benefits in Illinois, representing 1,049,528 households, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Each household receives an average of $370 per month, with the average per individual about $188 per month.

“At a time when food insecurity is already rising, these changes risk pushing even more families to turn to local food pantries for support,” Yurko said.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank estimates that in May and June alone, it will distribute more than one million meals, “driven in part by new SNAP requirements.” The nonprofit is expecting an increase of 35,000 people per month during this period.

“Across our network, lines are longer than ever, food pantries are reporting increased demand, and cars are lining up for mobile food distributions as early as 5 a.m.,” Yurko said.

Yurko said the nonprofit is urging lawmakers to support its strategic FRESH initiative, which prioritizes access to fresh produce, dairy and lean proteins, providing a “coordinated, data-driven response to hunger in Illinois.”

Trying to meet the need

In response to the increased demand, the South Suburban Center in Joliet held a pop-up mobile food distribution event at Joliet Junior College on May 9 to provide free groceries to an extra 750 households.

Senior manager Rob Desio said the efforts to meet the community’s needs will require more volunteers to sort, pack and distribute the larger meal volumes.

He said the center is anticipating serving an additional 170,000 meals to more than 5,600 people in Will County with the loss of SNAP benefits.

“The real pain will be felt by our pantry partners that serve neighbors every day and, most acutely, by the thousands of people who will struggle even more to access nutritious food,” Desio said.

Alex Hurd, executive director of the Kendall County Community Food Pantry in Yorkville, said after an influx of new registrants following SNAP changes, demand has started to stabilize. He said that with a string of construction improvements to the pantry, they will be ready if demand spikes again.

The pantry is currently expanding racking within the warehouse to accommodate greater inventory, refurbishing flooring, upgrading energy-efficient lighting and creating an ADA accessible entryway in the front and back entrances.

During the construction, the pantry is drive-thru only. Indoor shopping should begin again by mid-June.

“I want to remind people we’re here if you are in need of food support, and we’re here in terms of availability for volunteering,” Hurd said. “We’re waiting to see if people previously relying on SNAP are looking to fill that gap. There’s also a trickle-down effect. It might have an effect on our volunteers. What could it possibly do to our inventory in terms of what we are able to provide to each family?”

Hurd said for many volunteers, the pantry is like “their second home.” He wants to make sure that any changes brought on by the new requirements maintain the current long-term volunteers that are the heart of the pantry.

If there’s an increase in demand, the pantry might need to increase food drive requests, Hurd said.

Local community groups do a great job supporting the pantry, he said, but, if necessary, the pantry can reach out to their rescue grocery stores and ask for increased donations.

“We may be having to spend a little extra on our side to purchase things like proteins and milk,” Hurd said.

The Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry in Will County has also reported an increase in both households it serves and visits from those households in the last year.

“We have seen an approximately 15% increase in households since last June,” said Food Pantry Secretary Barb Seiden. “Even more than households, though, we’ve seen monthly visits increase because people who were coming before need more assistance now.”

The Plainfield Interfaith Food Pantry reported over 1000 visits in April, more even than in November during the government shutdown when households in need reached a record high.

While Seiden said the Northern Illinois Food Bank keeps many staples supplied, she noted that some things are always in demand, such as baby food, hygiene supplies, and household cleaning products, which cannot be purchased through other government programs, as well as pantry staples like pasta and canned sauces, cereal, and healthy snacks for kids.

“We always see a dip in private donations after Christmas,” Seiden said. “We saw a ton of drives during the holidays, which was welcome, but all that excess has gone out the door now. This is a hard time of year.”

Several local Plainfield businesses have been chipping in to help, including 59 Auto Repair and Fitness Premiere, which are running ongoing collections for non-perishable foods and hygiene supplies for the food pantry that they bring by regularly, and the Plainfield Post Office took part in the 2026 national Letter Carriers Food Drive to benefit the pantry earlier this month.

“The Post Office is the last large food drive we’ll likely see until October,” Seiden said. “The businesses collecting for us is fantastic, we really appreciate it.”

“We believe we should give back to the community, so we collect for them year-round,” said Marisa Brauer, whose family owns 59 Auto Repair. “They mentioned that with high gas prices, more people than ever need help, and they are doing their best to help as many people as possible.”

Impact on grocery stores

With food prices up 3.1% in 2025, and projected by the USDA to jump another 2.9% in 2026, food distribution centers say the SNAP changes could not have come at a worse time.

And cutting back on SNAP recipients will have a negative impact on grocers and other retailers, Desio said. The loss in dollars spent by SNAP recipients at food stores could result in such businesses losing close to $30,000 per month statewide, he said.

“The economic impact of cuts to SNAP will be felt by everyone as retailers cope with decreased revenue,” Desio said. “We fear that grocery prices, which have risen 30% since 2020, could rise further, and the retail jobs SNAP supports could be lost.”