Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made a quiet appearance in Crystal Lake last week visiting local nonprofits and leaders to learn about food insecurity in McHenry County.

The Community Foundation for McHenry County and the Crystal Lake Food Pantry hosted Pritzker’s visit Dec. 2 to tour McHenry County’s largest food pantry, according to a foundation news release. A discussion with local leaders and residents focused on the increased need for food assistance as the federal government cuts SNAP and Medicaid benefits.

A local resident and SNAP recipient shared how reduced benefits affects her as a single mother. Leaders also talked about ways to improve the community long term, such as increasing workforce housing, according to the release.

The Crystal Lake Food Pantry saw record numbers during the federal government shutdown last month when SNAP benefits were under threat of being frozen. Executive Director Jason Weisenberger said the pantry hit a record of 100 families in one day last month.

The roundtable discussion included the McHenry County government, city of Crystal Lake, McHenry County Economic Development Corporation, Harvard Community Unit School District 50, Alliance of Illinois Community Foundations, Northern Illinois Food Bank and East Aurora School District 131.

“It was an honor to have the governor visit McHenry County, and especially the Crystal Lake Food Pantry,” The Community Foundation for McHenry County Executive Director Amy Hernon said in the release. “Showcasing the dignity and care that the Crystal Lake Food Pantry team provides every day was a powerful demonstration of who we are as a community. We care deeply about our neighbors, and we believe in our shared responsibility to support one another. We were grateful to host the governor and will continue bringing together cross-sector partners to strengthen our county.”

The visit was not listed as part of the governor’s daily public schedule routinely shared with the media.

The visit came after Deputy Gov. Grace Hou came to the Community Foundation for a listening session last month to discuss the challenges women, especially single mothers, face in McHenry County. Local nonprofit and organization leaders shared how reduced state and federal support is impacting food security, child care and other benefits.

Following that session, Pritzker notified The Community Foundation and the Crystal Lake Food Pantry that he wanted to visit “to further explore these issues,” according to the release.

Pritzker was “honored” to meet with local leaders and frontline food pantry workers to hear about “the devastating impacts felt throughout local communities amid the Trump administration’s ongoing SNAP cuts and weaponization of hunger,” a spokesperson for the governor’s office said in an email.

President Donald Trump’s administration has said it will withhold SNAP benefits to states who don’t provide detailed information about recipients like names and immigration status.

In October, Pritzker signed an executive order to release $20 million for food banks as a response to the federal cuts.

Pritzker’s visits to McHenry County have been relatively rare. In 2022, he visited the now-closed UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Lake in the Hills after the business received backlash for scheduling a drag show brunch. A year before that, he appeared at McHenry County College when then-President Joe Biden visited.

The Community Foundation urges anyone who is able to get involved and support neighbors through donating and volunteering. Opportunities to give back can be found by connecting with the foundation at thecfmc.org.