Already struggling with growing numbers of people in need of food assistance, Sauk Valley-area food pantries are now bracing for even greater numbers as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are put on hold during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Lee and Whiteside County food pantries had been seeing more families coming in the doors in need of food. And that number is expected to explode as SNAP benefits, which help about one in eight Americans buy groceries, dry up this weekend.

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Community Food Pantry volunteers Ted McMillion (left) and Don Fane load up groceries Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at the Dixon location. Pantries all over the area are expecting an increase in need with the suspension of SNAP benefits. (Alex T. Paschal)

It’s “kind of scary right now because our food pantry is starting to run low and we’re having double the amount of [families] than what we normally get,” Lt. Jessica Tosh of the Salvation Army Food Distribution Center in Sterling told Shaw Local.

Typically, a busy day for the Sterling pantry is serving about 14 families, but in the last two weeks that’s increased. One day the pantry saw 28 families come in, Tosh said.

Dixon Community Food Pantry Director Josie Whaley told Shaw Local she’s had an uptick in families and a lot of them have never been to the food pantry before.

There’s also been an increase at the Morrison Food Pantry.

“I very possibly will break a record for this month,” Morrison Food Pantry Director Leveda Ashlin said, referring to the number of families served.

“A lot of times I wonder how we’re going to do it,” Ashlin said.

The Morrison pantry has served 72 families so far in October. The most it’s served in one month is 81, Ashlin said.

But the issue isn’t just the increased demand. It’s the supply shortages.

The three pantry directors said they get most of their items from food banks – one is the Sauk Valley Food Bank. A food bank supplies places like food pantries with items that are then distributed to those in need.

The people, “they fear how they’re gonna feed their families. The supply is just not there,” Whaley said.

While Sauk Valley Food Bank is running low on food, that’s not new, Executive Director Pam Martinez told Shaw Local.

“I’ve dealt with that for the last four years. It still has not recovered since the COVID-19 [pandemic],” Martinez said.

It has “hit harder” in October. Martinez closed several public giveaways in October, typically held every Saturday, because she didn’t have enough food, she said.

The Sterling and Morrison pantries’ main supplier is River Bend Food Bank based in Davenport, Iowa. That food bank supplies pantries in five Iowa and 18 Illinois counties, including Whiteside, Lee, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Henry, Bureau, La Salle and Putnam, among others.

“[River Bend] inventory is low,” Ashlin said.

“Their trucks have been getting lower and lower in what they deliver to us,” Tosh said.

Like Martinez, River Bend President and CEO Chris Ford told Shaw Local the fluctuations in inventory are typical for November and December.

But in light of the loss of SNAP benefits “we are absolutely preparing for an uptick,” Ford said.

Ford said River Bend is preparing a food and communication plan. It’s also reaching out to monetary donors and retailers for donations that it relies on for half the food it distributes.

If the government shutdown lasts more than a few months, “I would use the word ‘catastrophic’ to describe [the impacts],” Ford said.

He said for every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP benefits provide nine.

“There is no food bank in the country that can fill that gap,” Ford said.

The pantries also get food through donations, food drives or grocery stores.

Whaley said the Dixon pantry has seen some success with those tactics, but, Tosh said, donations at the Sterling pantry have decreased.

“I think that part of it is because people that maybe have donated in the past are now the people that are in need,” Tosh said.

Ford said River Bend is viewing the situation as a preview of what’s to come and is also preparing for an uptick in October 2026 when major cuts to SNAP go into effect.

“We’re going to be right back in the same situation on a permanent basis,” Ford said. “It is more critical now than ever that people donate...[and] volunteer wherever and whenever they can.”

How to donate, where to get food

All five organizations are accepting monetary, food and other needed supply donations. The pantry directors said $1 is equivalent to five meals.

In-person donations to the Dixon pantry can be made anytime, but preferably from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday; to the Morrison pantry from 9 to 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday or by appointment; to the Sterling pantry from 1 to 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; and to the Sauk Food Bank from 8 a.m. to noon every Monday through Thursday.

The Sauk food bank also accepts monetary donations through its website or checks mailed to 1801 Plant Drive in Sterling.

River Bend accepts monetary and food donations. Monetary donations can be made on its website and food donations can be made at any drop-off location. For information, call 563-345-6490.

The Dixon pantry at 2001 W. Fourth St. distributes food to Lee County residents from 1 to 3 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For information, call 815-288-4848.

The Morrison pantry at 629 E. Lincolnway distributes food from 8 to 10 a.m. every Thursday. Families must live within the Morrison School District or 61270 ZIP code, meet the Illinois Department of Human Services’ income requirements and are allotted one visit a month. For information, call 815-441-2733.

The Sterling pantry at 409 Ave. F distributes food to Whiteside County residents from 1 to 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday and from 9 to 11:30 a.m. every Friday. Families are allotted one visit every 30 days. For information, call 815-625-1622.