SNAP benefit cuts impacting food banks in Central Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Several groups in Central Illinois are anticipating the effects of continued and impending SNAP benefit cuts.

Volunteers with the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign said with more SNAP benefit cuts on the horizon… the soup kitchen will be serving more people and handing out more meals.

The president, Bob Goss, said they went from serving around 600 meals a day to nearly 1,000 in just the past six months. He said they serve a five-course-meal every day at noon… and then send their guests home with a sack lunch.

And one volunteer said the recent changes to SNAP cuts include more strict work requirements — and less exceptions.

“It’s a ton of people, a ton of food. So far, we’ve been able to keep up… the cooks, the volunteers, we’ve been able to do it. And I don’t know how much more we can expand,” James Dobbins said.

He added that when their dining room is full, they’ll keep serving people from their carry-out window.

An employee at Eastern Illinois Food Bank also said they’re seeing more people at food pantries across the state. They’re the primary food supplier for more than 200 food pantries in Illinois… including Daily Bread. They said they’ve seen a historic need and are serving twice as many people as they were in 2022. They expect future SNAP cuts to further put a strain on resources and the people they serve.