Food aid feeds almost 2M statewide in May, 1-in-3 in southern counties

['Lauren Zuar', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] Illinois Policy 2025-09-12 15:01:10

Food aid feeds almost 2M statewide in May, 1-in-3 in southern countiesEnrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dropped by 3.2% in May. Still, nearly 2 million Illinoisans relied on federal food aid, with participation rates exceeding 30% in some Southern Illinois counties. In May, about 1.93 million Illinoisans received food assistance benefits to feed their families, including more than 30% of residents in parts of Southern Illinois. Connecticut’s food aid participation went down nearly 8% in May, while Maine’s fell about 6%. For example, in Alexander and Pulaski counties, 31.5% of residents received food assistance in May – more than five times the share in suburban McHenry County.