By Sabrina Franza
March 11, 2025 / 4:01 PM CDT / CBS Chicago
Chicago area food pantries could lose millions in federal funding as the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to freeze over $1 billion that pay for two popular programs.
The move will mean less fresh produce for those facing food insecurity, and will also impact nearby farmers.
The cuts carry a possible ripple effect that could be devastating for people who rely on food pantries, and farmers who provide some of that food. A source said the Chicago Public Schools are assessing how the cuts will impact the food they can serve in schools.
Multiple states were notified of the cuts, including Illinois. The Illinois Stewardship Alliance, a group of farmers and consumers who said freezing federal programs like Illinois Eats could be detrimental.
Illinois Eats helps organizations buy food from local farmers to distribute to those in need. It is paid for in part by $43.5 million in federal funds.
The Northern Illinois Food Bank said demand is at an all-time high. The food bank said it serves 570,000 people a month across 13 counties, and they would be impacted by the funding freeze.
Twenty-seven percent of the food that the food bank distributes is fresh from local farmers, funded in part by the same money the USDA plans to freeze.
“Food insecurity is growing. You know, demand for us is at an all-time high, and so a reduction in food sources, that could create less food for us to distribute to neighbors, you know,” said Robert Desio, senior manager of public policy and benefits for the Northern Illinois Food Bank, “and of course, we’re looking at budget reconciliation as well.”
The cuts could also impact schools that receive funding to buy school lunches and other meals through the same program.
CBS News Chicago reached out to the Chicago Public Schools, which said it is too early to tell whether its schools will be impacted.
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