{"id":25811,"date":"2016-02-24T14:42:51","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T20:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=25811"},"modified":"2016-02-24T14:42:51","modified_gmt":"2016-02-24T20:42:51","slug":"when-food-stamps-fall-short-local-pantries-step-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/when-food-stamps-fall-short-local-pantries-step-in\/","title":{"rendered":"When Food Stamps Fall Short, Local Pantries Step In"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anna Boisseau <\/strong><\/p>\n

The well-stocked food pantry at St. Ignatius Church saw few visitors on Wednesday at the start of January. According to volunteer Anita Goldstein that is because, as patrons can only visit once a month, they generally come towards the end once Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and paychecks have run out.<\/p>\n

Those recipients who trickled in were given a robust supply of items like canned soups, pastries from Starbucks and some fresh produce options.<\/p>\n

The pantry is one of 650 member agencies affiliated with the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD), which has dispensed food around Cook County since 1979. According to Paul Morello, who works for GCFD, the organization mainly provides support to its partner pantries and soup kitchens in the form of distribution of food from its main location. Some are further funded by grants and donations.
\n<\/p>\n

Food pantries like St. Ignatius provide a necessary service for one person in the community, who identifies herself as Marsha. She said she only receives $59 in SNAP benefits a month. A Rogers Park resident, she relies on St. Ignatius to fill in the gaps. <\/p>\n

\u201cSNAP is called supplemental,\u201d said Jim Conwell of the GCFD. \u201cIt really very rarely has the capability to provide all the food that a household needs.\u201d In fact, 58 percent of households served through the GCFD are currently receiving food stamps.<\/p>\n

\"St.
St. Ignatius Church hosts food pantry Wednesdays and Fridays.
(Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marsha said she has tried to get more money each month from food stamps, but she isn\u2019t confident that it will happen. Still, she is satisfied with the quality of products she can receive at St. Ignatius.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the only one I come to,\u201d she said. \u201cThey give me the best food.\u201d<\/p>\n

SNAP recipient Bill Eley agreed, saying he struggles to keep a healthy diet with the limitations of food stamps and pantries. He said he can find some things he needs, like eggs and peanut butter.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people come in and say they have absolutely nothing in their house to eat,\u201d said volunteer Laura Michelini. \u201cAnd they have kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynne, who chose not to reveal her last name, is a 58-year-old Rogers Park resident. She said that right now she is able to budget until the end of month between St. Ignatius and her SNAP benefits. She said she is afraid this will change when her husband returns after two years in prison and probably won\u2019t work. \u201cNow it\u2019s easy because there\u2019s no one home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Conwell said he hopes that with the recent expansion of SNAP benefits to families at 165 percent of the federal poverty level, fewer families in Cook County will struggle with hunger. \u201cThe truth is that charity could never do it alone,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a common misconception we hear in the news among opponents of hunger programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a struggle to keep up with hunger,\u201d said Morello, \u201cbut we\u2019re fortunate to have a really generous donor base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteer Laura Michelini (left) assists patron at St. Ignatius Food Pantry (Anna Boisseau\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Anna Boisseau The well-stocked food pantry at St. Ignatius Church saw few visitors on Wednesday at the start of January. According to volunteer Anita Goldstein that is because, as patrons can only visit once a month, they generally come towards the end once Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and paychecks have run out. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":25817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,30,675],"tags":[99,138,625],"class_list":["post-25811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-public-affairs","category-social-justice","tag-food","tag-nutrition","tag-social-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Food Stamps Fall Short, Local Pantries Step In - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/when-food-stamps-fall-short-local-pantries-step-in\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Food Stamps Fall Short, Local Pantries Step In - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Anna Boisseau The well-stocked food pantry at St. Ignatius Church saw few visitors on Wednesday at the start of January. 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