Where to find Chicago-area food pantries if SNAP goes away during the shutdown

As the government shutdown stretches into its fourth week, the nearly 2 million Illinoisans on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, are set to lose federal aid they rely on starting Nov. 1.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it won’t fund the food stamps program using its contingency funding, which the department did during the last government shutdown in 2019.

Food pantries say they can’t fill in all the gaps, but they can help. Below is a list of some pantries serving residents, regardless of immigration status, across the Chicago area.

Pantries or organizations with multiple locations

• The Greater Chicago Food Depository
• The Unity in Community Foundation

North

• Common Pantry, 3908 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-327-0553 
• The Friendship Center, 2711 W. Lawrence Ave., 773-907-6388 
• The Irving Park Community Food Pantry, 4256 N. Ridgeway Ave., 773-283-6296 
• Nourishing Hope’s Sheridan Market, 3945 N. Sheridan Road, 773-525-1777 
• Onward Neighborhood House, 5433 W. Diversey Ave., 773-622-3215
• Cornerstone Community Outreach, 4628 N. Clifton Ave., 773-271-8163 ext. 0

South

• All Things Through Christ, 6600 S. Hermitage Ave., 708-654-7826 
• Pilsen Food Pantry, 2124 S. Ashland Ave., 773-812-3150 
• St. Sabina Church’s food pantry, 1120 W. 79th St., 773-483-4300 
• The Southwest Collective, 5525 S. Pulaski Road, 708-740-8914 
• The Salvation Army – Adele and Robert Stern Red Shield Center, 945 W. 69th St., 773-358-3200 
• Brave Space Alliance,1515 E. 52nd Place, 872-333-5199

West

• Above and Beyond Food Pantry, 817 S. Pulaski Road, 773-823-1660 
• Nourishing Hope’s El Mercadito, 3533 W. North Ave., 773-525-1777

Suburbs

• Moraine Township Food Pantry, 800 Central Ave., Highland Park, 847-432-3240  
• Niles Township Food Pantry, 8341 Lockwood Ave., Skokie, 847-983-0073 
• Together We Cope, 17010 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park, 708-633-5040 
• West Suburban Community Pantry, 6809 Hobson Valley Drive, Suite 118, Woodridge, 630-512-9921 
• Beyond Hunger, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, 708-386-1324

Most food pantries generally do not require people to provide an identification card, though some pantries may ask to see one depending on the services being provided. Some pantries may also ask for a person’s ZIP code.