# Over a third of Chicago families can't afford food > A new report reveals 35% of Chicago households face food insecurity, with the South Side hit hardest and Black residents most affected. - Title: Over a third of Chicago families can't afford food | Shortify - Summary: A new report reveals 35% of Chicago households face food insecurity, with the South Side hit hardest and Black residents most affected. Food insecurity in… - Keywords: chicago, food insecurity, greater chicago food depository, south side chicago, snap benefits, poverty, hunger, black residents, donald trump, inflation, unemployment, child hunger - Source: Chicago Sun-Times — https://chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/2026/09/16/el-35-de-hogares-de-chicago-especialmente-en-el-lado-sur-tiene-inseguridad-alimentaria - Published: 2026-09-16T16:57:57.554+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: chicago, food insecurity, greater chicago food depository, south side chicago, snap benefits, poverty, hunger, black residents, donald trump, inflation, unemployment, child hunger ## One third of Chicago faces hunger A new report from Greater Chicago Food Depository found 35% of Chicago households experience food insecurity, meaning families skip meals or reduce portions due to lack of money. ## First major study of its kind Greater Chicago Food Depository partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to publish the Hunger in Chicago Report, surveying residents about whether household members skipped meals in the past 30 days. ## Much worse than previous data The report shows food insecurity is far more widespread than earlier estimates. In 2024, only 13% of Illinois households reported food insecurity, compared to this new finding of 35% in Chicago. ## Inflation and pandemic recovery blamed Kate Maehr, executive director of Greater Chicago Food Depository, says rising grocery prices and families still recovering from pandemic economic disruption are driving the crisis. > The data is so stark, and what's at stake is so high. This is a basic moral issue. ## Food is a human right Maehr emphasized that food access should be guaranteed. More than one third of Chicago households struggle with something as basic as feeding themselves. > I believe food is a basic human right, and more than a third of households in our great city have difficulty accessing something so basic as food. ## SNAP benefits shrinking fast Illinois SNAP participation dropped 16% compared to 2025, with only 1.6 million people receiving benefits in June, the lowest since 2009. ## Trump's budget law cuts assistance The Big and Beautiful Act, passed last year, expanded work requirements for SNAP and will shift massive program costs to states, causing enrollment to plummet. ## Pulling the rug out Maehr described the policy changes as removing critical resources from vulnerable families at the worst possible time. > Pulling the rug out from under vulnerable families and taking away this critical resource from so many people. ## South Side hit hardest Food insecurity is particularly severe on Chicago's South Side, where 51% of surveyed residents reported very low or low food security. ## Stark racial disparities Black residents reported the highest food insecurity at 61%, while only 14% of white households reported limited food access. ## Waiting lists growing Dion's Chicago Dream, which distributes free boxes of fresh vegetables and fruit across the city, has over 5,000 households on its waiting list. ## Linked to broader poverty Food insecurity connects to unemployment, reduced social services, and lack of healthcare access. Dion Dawson of Dion's Chicago Dream says job creation must be part of the solution. ## Resource allocation problem Dawson argues the issue isn't just lack of money but how philanthropic and social service resources are distributed across the city. > We don't necessarily have just a money problem; we have an allocation problem when it comes to some of the resources in philanthropy and social services. ## Nearly half of families with kids About 47% of households with children reported facing food insecurity, prompting calls for urgent policy changes. ## Long term damage to children Maehr warned that without adequate nutrition in the first five to ten years of life, children face lifelong consequences. This is not just a 2026 problem but one affecting 2036, 2046, and beyond. > It's not a 2026 problem. It's a 2036 problem, a 2046 problem, a 2056 problem. ## Workers still can't afford food About 56% of food insecure households include an employed adult, showing that wages are too low to cover basic needs like groceries. ## Impossible choices every day Families delay or skip utility, medical, rent, and mortgage payments to buy food. Some parents go hungry so their children can eat. > Parents are making the decision not to feed themselves so their kids can have food. They're making these decisions every day to get by in America. ## Time to respond with urgency Dawson said the report confirms what emergency food aid workers see daily and calls for a response that honors residents facing food insecurity. > Now it's our turn to respond in a way that can honor all these residents who currently see themselves with food insecurity. ## Key takeaway Food insecurity in Chicago is far worse than previously documented, driven by inflation and wage stagnation, and it's getting worse as federal assistance programs shrink.