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Eligible Illinois residents to receive new food benefit
By Brian Weckerly,
1 days agoIllinois residents who lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive a one-time $400 benefit per eligible household member through the new Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH) program.
According to a release, the $70 million program was enacted as part of the Gov. JB Pritzker’s FY27 budget, which was focused on making life more affordable for Illinois families whose food assistance was slashed.
Approximately 100,000 Illinoisans will receive a one-time benefit beginning August 1, and IDHS will provide funding each month to additional individuals who lose coverage until funding is exhausted.
There is no paperwork or application required to receive the FRESH benefit payment.
Eligible households have one or more members who lost benefits and did not regain eligibility, due to neither meeting nor being exempt from new, broadened work requirements.
A notice will be mailed to eligible households who will receive these benefits.
For eligible households who lost benefits after May 1, 2026, but before August 1, benefits will begin being deposited as a cash payment on Illinois Link cards by August 1, 2026.
Starting in August 2026 through June 2027 or until funding has been exhausted, households with eligible members will be issued FRESH benefits after the 16th of the month in which they lost access to SNAP. Receiving a FRESH program payment will not impact eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), AABD Cash, Medicaid, or other similar benefit programs.
“At a time when the cost of groceries, gas, and utilities are all rising, Donald Trump and Republicans decided to strip food assistance from nearly 100,000 people,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “In Illinois, we passed the FRESH program to help provide some relief for families kicked off food assistance, but no state can backfill the cruel and imminent cuts set in motion by Trump’s budget bill.”
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
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