CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Chambana Today) — Food banks across Central Illinois are facing unprecedented demand as continued cuts to SNAP benefits take hold, forcing more families to rely on community resources to get by.

In Champaign, the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen has seen a sharp rise in the number of meals it serves—jumping from about 600 a day to nearly 1,000 in just six months. The kitchen offers a full midday meal and a sack lunch to-go. Volunteers say the growing need is directly tied to recent changes in SNAP policy, including stricter work requirements and fewer exemptions.

The strain is also being felt at the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, which supplies over 200 pantries across the state, including Daily Bread. Officials there report serving twice as many people as they did in 2022—a historic level of need.