House votes to cut food for the hungry

The House voted on Thursday to slash the amount of food the federal government provides for hungry people. The bill, which will be advanced to the Senate, would slice 20 percent from The Emergency Food Assistance Program next year. This is on top of a possible 50 percent cut this year. For Cook County, this would mean at least 3 million fewer pounds of food in the next year just as we witness record levels of demand at pantries—65 percent higher than three years ago. Most troubling is that the bill cuts funding for the Women, Infants and Children Program.

Still, there is hope. First, there is time to take action. The Senate likely will not vote on this bill for several weeks. Another silver lining is that seven of eight Cook County House members voted 'no' on these cuts--that is because of you. Thank you to everyone who responded to our advocacy alert this week. As we address this “new normal,” it will require more support from every sector of the community.