Pappas-Backed Law to Provide Lifesaving Aid to Homeless, Food Pantries, Now in Effect

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Poor and homeless people in Illinois will have more critical aid available under a new law backed by state Rep. Diane Pappas, D-Itasca, which recently went into effect.

“Impoverished people in our community deserve a helping hand when they’re in need, and food pantries often provide that,” Pappas said. “If we’re going to build a stronger Illinois with a thriving economy, we can’t leave anyone behind. The poor, homeless and indigent members of our society can’t contribute to a better future if they’re struggling to eat.”

Pappas backed Senate Bill 640, a law that authorizes townships to help fund existing food pantry programs and administer new food pantries if necessary. The organization Feeding America reported in 2019 that almost 1.4 million people in Illinois are currently struggling with hunger, and 450,000 of them are children. This law will help provide critical funding to food programs that lower those numbers.

“I will continue to work for better education, more robust jobs programs and greater access to health care, but for the people who are struggling to eat, none of that will matter until we make enough food resources available,” Pappas said. “This new law is a good step, and we need to keep fighting for the hundreds of thousands of kids facing hunger right now.”