Chicago nonprofits are helping SNAP recipients navigate new work requirements and access volunteer opportunities, meals, and other essential services amid federal benefit changes.
Confusion Amid SNAP Policy Changes
With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits delayed and reduced due to the government shutdown, and major changes to work requirements on the horizon, food insecurity is top of mind for many Americans.
For food banks and community-based organizations, one of the biggest challenges now is spreading the word about what’s changing and how to help people adapt.
“Every time I meet with any legislator, at any level, they look surprised,” said Danielle Perry, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “They know this is coming, they know it’s big, they know it’s bad—but do they know the inner workings of it and the details? No.”
The lack of awareness extends beyond lawmakers.
“I’ve had conversations with a lot of leaders of other frontline organizations who don’t know this change is happening,” said Hope Pavich, Executive Director of Care for Friends. “That is terrifying to me, because if they don’t know, the people they’re supporting don’t know.”
Creating Solutions and Building Tools
Care For Friends, or CFF, is a Chicago-based nonprofit that provides meals, clothing, health care and housing assistance to people in need. Pavich was immediately concerned when she learned that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” an omnibus piece of legislation containing numerous provisions restricting access to assistance programs like SNAP, had passed.
“We [Care For Friends] were troubled just by the pure humanity of it, quite honestly—but also by the impact it will have on society at large,” she said.
Pavich didn’t waste time responding.
“I basically went to bed thinking about it all night,” she said. “I woke up and started brainstorming with a good friend of mine.”
That brainstorming session led to the creation of the Care For Friends Training Toolkit, a PowerPoint-based resource designed to help community organizations spread awareness about SNAP changes and help recipients find work or volunteer opportunities to meet new federal requirements.
“It’s a training about, one, making sure people are aware of these changes; two, creating volunteer opportunities at your own organization; three, connecting recipients to opportunities outside your organization; and four, helping them report their hours,” Pavich said.
Inside the Toolkit
The toolkit includes examples of creative volunteer opportunities, and Pavich encourages out-of-the-box thinking.
“One of our programs offers grocery delivery to unhoused youth,” she said. “One volunteer opportunity is just having someone write knock-knock jokes in English and Spanish. That doesn’t have to happen here—they can just send those to us. Boom, you have volunteer hours.”
The toolkit isn’t meant to be a one-size-fits-all model. Pavich hopes organizations will “take it and run with it.”
“The idea is really being a network and a supportive coalition,” she said.
Some organizations worry about not being able to offer enough hours to meet the new SNAP requirements.
“People say, ‘Well, I can’t offer one person 80 hours a month,’” Pavich said. “But we can offer 30 minutes here, an hour there, four hours somewhere else.”
Every organization has a varying capacity, Hope says, but by creating a network of different agencies with different opportunities, volunteer hours will be more accessible and easier to apply for.
That network is already taking shape. Following the toolkit’s guidelines, Pavich told TCR that a CFF intern created a binder listing local organizations, food pantries, meal programs and social service agencies that offer volunteer opportunities.
“When people come in and say, ‘Hey, I need to get these hours,’ he can reference the binder and connect them to other opportunities in the area,” Pavich said, noting that CFF staff can even help them sign up right then and there.
Spreading the Word
The CFF Training Toolkit is free and available online. Pavich hopes it will spread beyond Chicago.
“It’s scalable,” she said. “We’re starting here because this is where we are. But if you’re in Oklahoma City, the same thing’s happening. There are people being affected, and there are organizations that can offer volunteer opportunities.”
Organizations are also encouraged to adapt the materials to fit their communities.
“Take our logo out of the PowerPoint and put yours in,” Pavich said. “Make it feel more inclusive for your community.”
In addition to the toolkit, Pavich has been hosting live online trainings to walk participants through the materials and answer questions. She plans to begin recording the sessions and posting them on the CFF website to make them even more accessible.
“If you’re doing this type of work, there are honestly endless options for creating volunteer opportunities,” she said. “As long as it’s advancing your mission, it counts.”
Understanding Changes and Accessing Services
SNAP guidelines are changing who qualifies for food assistance, starting next month. Read TCR’s guide to understanding SNAP eligibility to learn more.
Access the Care For Friends toolkit to find opportunities to meet work and volunteer requirements to stay eligible for SNAP.
Or visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository website to locate a food pantry or find out about food programs available to Chicagoans.
Get Involved
Care For Friends offers opportunities to volunteer in their meal service, which takes place on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Other CFF volunteer opportunities are available, like dispensing hygiene kits in their twice monthly Personal Care Items Initiative, and care clinics.
Or make a difference by volunteering, donating or planning a food drive in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository through their website.