Northern Illinois Food Bank tells Kane County ARPA committee ARPA funds produced 4 million pounds of food; warns SNAP changes are reducing benefits

Colleen Ahearn, chief philanthropy officer at Northern Illinois Food Bank, told the Kane County ARPA Committee on June 24, 2026, that $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds allotted to the Food Bank helped the network distribute roughly 4 million pounds of food to about 84,000 Kane County residents through 39 local pantries and feeding sites.

"The 2 and 1/2 million dollars that you all earmarked to the food bank allowed us to provide 4 million pounds of food," Ahearn said. "At 69 cents a pound, that is an extremely efficient way to use a dollar to put food on neighbors' tables." She described emergency pop-up distributions the Food Bank organized during a recent federal government shutdown that drew long lines and acute need.

Ahearn also warned that recent changes to SNAP eligibility and benefits are increasing demand for the Food Bank's services. "In Kane County, about 10% of your SNAP recipients are losing their SNAP benefits due to recent changes," she said, urging continued public funding and partnerships with private donors and local organizations.

Committee members thanked the Food Bank for its work and described cooperative distribution efforts. One member highlighted coordination with Food for Greater Elgin, U-46 and an organization identified in the record as APPLE (enrichment partnerships for early learning) to run summer lunch programs and pop-up distributions.

Member remarks after the public comment emphasized that cash donations enable the Food Bank to stretch resources. "Money is the key," one member said while encouraging financial contributions rather than in-kind food donations.

Because the ARPA Committee lacked a quorum and could not conduct business that day, members did not take votes or make funding decisions; the committee scheduled a follow-up meeting for July 8, 2026, at 8:15 a.m. to continue its remaining work.