Pritzker announces expansion of food benefits for struggling families
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.- One million kids across Illinois will now have access to food through a pandemic assistance program. That’s 200,000 more eligible children receiving meals than last year.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced qualifying families will receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer card mailed home for each eligible child next month. The card gives families $6.82 each day their child doesn’t have access to a school lunch because of the pandemic.
Pritzker said this is a big opportunity for families to get the help they need. He explained that a meal is much more than just a meal to young children.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Natural gas prices have skyrocketed along the panhandle pipeline stretching from Texas to Michigan. Some downstate communities struggling to deal with surging energy prices could get a hand from the state leaders.
Gov. JB Pritzker asked the Illinois Finance Authority to create a $15 million low-interest loan program to help the smallest municipalities hit by the outlandish gas prices. During winter, these communities usually pay $2-$3 per dekatherm of natural gas. That’s a stark difference from the $225 per dekatherm municipalities paid last week.
Illinois hasn’t seen the same challenges Texas did with the winter freeze. However, Pritzker explained several towns and villages in Central and Southern Illinois have taken on “unbearable financial sacrifices.” In fact, the village of Franklin estimates their gas costs for the month will be more than two-and-a-half times what the local leaders set aside for the entire year.