Illinois governor touts plan to address poverty and hunger

CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker is touting a new plan for helping end hunger in Illinois that includes improved technology and better collaboration between state agencies and advocacy groups. Pritzker says the strategies will better help Illinoisans get connected to nutrition assistance programs and promote better food access. There’s an emphasis on technology, for example making mobile-friendly applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Before the pandemic roughly 1.6 million residents of Illinois residents participated in SNAP. In the initial months of the pandemic, the average number of weekly SNAP applications went to over 35,000 from 9,000.