Collaboration, support can help Illinois food banks overcome SNAP cuts

In recent weeks, the Sun-Times has reported on the devastating cuts to the federal safety net that were signed into law July 4th. These cuts, including a $200 billion reduction in funding for the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will have a catastrophic impact on our neighbors who face hunger.

As the leaders of the two food banks serving Chicago, Cook and the 13 surrounding counties in northern Illinois, we see every day how SNAP helps families put food on the table.

The program is a nutritional lifeline for nearly 2 million Illinoisans living on a limited income. For every meal food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank provide, SNAP provides the equivalent of nine meals.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the program reduced poverty by 10% and kept millions of American families from going hungry. We now find ourselves in a new moment of crisis.

At least 360,000 Illinoisans could lose basic food assistance in the coming months, affecting their entire household’s budget. We anticipate food insecurity will skyrocket, lines at our partner pantries will get exponentially longer, and many of our most vulnerable neighbors, including children, older adults, people with disabilities and veterans, will go hungry. This outcome was avoidable.

The emergency food system will not be able to fill the gap left by the cuts. It was never built for the coming surge in demand. For years, food banks and food pantries have worked in tandem with federal nutrition programs to keep our neighbors facing food insecurity fed. People need both.

At a time of elevated food prices and living costs and record demand at food pantries, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank stand ready to confront this emergency head-on, but we cannot do so alone.

In the days since the SNAP cuts were signed into law, we’ve been inspired by the spirit of collaboration that has energized tough conversations with state and federal leaders, food pantry directors, elected officials, anti-hunger advocates and community-based organizations about how we move forward. We’ve discussed the hardships these SNAP cuts will have on our neighbors, the health of our communities, our local economies, business owners and more.

Together, we’ll find a way to keep SNAP working in Illinois, while also ensuring food pantries remain well-stocked for everyone and continue advocating for a hunger-free community. Our work just became that much more difficult, and together we will rise to meet this moment.

Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO, Greater Chicago Food Depository
Julie Yurko, president and CEO, Northern Illinois Food Bank

Standardized test tell only part of a student’s story

In his recent letter suggesting Chicago Public Schools close more schools, reader Bill Choslovsky ends by insinuating that teachers whose students score low on standardized tests don't deserve their salaries.

While I'm not sure if he really believes that or was just piling onto his other argument with a little rhetorical flourish, I would like to provide some clarity about standardized tests.

Student scores on standardized tests do not measure teacher performance. The main thing scores show is family income. While there are some rare exceptions, almost always the wealthiest students score the highest on standardized tests and the poorest score the lowest, regardless of their teachers' skills and efforts.

Standardized tests are designed to rank students. The standardized tests used in Chicago, such as the elementary school Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP exam, and high school ACT, compare students' results to a national norm and place their scores on a curve.

With standardized testing, like all measures of comparison, not all can be above average. These tests are designed to sort students from the top to the bottom. You do not know what students know and can do by their test scores; you only know how they compare to other test takers.

In Chicago, students are sorted by test scores as early as kindergarten, when the top scorers enroll in gifted programs. Further creaming of students comes with elementary school testing and placement in middle school academic centers and selective enrollment high schools.

In addition, other Chicago public school options for families include Middle Years Programme/International Baccalaureate programs; magnet programs; military schools; and charter, art and vocational schools that require applications and a selection process for students.

So, while teachers like me, who work in open-enrollment neighborhood schools, are effective, our schools' test scores cannot surpass the schools that pre-select their students and, additionally, enroll many fewer English learners and students with special needs.

Finally, Choslovsky quoted the Illinois Policy Institute in his letter, that test scores in CPS are lower now than they were in 2012, but that is not relevant. That's different populations of test takers. While tests are standardized, children are not.

Standardized test scores tell a limited story. They don't show the complex reality of students or their teachers.

Sharon Schmidt, Portage Park

Google gives the goods

In 2012, I started a business based on a pretty strange concept: a bike store and coffee shop rolled into one. People liked it, and that one shop has grown into multiple neighborhood spots across Chicago employing around 50 people.

Digital tools have played a major role in my business’s growth and success. Many of those tools are offered by Google, and I’m worried they’re now under threat.

Nearly a year ago, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that some of Google’s contracts violated antitrust law. Now the Department of Justice wants to break up Google’s search business — and any day now, we’ll learn if Mehta thinks that’s the right remedy for Google.

That could mean splitting up valuable tools like Google Search, Maps, Chrome and the Business Profile system. That won’t just hit Google — it’ll also really hurt small businesses like mine.

When someone searches "coffee near me" or "bike repair Chicago," there’s a good chance they’ll find us, because Google helps surface local businesses that match people’s queries. And when people search for us by name, our Business Profile shows them essential information about our business. If that tool doesn’t work well — or goes away — we’ll become invisible.

We don’t have a big advertising budget, so we rely on targeted digital ads to reach people who are looking for what we offer. If Google’s search data no longer powers those ads, it’ll be way harder and more expensive to reach the right customers.

Google also gives us a window into things like how well our different ads and marketing tactics are working, and how people find us online. We can’t see anyone’s sensitive data — just numbers and statistics. But those insights help us make smart decisions so we can navigate challenges like rising costs and changing customer habits.

I get that we need to hold big companies accountable, but this isn’t the way to do it. I urge Judge Mehta not to break the tools that help small businesses survive. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re just asking not to get caught in the crossfire of a fight we didn’t start.

Michael Salvatore, founder, Heritage Bikes and Coffee and the Heritage Hospitality Group, Rogers Park

More details needed on alleged killer’s court appearances

A few days ago, the Sun-Times reported that a man charged in a July Fourth weekend killing was on electronic monitoring over prosecutors' objections."

The story further explained that while on electronic monitoring,there were "a series of violations dating back to June 8." This reporting raises important questions which, unfortunately, were not addressed in the article.

On what basis did prosecutors object to electronic monitoring for the man's earlier crime? Why did the judge release him despite the prosecutors' objections? Who was the judge? Why wasn't the man picked up and incarcerated for the "series of violations" that occurred after his release? Who's responsible for monitoring persons released on electronic monitoring and taking action when the conditions of release are violated? Why did they not act? Does this case reflect a systemic failure?

It appears the criminal justice system may have failed Moises Juarez, the victim of the July Fourth weekend shooting, but this aspect of the story was ignored. Mr. Juarez's family and all Chicagoans deserve answers.

John Jacoby, Wilmette

Accessory dwelling units

Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) has it wrong. Finally permitting accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, again would be a game changer for the Southwest Side.

More neighbors doesn’t mean more problems. It means greater affordability, a stronger local economy and families staying together. ADUs are a perfect fit for Clearing and Garfield Ridge not in spite of their single-family housing, but because of it.

In fact, our bungalows were always designed with extended families in mind, built with exactly the kind of flexibility needed to add ADUs in the future. It’s exactly the kind of common sense solution city neighborhoods in the 13th and 23rd wards need.

Danny Villalobos, Vittum Park

PBS proposal

A suggestion for all Public Broadcasting Service stations: Select an hour or two every day of some of your most popular programming. During that time, instead of showing that program, simply show a message on the screen that says this program is not being presented because of a lack of funding. For more information contact your local congressman or congresswoman.

Joyce Porter, Oak Park

Failing our youth by getting rid of gender-affirming care

I read with dismay that Rush University Medical Center is withdrawing their program providing health care specifically for LGBTQ+ youth. Given the harsh political environment in which we now live, I understand why, without agreeing with it.

But what I cannot understand is the seeming turning away, in a nation where science is supposed to matter and freedom is alleged to be a universal value, of research into the study of human sexuality.

Simply put, we are failing our youth. We are failing our scientific and health care community. We are even failing the God that most of us believe in and who gave us brains so we would presumably come to know and understand the wonders and complexities of the world He gave us.

Another sad day in America.

Barb Orze, Cedar Lake, Indiana

Medicare musings

The other day I received a letter from Medicare that said my Medicare number has been compromised. OK, so now when I get the new one, I will need to change that number with all eight of my doctors. It is not so terribly inconvenient but still a nuisance.

I am wondering if this is happening to a lot of people. And if this is a fallout, an information breach, of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency's actions earlier in the year, I'd like to know!

Donald Stoub, Palos Heights

Voting for change

American citizens possess the right to vote. You can march and express yourself, but you must vote to cause real change. You must register to vote.

Marching and not voting is useless. You need to vote to change government.

Warren Rodgers Jr, Orland Park

Cherishing the Sun-Times

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate the Sun-Times.

I read it before The New York Times and read most of it because of the timeliness of the coverage of vital things happening in our city, as well as our country.

The quality of the writing is always excellent and clearly stated. I just wanted you to know I subscribe and have donated a bit to keep it going

Ruth Aizuss Migdal, Gold Coast