Families struggle with hunger

On good days, Shay McGhiey eats one meal a day.

On bad days, the 57-year-old Springfield man eats nothing.

Like thousands of others in the capital city, hunger is no stranger to McGhiey, who works a minimum-wage job in a smoke shop. 

“I make too much money – according to the public aid people – to get Link benefits. But I’m still a guy sitting in a town where rent’s too high – trying to pay rent, electric, gas, internet, phone, etc. and feed myself. And I need to eat heart healthy because I’ve got coronary artery disease,” McGhiey said. 

“I’m trying to do all that and feed myself on minimum wage. It’s just not possible. They say I make too much money. I’d like to know where they’re shopping, because if I go to any store here in town, I’m lucky to eat one meal a day.”

McGhiey doesn’t own a car and can’t afford bus fare. He walks to work daily. 

Although he suffers from kidney and heart disease and has had surgery for three herniated disks in his neck, he is not considered disabled, at least by government standards.

“My other problem is, I don’t drive. I don’t have the money for transportation, so I can’t get to a lot of the places that have these food pantries,” McGhiey said. And even if he could come up with bus fare, he said there’s no practical way for him to carry the groceries back to his apartment. 

Occasionally, the U.S. Army veteran logs onto the Springfield Families Helping Families Facebook page and asks for help. Some food pantries allow volunteers to pick up groceries to deliver to those who lack transportation or may be home-bound. 

But he is the first to admit his situation is better than that of many others. 

Envoy Jeff Eddy, of the Salvation Army of Springfield, said in recent years more single people like McGhiey are experiencing hunger. 

Even before the government shutdown and the interruption of SNAP benefits, hunger was a growing problem in Springfield, he said. But what was once a problem has escalated to a crisis.

“We’ve seen a continual growth just over the last couple years, just as food prices in general have risen,” Eddy said. “This time a couple years ago, we would have had our pantry open all day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and we would see 30 families (a day). A rough day was 40. Now we’re having to shut it down about noon, and we usually have 80 to 100 families each time. So, the need has more than doubled in the last two years.”

The demographics of who is experiencing hunger are varied.

“There’s no such thing as a typical (hungry) person,” said Steve Ericson, executive director of Feeding Illinois, the umbrella organization overseeing many of the state’s food banks. “It could be your neighbor – what we used to call that ‘hidden hunger.’ These are people who are in need of a food pantry or food assistance. Most people are not on SNAP year-round. In fact, it’s a misnomer that there’s waste, fraud and abuse… There’s very little abuse in SNAP.”

The government shutdown has temporarily turned off the flow of SNAP benefits, but inflation was the precursor to much of the depravation experienced by families already living on the edge. 

“The cost of food is up, so everybody’s budgets are stretched and other costs are up as well,” Ericson said. “Housing, health care, everything factors into people’s budgets. I think the real (culprit) has been just the cost of food.”

Community volunteer Mary McDonald coordinates the various micropantries that serve the community. Those with more than enough leave groceries for those in need in the wooden depots found near parks, schools and churches. Both the giving and receiving is done anonymously, with no ID or paperwork required, unlike most pantries. 

But McDonald said micropantries are often empty because the community’s needs far outstrip what is being donated. 

“We have about 30 (pantries) around Springfield,” she said. “They’re almost always empty. As soon as you put something out for people, there’s often a line waiting to come and get it.”

She said this was the situation even before the interruption of SNAP benefits. 

“I’m terrified. There are people who are not going to be able to feed themselves and their children. And those children go to school and try to learn,” McDonald said.

“We have adults who are working multiple jobs and are trying to figure out how to care for their families. And there is the quiet suffering we don’t know about. These are people who are not in the headlines. If we don’t advocate for them – no one will.  They don’t know how to advocate for themselves well,” she said.

Caitlin Kownacki, a dietitian with the University of Illinois Extension Service, said people can help by volunteering at a local food pantry or donating food or money to an organization that deals with food insecurity.

“When people think of hungry people, their minds often go to adults. But it is  important to remember that a lot of those people who are experiencing hunger are children who live in households that really need support.”  

This article appears in November 6-12, 2025.