Cook County Public Defender’s Freedom Defense Center Leads Food Drive Amid SNAP Disruptions

Staff from the Cook County Public Defender’s Office will wrap up a two-week food drive this month that, by the time it ends on Nov. 22, will have delivered hundreds of grocery bags to families in Austin and Roseland — an effort officials say was driven by mounting concern over food insecurity during the federal SNAP payment delays.

The initiative, organized by the office’s Freedom Defense Center of Austin, located inside the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, 5500 W. Madison St., collected donations across eight courthouse sites from Nov. 3–14. Attorneys, investigators, and volunteers contributed non-perishable foods, purchased items through an Amazon Wishlist, and later helped sort and distribute bags at community hubs on the South and West sides.

“We were really concerned about people not getting their full SNAP benefits this month, so we wanted to come together as an office and do something,” said Dr. Brittany Wells, associate director of client support services at the Freedom Defense Center of Austin. “Food insecurity is a pipeline to incarceration, so we want to help.”

The state has since begun restoring full November SNAP benefits after the federal government shutdown halted funding earlier in the month. But the lapse left many low-income households uncertain about whether they would receive their full allotment, straining pantries and community organizations across Illinois.

Volunteers gathered at the Aspire Center on Nov. 19 to pack the completed grocery bags, which will be carried by vans to distribution points in Roseland on Nov. 21. The following day, volunteers will administer the food giveaway events in Austin and Roseland from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The goal was to prepare at least 100 bags per site, with resources handed out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Freedom Defense Center of Austin, which opened in September, is the Public Defender’s second community-based legal hub after its Roseland center debuted in the spring. The office provides walk-in legal information, pretrial support, case management, referral services, and access to private rooms for virtual court hearings.

Leaders have described the centers as part of a broader push to bring legal support, education, and stabilization services directly into neighborhoods most impacted by the criminal legal system. Wells said addressing food insecurity is one way the office can meet families’ needs before they escalate into crises.