Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced this afternoon the state’s plan to enable 1.8 million SNAP recipients to purchase food from participating grocery retailers online has been approved by the federal government.
This new purchasing option will begin on June 2. All Link customers will be alerted when they can use their card to make food orders online.
“To keep more families safe and healthy, my administration is expanding the ways in which SNAP recipients can acquire groceries to include online purchasing,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The best part is that in addition to helping families shop a little easier and safer during this pandemic, this is a permanent new feature of the SNAP landscape in Illinois that will support our residents for many years to come.”
Both Walmart and Amazon have agreed to accept online orders in Illinois once the program site launches. Additional grocery retailers are welcome to join EBT Online. Any retailers interested in the program can find more information and apply here.
“We applaud the Illinois Department of Human Services for taking action to increase equity in food access by giving households receiving SNAP benefits the option to purchase groceries online,” said Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “SNAP is our most effective tool to prevent hunger during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is only fair that a household receiving SNAP benefits should have the same opportunity as any other household to buy groceries online. This is critical for our most vulnerable neighbors, including those who are unable to leave their homes.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved IDHS’ SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Online implementation plan, which gives SNAP customers the ability to enter their Personal Identification Number (PIN) to order groceries online. All SNAP recipients with Link cards in Illinois will be able to participate.
