Article Summary
- As thousands of Illinois households lose their federal food assistance this month, business owners are also preparing for potential loss.
- When households lose their benefits, they spend less at the grocery store, and the already-thin profit margins of independent grocers become even slimmer.
- Business owners face debt and potential store closures that could have far-reaching effects for small communities in rural Illinois.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
As households across Illinois brace to lose their federal food assistance this month, grocery stores, especially independent grocers across the state, are preparing for the devastating effects of decreased…