The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits were increased by federal lawmakers during Covid-19, but a recently passed spending bill in Congress sunsets the emergency allotments on 1 March. More working or middle-class families, who would not have frequented food banks before, are now newly dependent on them to supplement their grocery store trips, where their budget does not stretch as far, says Man-Yee Lee, of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Being one of the largest food banks in the country, she said they can use their purchasing power to get more value for their money - for every dollar, they can purchase at least three meals