2025 Increasing Food Access Report is now Available!

LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear friend,

We have been doing it for the past 18 years—making our communities healthy again. Since 2008, Experimental Station has been pursuing our vision of a healthy and food-educated South Side and an Illinois where all Illinoisans have affordable access to fresh produce and locally and sustainably grown food. Today, as a result of our deep commitment and earned expertise, we are recognized as a leading voice and innovator in increasing food security at the local and state levels. As you will see in the following report, thanks to our dedicated staff and many valued partners in our work, 2025 was a banner year of continued programmatic achievements, as well as exciting, transformative, system-level innovation.

Looking ahead, we are uncertain what 2026 will bring. Federal funding cuts and changes to SNAP work requirements have left states scrambling to address increased food insecurity—along with the need to address funding cuts to other essential programs. At the same time, we are hopeful that the extension of the 2018 federal Farm Bill to September 2026 and the federal government’s recent emphasis in dietary guidelines away from ultra-processed foods and toward fresh and more nutritious ones will lead to strong federal support for our food access work. We also see opportunity for rebuilding Illinois’ food system in the loss of markets for commodity crops resulting from tariffs; struggling Illinois commodity farmers may see an economic future in diversifying their production by growing food crops and thereby contributing to greater food security in our state.

What we do know about 2026 and beyond is that much will be asked of us. As we continue to work to make our communities healthy again, we will rely on the collective commitment of our many partners, collaborators, and supporters—whose efforts are also reflected in our stories of success. If you are not yet among them, we hope the following pages will inspire you to become involved.

Sincerely,

Connie Spreen, Executive Director