Cook County pop-up pantry to end, remaining food to go to Grand Marais Food Shelf

In November 2025, amid the longest federal government shutdown on record, a pop-up food shelf was set up in the lobby of the Cook County Courthouse. The shutdown had caused disruptions to funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides millions of Americans with monthly financial assistance specifically for buying food.

As concern over food access increased along with uncertainty over SNAP benefits, Cook County Public Health and Human Services established a temporary food shelf. The pantry was a no-questions-asked self-serve model, where anyone could either donate or take items. Because it was used heavily in the first few months, the county extended the pop-up beyond the originally planned two months, and has been operating it through the first quarter of this year.

Now, however, the county is wrapping the temporary food shelf up.

PHHS Director Grace Grinager told WTIP that the pantry would remain set-up through Friday. She said that after a courthouse-wide food drive, there are a lot of donated items. After Friday, however, the food will be brought to the Grand Marais Food Shelf, and the courthouse will stop taking donated food items.

Over the past few months, PHHS has been trying to collect information from pop-up users about how often they visit the food shelf and what their household’s needs are. Cook County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) Coordinator Kristina Campbell Mattson told WTIP that the information gathered was valuable for the county.

“It was a great pilot, which really exemplified the need for food assistance,” she said.

Campbell Mattson added that there is interest from the PHHS board in looking for ways that the county can further support food security efforts in the community.

At the next PHHS board meeting, scheduled for April 21, Grinager and Campbell Mattson will be part of a presentation about food access and insecurity in the community. A representative from the Grand Marais Food Shelf is expected to join the presentation, as well.

Kirsten Wisniewski April 3, 2026