Food For Greater Elgin to receive funding for infrastructure improvements

• Kane County
• Infrastructure
• Elgin
• Food For Greater Elgin

ELGIN – State Senator Cristina Castro announced Friday that she secured $300,000 in funding for Food For Greater Elgin to be used for infrastructure improvements.

“Ensuring that those who work tirelessly to combat food insecurity have the tools to do so safely and effectively is critical,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This investment will allow Food For Greater Elgin to continue providing desperately needed services to the Kane County community.”

Food For Greater Elgin serves more than 2,665 households in Elgin, South Elgin, East Dundee and West Dundee, equating to over 23,475 individuals of whom approximately 34% are children and 20% are elderly. The organization ensures shoppers have access to fresh produce, meat, dairy, deli and shelf-stable items, among other essentials.

“We are beyond grateful to Senator Castro and the legislature for awarding us $300,000 to begin our expansion of our warehouse,” said Michael Montgomery, Executive Director at Food For Greater Elgin. “This grant will help us operate more efficiently and provide room for an array of additional services for the people whom we serve.  Senator Castro helped us and the people of the greater Elgin community in improving access to food and community services for people who are poor.”

Founded in 2011, Food For Greater Elgin is the second largest food pantry in Kane County.

Castro begins third Senate term representing Northwest Suburbs

• 103rd General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Cristina Castro was sworn in alongside her Senate colleagues as the 103rd General Assembly began Wednesday. Castro’s inauguration marks the start of her third term.

“I am excited and honored to get to work in the new General Assembly to address some of our state’s most pressing issues,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “The opportunity to serve another term is not a responsibility I take lightly, and I look forward to bringing the voices and perspectives of my communities with me to Springfield. I know that, together, our work will make Illinois an exceptional place to call home.”

Castro intends to use her position to continue finding solutions to what she believes to be the most important issues the communities she represents are currently facing. Since her first term in the Senate, Castro has championed environmental and energy policy, protected workers, expanded services to address and prevent maternal mortality and fought for consumer protections.

Castro has represented the 22nd District since 2017.

Castro helps secure more than $160 million to support new arrivals in Chicago

• Budget
• Immigration
• Asylum

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Cristina Castro, along with members of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus, helped secure more than $160 million to continue providing services and aid to newly arrived asylum-seekers on Tuesday.

“This funding reiterates that Illinois is a welcoming state that treats people with the respect and humanity they deserve,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This is about fulfilling our duties to welcome those who come here seeking a better life.”

Since August 2022, governors from Texas and Florida have chartered buses to transport immigrants and asylum seekers to Chicago as part of an aggressive border policy. To date, more than 4,000 individuals have arrived in the Chicagoland area, often with little to no resources. Buses continue to arrive nearly every day.

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Castro votes to expand reproductive health protections to providers and people seeking care in Illinois

• Reproductive Health

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Cristina Castro voted Tuesday to guarantee that Illinoisans, health care providers and patients from other states will not be punished for seeking or providing reproductive health care services in Illinois.

“House Bill 4664 makes clear that everyone deserves access to safe and legal reproductive health services and the affirming care these spaces provide,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “While Illinois is one of the few states that has continued to uphold the right to choose, this additional action was critical to ensure that family planning and abortion care providers can continue to operate safely and without fear of punishment from the increasingly regressive policies of surrounding states.”

House Bill 4664 protects the Illinois licenses of health care providers who are penalized for providing reproductive services that are outlawed in another state. It also shields people in Illinois from punishment related to reproductive health care services that are legal in Illinois and prevents insurers from charging higher out-of-pocket costs when patients have to seek out-of-network care due to an in-network provider’s objections.

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