The state of Illinois and the Greater Chicago Food Depository are teaming up to ensure migrants living in the city’s shelter system are fed through the end of the year after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration pushed back a deadline to award a food contract.

       The city in mid-October solicited bids for a new food vendor contract that was to begin Friday, but last week the Johnson administration pushed that start date back a month and a half to Jan. 15, according to city records. The delay raised questions about whether migrants would be fed throughout December. The new deadline for food vendors to submit proposals was noon Friday.

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       A spokeswoman for the city’s Office of Emergency Management & Communications said late Friday that the deadline was pushed back twice in order to answer numerous questions from potential bidders.