Food Stamps
Food Stamps began in 1939 as the Food Stamp Plan during the Great Depression in an effort to relieve the economic strain on low-income families. In 1961 the Food Stamp Program as we know it today was implemented as a pilot program, which in 1964 was made permanent. Further, in 1974 Congress passed legislation requiring all states to provide this program to their low-income citizens..”[1]
The Food Stamp program is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) department of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Various state agencies then administer this program on the state and county level. Although Food Stamps are often associated with the Department of Welfare (DPW), they are not actually welfare; instead the DPW is often the agency administering the program on the local level.
The goal this program is to provide low-income families with access to nutritious food. Monthly allotments of money are provided to each participant on an electronic debit card known as an EBT card. This card allows families to purchase food from their local grocery store just like a bank debit card, bringing an end to the use paper coupons or “stamps”. Monthly allotments are determined based on a family’s income, size, resources and costs. The gross monthly income of a family must be at or below 130% of poverty based on the Federal poverty guidelines to receive food stamp benefits. Currently the minimum allocation for a household is $10 a month.
For more information visit the USDA website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/.