Food Stamps

The United States food stamps program was created in 1961 to provide a safety net for millions of Americans by providing them with monthly benefits for the purchase of food products. Since October 2008 the food stamp program has changed their name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility.htm Eligible households are given an electronic benefits card that can be used at the grocery store like a debit or credit card to buy food items. While food stamps can be used to buy food, or seeds which can be grown into food, they cannot be used for alcoholic drinks including wine, beer and spirits. Food stamps must also not be used for the purchase of cigarettes, cigars or cleaning products.

American citizens can apply for food stamps at their local social security office or the local Department of Human Services. An application must be filled out and paperwork must be provided to verify income, identities and other requirements. After the application is turned in, there will be an appointment in the office or over the phone to determine if the requirements for eligibility are met.

The first food stamp program in the U.S. was designed to provide unemployed people with food from farm surpluses, relieving hunger and solving a farming problem at the same time.http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/money_09.html Early food stamp users purchased color coded stamps and received extra stamps to purchase surplus food at discounted rates.http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/money_09.html This program ran successfully from 1939-1943, when it was discontinued due to the economic recovery of the time.http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/money_09.html

In 1961, an incarnation of the current food stamp program was tested and then signed into law as the Food Stamp Act of 1964http://www.enotes.com/major-acts-congress/food-stamp-act. On this program, people purchased their food stamps, but received more and better food for the money spent. By 1974 15 million people were being served by this program.http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe50s/money_09.html

The Food Stamp Act of 1977 ended the purchase requirement for food stamps, but added stricter controls.http://www.enotes.com/major-acts-congress/food-stamp-act By 1994, 28 million people were using food stamps, at that point, the highest number in U.S. history.http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/31/us/31foodstamps.html This number dropped substantially with changes to the program in the late 1990s and low unemployment rates.http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/published/snap/FILES/Participation/trends94-00sum.htm

The 2008 Recession, however, caused an upsurge in the number of families applying for food stamp benefits as unemployment rose. As of May 2010, a record breaking 40 million American households were receiving food stamps, more than double the rate in 2000.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/26/spending-food-stamps-time-high-sparking-debate-welfare/ In August 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut food stamp benefits by $12 billion, beginning in 2014, an average loss of $59 per month in food money for a family of four on the program.http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/08/congress_votes_for_school_funding_cuts_food_stamps.html

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamp benefits, are provided by the Electronic Benefit System.http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/ebt/ebt_status_highlights.htm The Electronic Benefit System (EBT) is a debit card providing funds from SNAP. This debit card, used with a personal identification number, can be used in most major supermarkets and some small retailers to help people save money on food and groceries.http://www.gettingfoodstamps.org/ebtcard.htm

Food stamp recipients are able to use their EBT cards as many times per month as needed, provided there are still funds available on the card.http://www.gettingfoodstamps.org/ebtcard.htm Each time the card is used, the user can see his or her remaining balance on the receipt accompanying the purchase.http://www.gettingfoodstamps.org/ebtcard.htm Food stamp users are not allowed to receive cash back from any food stamp purchase..http://www.gettingfoodstamps.org/ebtcard.htm