Food Stamp Program Essay

The modern program was established as part of the War on Poverty in the 1960s but has undergone mass changed since then (Edin, 2014). One being that the government gives out electronic debit cards, rather than stamps, for buying food. Since 2008, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program has become the largest food assistance program in the U.S. It serves greater than 45 million people in the U.S and is a critical safety net program for health and nutrition in the U.S (The History of SNAP, para.

Food stamps are an important component of low-income families’ monthly resources, increasing the chances that families are able to meet basic needs (Ratcliffe, McKernan & Finegold, 2008). This form of food relief dates back to the Great Depression when many Americans lost their jobs and did not have money to feed their families. People were starving while farmers produced abundant crop that could not be sold due to a lack of consumers with buying power (Dorsch, 2013). The Federal Surplus Relief Corporation which was a part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, bought basic farm goods at low prices and distributed the among hunger relief agencies in different states and local communities (Congressional Digest, 2013).

Food Stamp is a government-funded program in the United States. This is a program that helps people buy food for their families; in other words, it is a very important program to families living in poverty. It is the nation’s most important program in the fight against hunger. This program was developed in the 1960’s; it is made to improve the nutrition level and food purchasing power of people with low-income. This program is offered to people who cannot afford to buy groceries for their families, regardless of age, color, sex or religion. Food Stamps can only be used to buy food items not hygiene or household items, and it’s offered only on a monthly basis.

SNAP is the foundation of nutrition assistance programs. This program provides over 47 million individuals in nearly 23 million low-income households. The eligibility is not restricted to certain groups of individuals, and because of this, SNAP serves a vast amount of families with children, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities. Others eligible for SNAP include families with adults who work in low-wage jobs, unemployed workers, and those with a fixed income. The SNAP Program assists about 72 percent of people who live in households with children. Nearly 25 percent of households with seniors and individuals with disabilities, are also assisted (Rosenbaum, 2013).

the Food Stamp Program to give the economy a boost so that people would spend more money

In the United States of America, there is enough food in this country that the total amount of agricultural exports is enough to feed everyone twice over (Dorsch, 2013). The problem is that even though there is so much food in this country millions of people require assistance to purchase the food and feed their families. Dating back almost 100 years, the now called Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) has evolved to keep up with the changing needs of the Country. In 1933 SNAP was built into Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The AAA was put into law during the great depression. The purpose of the law was to help farmers deal with the excess supply of crops by having the government subsidize the cost. The government would also distribute these crops to relief agencies and local communities (The History of SNAP). In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Food Stamp Act. With this legislation enacted it was now required to purchase stamps. These stamps also had bonus amounts that were determined by income level. In the 90’s and early 2000s major changes were done to SNAP. The electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card was

Many charities, churches and individuals opened breadline in an attempt to solve the problems by the Great Depression as shown in the photo in document 4, a primary source. These breadlines provided free food to those unemployed who couldn’t make money to afford food. These donations were usually very crowded and the main source of food for unemployed Americans. The F.D.R cartoon in document 6, a secondary source shows F.D.R giving remedies to Uncle Sam with the Congress. The remedies were agencies from the New Deal created by F.D.R designed to help Americans find jobs, but they had to be approved by Congress. One agency was the Townsend Plan or the Social Security Act of 1935 shown in document 7, a secondary source. The Townsend Plan was created to help the elderly who could not work during the Great Depression. The elders had to be over 60 years old with no criminal background and could “retire on a pension of $200 per month.” This was a solution to the elders who could not work during the depression. There were also other agencies created by F.D.R to help the unemployed. For example, the agency, CCC or Civilian Conservation Corps helped 18-25 years old men get jobs created by the government. The men had free shelter and food while sending money back to their families. Therefore, the government, various groups, and individuals took many actions in an attempt to

The federal food stamp program (SNAP), makes up the largest portion of the budget for the US Department of Agriculture.1 In New York alone 15.3% of residents receive benefits from the SNAP program.2 The purpose of SNAP is to provide nutrition to low-income citizens, however SNAP beneficiaries experience higher rates of obesity compared non-reciepiants.3 According to a report published by the USDA, Americans use food stamps to buy more than $600 million worth of “sweetened beverages,” and bought hundreds of millions more of junk food and sugary snacks.4 Lack of regulation and reform to the SNAP program is causing harm to the public.

In the United State, there is a federal nutrition program for low income people to help food budget and buy healthy food. People who have low income in the United States get the food stamps, also known as “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)”. For every month, eligible people who have low income get benefits deposited in to their EBT account. Once they get food stamp, people can purchase food items including seeds and plants to grow food in their house or backyard. It can be used at a grocery store, a supermarket, a farmer 's market, and a shelter that serves meals. However, with all these great benefits, people still eat unhealthy because of too much time consuming, limited money, some food dessert area, and the benefits allow people to eat junk food.

Food stamps have helped a lot of people out and I have no doubt about that in my mind. Many families depend on

The Reagan administration proposed significant budget cuts to social programs, including SNAP. While President Reagan’s much higher proposed cuts did not take place, SNAP was still affected by some cuts causing a decrease in congressional allocation of funds to the program and the decrease in overall benefit amounts (Danziger & Haven, 1982; Krieger, 1987). These cuts corresponded with a decrease in enrollment in SNAP before a rise to the mid 50% rate in 1990 (Finegold, 2008).

only conviction, and twelve states have eliminated the ban entirely. Lastly, women are disproportionately affected by such provisions since they are the primary recipient of these welfare benefits. Since the adoption of the welfare reform law of 1996, an estimated of 92,000 women in 23 states, which more than half of them were African American and Latina (Mauer, 2003). Public Assistance such as food stamps is a critical component to support their family, how the state handles the loss of eligibility varies, with some actions being more punitive than others. For example, Texas has a lifetime ban on food stamps for people convicted of a drug felony. The state loses out on federal funds that could be used to help people with drug felony convictions

Statistically, I should be a failure. I am three times more likely to become a teen parent than those with mothers who did not have children in their teens. I am more likely to have a mental illness than my peers because of the absence of a steady father figure in early childhood. Due to my poor financial status during a large part of my life, I am less likely to succeed in school and more likely to go to jail. No statistics could have predicted that I would be sitting in a room with the best of my peers debating bills at Alabama Girls State.

I would go about identifying eligible families for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, benefits by using what the requirements are for Pennsylvania residents on the TANF website. According to the TANF Program (n.d.a), “you must be a United States citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania” (para. 8) to apply for TANF benefits. If you are a “non-citizen lawfully admitted for permanent residency, you may be eligible” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8) for TANF benefits. “You also must provide you and your family’s Social Security numbers” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8). Another requirement is that you are to be “looking for a job or participating in an employment training program” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8). Potential TANF beneficiaries “are required to help the caseworker complete an Agreement of Mutual Responsibility, which is a plan for what you will do so you no longer need cash assistance” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8). If you need cash assistance for children, your children must be under age 18 or be 18 and a fulltime student (TANF Program, n.d.a). To be a recipient of TANF benefits, you must have “your children living with you and you must care for the children” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8). You also must have “your resources have a value of $1,000 or less” (TANF Program, n.d.a, para. 8). You also “must report all income from employment or from other sources including, but not limited to, child support, unemployment compensation, interest, Social

United States Government Welfare began in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt thought of this system as an aid for low-income families whose men were off to war, or injured while at war. The welfare system proved to be beneficial early on by giving families temporary aid, just enough to help them accommodate their family’s needs. Fast forward almost 90 years, and it has become apparent that this one once helpful system, has become flawed. Welfare itself and the ideologies it stands on, contains decent fundamentals; furthermore, this system of aid needs only to be reformed to better meet the needs of today’s society.