Profile America: Food Stamps

Wednesday, September 21 — On this date in 1959, Congress acted to help some Americans achieve minimum levels of nutrition, passing a bill which created food stamps for those with low incomes. In 2008, the Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Today, there are nearly 46 million Americans in 13.5 percent of all households enrolled in the program, nearly double the number from 2004. The average value of the benefit they receive each month is almost $127, and the total cost of the federal program is just under $70 billion a year. The states with the participation rates at over 19 percent are Oregon and Mississippi. States with the lowest are Wyoming, North Dakota, New Hampshire and Colorado. 

You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online.

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