Introduction Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has served as the foundation of America's national nutrition safety net, working to end hunger and improve the health of low-income people by helping families buy the food they need for a nutritionally adequate diet. 1 Qualification In order to qualify, you must have an annual household income (before taxes) that is below the following amounts: Household SizeMaximum Income Level (Per Year)1$15,4442$20,8263$26,2084$31,5905$36,9726$42,3547$47,7498$53,157 According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program The benefits are not intended to cover all of a family's food costs, but will lessen the amount of income that must be used toward groceries each month. Families, people living alone, and people living with roommates use SNAP. People who are homeless can get SNAP benefits too. People of all ages are a part of SNAP. For households with more than eight people, add  $5,408 per additional person. Always check with the appropriate managing agency to ensure the most accurate guidelines. 2 Program History Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Pilot Food Stamp Program (1961-1964) Food Stamp Act of 1964 (Under President Johnson) According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP: Created in 1939; lasted for 4 years Program ended due unmarketable food surpluses and widespread unemployment; no longer existed Orange stamps used to buy any food, Blue stamps for surplus food determined by the Gov’t PILOT: President Kennedy 1st Executive Order called for expanded food distribution Retain the requirement that the food stamps be purchased, but eliminated the concept of special stamps for surplus foods ACT: The eligibility for purchase with food stamps of all items intended for human consumption except alcoholic beverages and imported foods Prohibitions against discrimination on bases of race, religious creed, national origin, or political beliefs 3 Program History Major Reform – 1970’s The Food Stamp Act of 1977 Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT): 1988 - 2004 According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program MAJOR REFORM 1971, established uniform national standards of eligibility and work requirements Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973, required States to expand the program to every political jurisdiction before July 1, 1974 FOOD STAMP ACT Established statutory income eligibility guidelines at the poverty line Restricted eligibility for students and aliens (illegal) • Eliminated the requirement that households must have cooking facilities EBT: Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows a recipient to authorize transfer of their government benefits from a Federal account to a retailer account to pay for products received EBT is used in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. State food stam.

1. Introduction
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has served
as the foundation of America's national nutrition safety net,
working to end hunger and improve the health of low-income
people by helping families buy the food they need for a
nutritionally adequate diet.
1
Qualification
In order to qualify, you must have an annual household income
(before taxes) that is below the following amounts:
Household SizeMaximum Income Level (Per
Year)1$15,4442$20,8263$26,2084$31,5905$36,9726$42,3547$4
7,7498$53,157
According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program
The benefits are not intended to cover all of a family's food
costs, but will lessen the amount of income that must be used
toward groceries each month. Families, people living alone, and
people living with roommates use SNAP. People who are
homeless can get SNAP benefits too. People of all ages are a
part of SNAP.
For households with more than eight people, add $5,408 per
additional person. Always check with the appropriate managing
agency to ensure the most accurate guidelines.
2
Program History

2. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Pilot Food Stamp Program (1961-1964)
Food Stamp Act of 1964 (Under President Johnson)
According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program
SNAP:
Created in 1939; lasted for 4 years
Program ended due unmarketable food surpluses and
widespread unemployment; no longer existed
Orange stamps used to buy any food, Blue stamps for surplus
food determined by the Gov’t
PILOT:
President Kennedy 1st Executive Order called for expanded
food distribution
Retain the requirement that the food stamps be purchased, but
eliminated the concept of special stamps for surplus foods
ACT:
The eligibility for purchase with food stamps of all items
intended for human consumption except alcoholic beverages and
imported foods
Prohibitions against discrimination on bases of race, religious
creed, national origin, or political beliefs
3
Program History
Major Reform – 1970’s
The Food Stamp Act of 1977
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT): 1988 - 2004

3. According to the South Carolina Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program
MAJOR REFORM
1971, established uniform national standards of eligibility and
work requirements
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973, required
States to expand the program to every political jurisdiction
before July 1, 1974
FOOD STAMP ACT
Established statutory income eligibility guidelines at the
poverty line
Restricted eligibility for students and aliens (illegal) •
Eliminated the requirement that households must have cooking
facilities
EBT:
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that
allows a recipient to authorize transfer of their government
benefits from a Federal account to a retailer account to pay for
products received
EBT is used in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.
State food stamp agencies work with contractors to procure
their own EBT systems for delivery of Food Stamp and other
state-administered benefit programs
4
Usage by race
One of the most common statements is that majority of those on
food stamps are from the African American culture and that is
not actually true. More African Americans are known or heard
to have food stamps but by polls there are more Caucasians on

4. food stamps. The majority of people using the food stamp
system are indeed White, because there are far more White
people in the total US population. However, if we compare the
percentage of White people to the percentage of Black people
using food stamps, we find that there is a noticeably higher
ratio of Blacks on food stamps than Whites when compared to
their own race. This is something that most people miss because
statistical analysis is not something that most of us are taught
growing up.
The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program provides food
stamps for almost 47 million Americans. Of those 47 million
people, 38.3% are White and 25.8% are Black. Approximately
11.4% are Hispanic, 2.5% are Asian, and the remainder are
Amerindian.
5
Usage by state
7. Louisiana
• Number of food stamp recipients: 868,192
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 18.67%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state): Around
$107.4 million
• Cost of benefits alone per capita in this state: $23.10
6. Tennessee
• Number of food stamp recipients: Just over 1.28 million
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 19.58%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around
$158.7 million
• Cost of benefits alone per capita in this state: $24.23
5. Oregon

5. • Number of food stamp recipients: 791,222
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 19.93%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around $98
million
• Cost of benefits alone per capita in this state: $24.66 per
person
4. West Virginia
• Number of food stamp recipients: 369,249
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 19.96%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around
$45.7 million
• Cost of benefits alone per capita in this state: $24.69 per
person
3. New Mexico
• Number of food stamp recipients: 448,328
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 21.5%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around
$55.5 million
• Cost of benefits alone per capita in this state: $26.60 per
person
2. Mississippi
• Number of food stamp recipients: 650,911
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 21.74%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around
$80.5 million
• Estimated cost of benefits alone per capita in this state:
$26.90 per person
1. District of Columbia
• Number of food stamp recipients: 144,768
• Percentage of the state's population on food stamps: 21.97%
• Total cost of just these benefits alone (That is, how much do
just the money on those EBT cards cost the state?): Around $18

6. million
• Estimated cost of benefits alone per capita in this state:
$27.19 per person
6
Usage over the years
The jump in September 2012 was due to Hurricane Isaac. The
spike in May 2011 was due to a surge in Alabama after an
historic onslaught of giant tornadoes devastated the state.
According to the USDA, about 1 million disaster victims from
several states were added to the rolls.
7
Government Intervention
Presidential debate
Income Limits (Cuts)
As policymakers and the potential presidential candidates
develop their thinking on agricultural policy, they should
remember that the same free-market principles that have
allowed this nation to flourish should apply equally to
agriculture. They should aggressively want to challenge trade
barriers that block American commodities from entering foreign
markets while recognizing that we must meet our own trade
obligations.
Agriculture has been subject to the same central planning
philosophy that has existed for more than 80 years. This needs
to change. It will take leaders willing to get the federal

7. government out of the way so that farmers and ranchers can
better use their expertise to provide food that feeds this nation
— and the world.
Income has been one of the biggest issues with food stamps and
the issue if applicants are lying and more research is being put
into the application process to qualify.
8
Market Based
Solution
s
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
School Breakfast and Lunch
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Infants, and Children (WIC) provides baby formula, food, and
counseling to 8 million lower-income women and children
annually. WIC covers pregnant women, new mothers, and
children until the age of five. The WIC program will cost more
than $6 billion in 2016. This helps with mothers with newborns
and to help reduce the cost of formula.
The federal government funds school lunch and breakfast

8. programs at about 100,000 public schools and nonprofit private
schools across the nation. The lunch program covers 31 million
children, while the breakfast program covers 14 million
children. This is to make sure that all children are feed at
school and no child left behind.
9
Program Intervention
Standards had to be established to ensure that the program was
being utilized as it was intended.
Program regulations were established to ensure that the
integrity of the program was preserved.
Income limits, Payment standard and the like were created.
SNAP-Ed's effectiveness stems largely from its community-
based orientation. Land-grant institutions work closely with
state and local public and private entities to strategically deliver
SNAP-Ed using methods and locations that are most favorable
to SNAP–eligible populations. Local offices that administer
SNAP are key referrals and SNAP-Ed delivery sites. Myriad
other state and local partners support university efforts by
contributing a wide range of assistance and resources, such as
participant referrals, team teaching, meeting space, child care

9. and transportation, food demonstration supplies, equipment, and
cash for supplementary resources. More recent actions include
cooperation and collaboration to support policy, system, and
environmental changes that make healthier food and physical
activity choices the easy choice for SNAP-Ed eligible
populations.
10
Government Intervention Argument
By setting income limits for low-income households, it allows
for the government to provide more aid to more families .
Official notification of number of bedrooms details the size of
home or apartment a family can rent.
Amount of food stamps received by the individual is based on
the total amount of yearly household income
11
Market Based