By rssfeeds-admin 
The first attempt at a food stamp program was in New York in 1939. It ran for nearly four years, managing to reach millions of people across half the United States before ending due to the downturn in motivating issues like unmarketable food surpluses and widespread unemployment.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as it is known in modern times got its start with the Food Stamp Act of 1964. The purpose of the act, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was to improve Americans’ quality of life by giving poor families a way of fighting off hunger and malnutrition, now improved with years of proposals and research after the last attempt.
But before the act was signed, pilot programs were launched via President John F. Kennedy’s first Executive Order in 1961, after he campaigned in West Virginia on the promise of providing such aid.
Kennedy speaks to a crowd gathered around the podium. To Kennedy’s right is brother, Ted (Edward) Kennedy, and West Virginia political figure, A. James Manchin. 1960 (Courtesy: WVRHC) Cartons of butter being loaded onto supply truck as part of revamped food distribution program emphasized by President Kennedy under Executive Order Number 1. Butter will be taken to distribution center and given to needy persons. 3/8/61 (Courtesy: WVRHC)
According to the USDA, “The pilot programs would retain the requirement that the food stamps be purchased, but eliminated the concept of special stamps for surplus foods.”
West Virginia Senators Jennings Randolph and Robert C. Byrd also greatly promoted the creation of such programs.
And so on May 29, 1961, Alderson and Chloe Muncy of Paynesville, West Virginia, became the first food stamp recipients.
They were ceremoniously driven to Welch and either given or purchased $95 worth of food stamps for a 15-children household. The first food item they bought was a can of pork and beans from Henderson’s Supermarket.
Bud McDonald, right, unemployed, and Richard Love, boy belonging to another family in the community, eat a dinner comprised completely of agricultural commodities made available under the stepped-up food distribution program emphasized by President Kennedy. Various members of community were assembled to illustrate use of distributed foods. Ethel, W.Va. 3/7/61 (Courtesy: WVRHC) Bud McDonald, one of the many persons now unemployed by the decrease in coal production in the area, reads a newspaper announcing President Kennedy’s Executive Order Number 1, which made abundant agricultural commodities available to agencies for welfare distribution in areas of pressing need around the country, particularly those of high unemployment. Newspaper is dated January 22, 1961. With McDonald are Zelma Farmer and Jamie Deskin, both of Ethel, W.Va. 3/7/61 (Courtesy: WVRHC) A “Family” composed of members of community to represent typical family in this area, is shown eating a meal prepared completely from food distributed under President Kennedy’s Executive Order Number 1. Clockwise, starting with man are: Bud McDonald; Patty Farmer; her mother, Mrs. Farmer; Billy Privet; and Jimmy and Richard Love 3/7/61 (Courtesy: WVRHC)
The pilot programs would expand to 22 states, covering 380,000 participants by the time the Food Stamps Act was signed in 1964.
West Virginia would then go on to be the first state to implement the program statewide.
Discover more from RSS Feeds Cloud
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.