foodstamps

     

The US Foo Stamp Program is a federal assistance program that provides food to low and no income people living in the United States. Benefits are distributed by the individual states, but the program is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most food stamp benefits are now distributed using cards but for most of its history the program had actually used paper denominational stamps/coupons in 1's, 5's, and 10's. These stamps could be used to purchase any prepackaged edible foods regardless of nutritional value (for example soda and candy could be purchased on food stamps). In the late 1990s, the food stamp program was revamped and actual stamps were phased out in favor of an ATM card known as Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). Most states renamed the program as a result, but in effect the EBT cards can still be used for Food Assistance only. Many states merged the use of the EBT card for public assistance welfare programs as well.