Anti-Poverty Distribution of Food Stamp Program Benefits: A Profile of 1975 Federal Program Outlays

The Federal Food Stamp Program is consistently under fire for failure to perform according to stated goals. This paper presents a brief overview of the program, and constructs a partial profile of the 1975 federal outlay for bonus stamp coupons. The analysis surveys food stamp benefits across states with the intent of determining whether or not these benefits appear to be reaching states with the greatest numbers of poor people. A cursory review of rural-urban allocations indicates a basic inequity which needs further consideration. The first food stamp program came about in May of 1939 and lasted for some four years until the war sharply increased demand for food supplies. The food stamp program as we know it today has its roots in an experimental plan set up by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. This plan was implemented in several pilot areas and was designed to clear the market of surplus food supplies and to raise nutritional food purchasing power of participating low-income families.