SNAP to attention

The recent government shutdown, which lasted from October 1 to November 12, had wide-reaching consequences across the country. Air travel was thrown into chaos. Government employees were furloughed, laid off, and required to work without pay. Museums and some national parks were closed or had reduced access. By far the most discussed risk resulting from the shutdown was the interruption to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “food stamps.”

The original food stamp program was launched in 1939 as the U.S. was coming out of the Great Depression. Eligible recipients could purchase orange stamps for $1, and they would receive a matching number of blue stamps worth 50 cents. The orange stamps could be used to purchase any food items, while the blue stamps were used for foods on the USDA surplus “list.” This system was also intended to help domestic farmers. The original program ended in 1943.

Back in the 1960s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) engaged in a program that purchased food from farmers that they could not sell at the desired price. This food was considered “surplus,” and was then given to state and local assistance agencies for distribution to recipients.

During this time, my family qualified for public assistance. We lived in a government housing project, received cash assistance, and food assistance. Every month, we would go to a local food distribution center to pick up prepackaged boxes of surplus food. It contained basically the same items every month, including powdered milk, canned meat, peanut butter, flour, and the infamous five-pound block of government cheese. My mom still had to buy fresh produce, poultry, fish, and any other food items we needed.

After the original program ended, there were several food aid programs put into place over time by various administrations. One recent version from the 1980s included the distribution of booklets containing stamps of various monetary denominations. Fraud, abuse, and theft increased during this time. For example, some recipients would sell their stamps for less than face value, and use the cash to buy prohibited items. Some drug dealers would take food stamps instead of cash. Some people would steal stamps from recipients.

In order to help stop these abuses of the program, the government switched to an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) model in 2002. While abuses are more difficult, people still find ways to game the system. Some recipients will sell their PIN number in exchange for cash, and let other people use their card.

As of June 2025, there were an estimated 41,575,762 SNAP participants across 22,335,901 households at a benefit cost of $7,807,100,475 nationally. In Pennsylvania, there were 1,941,067 participants across 1,061,794 households at a benefit cost of $348,809,800. Here in Bucks County, there are 46,376 participants as of September 2025.

Clearly the need for access to affordable food is significant and growing. Also growing is the number of “food deserts” across the country. A food desert is an area where it is difficult to find affordable or high-quality fresh food. This can happen when grocery stores move out of a neighborhood. I think that one way to address the need for SNAP benefits would be to include food pantries in the mix. Government could find ways to encourage recipients to utilize food pantries and incentivize food pantry participation.

Bucks County government has a list of food pantries and other resources available at the Hub.

Milo Morris is a Bucks County resident, opera singer, and chairman of the Black2Red PAC.