Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program facts for kids

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often called SNAP, is a special program in the United States. It helps families and individuals who have low income or no income buy healthy food. Think of it as a way to make sure everyone has enough to eat.

What is SNAP?

SNAP helps people buy groceries. It makes sure they can get nutritious food for their families. Hot foods, like meals from a restaurant, are not usually included.

This program used to be called the Food Stamp Program. It got its new name, SNAP, in 2008. This change happened because of new laws called "farm bills." You might also hear people talk about "EBT" cards when they mention SNAP.

How SNAP Works with EBT

EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer. When someone gets SNAP benefits, the money is put onto an EBT card. This card works like a debit card. People can use it at grocery stores to buy food. It makes getting food assistance easy and private.

Who Does SNAP Help?

SNAP helps millions of people across the United States. During the fiscal year 2012, about $75 billion was given out to help people buy food.

As of September 2012, nearly 48 million people received help from SNAP. On average, each person received less than $135 per month. The amount of food assistance can be different from one state to another.

How SNAP Numbers Changed Over Time

The number of people getting SNAP benefits can change depending on the economy. For example, after the Great Recession (a time when the economy was struggling), more people needed help. The number of SNAP participants grew a lot and reached its highest point around 2013.

As the economy got better, fewer people needed SNAP. So, the number of participants has slowly gone down since 2013. This shows how SNAP helps families during tough times and changes as the country's economy improves.

Images for kids

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  US legislation that promoted the public health impacts of SNAP, 2002–2018

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  State waiver requests for SNAP

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  Average number of persons participating in the SNAP, 2000–2016. The number of participants increased due to the Great Recession, peaking in 2013, and has since fallen.

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  Total program costs from 2000 to 2016. The amount increased sharply after 2008 due to the Great Recession, and has fallen since 2013 as the economy recovers.

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  SNAP is closely related to poverty and unemployment

See also

In Spanish: Programa Asistencial de Nutrición Suplementaria para niños