The American food stamp program should continue and the World Food Term Paper

The American food stamp program should continue and the World Food Program should continue supporting and funding it - Term Paper Example erly people or the disabled.   In contrast with other means-tested initiatives that are specific to certain groups of low-income families/individuals, almost all low-income households can benefit from the program. This paper will attempt to explore and divulge the benefits of the program and why it deserves to be funded long-term; all this while the aim will be to defend and support the enthymeme that has been stated above. 1.0 Introduction According to Ohls & Beebout (2009), the food stamp program is an initiative of the American government that was initiated in 1989. Since then it has become a central component of America’s public assistance system that serves over 30 million participants of low income families and has outlays of over $25 billion. It is primarily meant to offer some form of assistance to low income families and low income households on the sole basis that they require financial aid to have meals and eat irrespective of age, race, creed, sex and disability (Ohls & Beebout, 2009). It is also viewed as the cornerstone of almost all nutrition aid programs initiated by the federal government, as well as being the core line of defense against poor nutrition, hunger and if necessary, starvation. The program helps s lower-income families acquire a variety of food products at retail (Slomba, 2008). It is also referred to (officially) as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and there are two key aspects that are examined in order to determine one’s eligibility. These are assets and income (Ronald, 2007). The other criterion applied is the gross income redline, which is set at a certain percentage of the poverty level (usually 130%). In 2009, federal taxpayers contributed $56 billion towards the program, more than three times the $18... According to the research findings the food stamp program is an initiative of the American government that was initiated in 1989. Since then it has become a central component of America’s public assistance system that serves over 30 million participants of low income families and has outlays of over $25 billion. It is primarily meant to offer some form of assistance to low income families and low income households on the sole basis that they require financial aid to have meals and eat irrespective of age, race, creed, sex and disability. It is also viewed as the cornerstone of almost all nutrition aid programs initiated by the federal government, as well as being the core line of defense against poor nutrition, hunger and if necessary, starvation. The program helps s lower-income families acquire a variety of food products at retail. It is also referred to (officially) as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and there are two key aspects that are examined in o rder to determine one’s eligibility. These are assets and income. The other criterion applied is the gross income redline, which is set at a certain percentage of the poverty level (usually 130%). In 2009, federal taxpayers contributed $56 billion towards the program, more than three times the $18 billion it cost them in 2000. Also in 2009, a household of four was guaranteed a maximum monthly stipend of $668. Currently, the number of beneficiaries is almost 30 million, marking a huge rise since the 17 million recorded in the year 2000.