18. Many Other People Stood In Line For The First Food Stamps
Close to 2,000 Rochester residents followed Thayer into the food stamp line on May 16, 1939. Each one received 50 cents worth of blue food stamps for every $1 value of orange food stamps they purchased. This gave them an upper hand when it came to buying groceries.
One woman told the reporters that she was excited to purchase the best food for her and her family. Another woman stated, “We can take our pick on these surplus commodities instead of taking what they give us.”