28. Rochester, New York debuted Food Stamps In 1939
While some people believe anyone in the United States received food stamps right away, this isn’t true. Food stamps debuted in Rochester, New York, on May 16, 1939. This became like a trial run for officials so they could understand the program a bit better.
The FSCC officials felt that food stamps would help ease hunger in America during the Great Depression, but they needed to know how people reacted. How many people came to pick up food stamps? Would people benefit from the program? By limiting food stamps to one area, they could understand the process better.