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American History

How Food Stamps Really Started

The Great Depression - Dairy
Customers were buying groceries in 1939. Russell Lee/inyourstate.

4. SNAP Is Deposited On An EBT Card

The government established EBT cards so people wouldn’t become embarrassed about using SNAP. Action News Now.

People receive their SNAP benefits through a plastic EBT card that looks like a regular debit or credit card. EBT stands for electronic benefit transfer, and people can’t tell if someone is using an EBT card or another card. 

The main reason the American government decided to transfer SNAP benefits to a plastic debit type card is that people were embarrassed when they gave the cashier checks or coupons for food. Some people refused to take the benefit, even when they needed it, because of the embarrassment they felt.

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