Here's how many people receive SNAP benefits in your state

The Brief

The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, is a federal program that provides food assistance to over 42 million low-income people — meaning nearly 1 in 8 people receive the benefit each month. The money comes loaded on prepaid cards that they can use for groceries.

The backstory:

The Food Stamp Program (FSP) was introduced in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and the first recipient was Mabel McFiggin of Rochester, New York on May 16, 1939. Congress made the FSP permanent with the Food Stamp Act of 1964.

Over the years, the program saw several changes and in the late 1980s, the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system was introduced, allowing recipients to electronically pay for purchases. The first EBT pilot began in Reading, Penns