Happy 60th Birthday SNAP/CalFresh!

Sixty years ago on August 31, 1964, the Food Stamp Program became permanent when the Food Stamp Act was signed into law. Originally launched as a pilot initiative under President John F. Kennedy’s first executive order, the program has evolved over the years into what we now know as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or CalFresh in California. As our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, SNAP has continued to play a crucial role in providing food assistance to millions of Americans.

For years, this program has been critical for fighting hunger and poverty. Currently, more than 5.4 million Californians rely on CalFresh to put food on the table. These food benefits not only support low-income individuals, but also 23,874 markets across our state where CalFresh benefits are spent — supporting farmers, farmworkers, truckers, grocers, and others across our food sector. CalFresh is critical to California’s economy. In 2023, CalFresh brought in $13 billion in federal food benefits, $23 billion in total economic activity, and more than 173,000 jobs statewide. You can learn more about the impact of CalFresh in your congressional district here.

Hunger is a policy choice.
Actions taken decades ago are a testament to successful public policymaking and proof that bipartisan leadership can work together to support Americans facing hunger. Building on this legacy, the California Association of Food Banks, along with national, state, and local partners, is advocating for improved access and benefit adequacy for SNAP in the 2024 Farm Bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation that authorizes most federal policies governing food and agriculture programs.

We invite you to celebrate the birth of one of our federal government’s most successful programs by doing the following:

• Post on Social Media:
  • Use the hashtags #SNAPmatters, #HappyBdaySNAP, and #FoodStampAct #CalFresh and share why SNAP/CalFresh matters to you, and/or share the graphic and caption provided here.
  • Use the California Farm Bill Social Media Toolkit to educate your audience and urge your Member Of Congress (MOC) to support strengthening food and nutrition assistance programs like SNAP in the Farm Bill.
• Share your Story: Share why CalFresh matters to you.