Families Who Receive Food Stamps Will See The Largest Benefits Increase In History

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A supermarket displays stickers indicating it accepts food stamps in West New York, N.J. In October, food stamp benefits will rise more than 25% from pre-pandemic levels, in a permanent boost to the program.

Seth Wenig/AP

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Seth Wenig/AP

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The aid boost was first reported by The New York Times and the details were confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Department. They will be formally announced Monday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The aid boost is being packaged as a major revision of the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan. In concrete terms, the average monthly per-person benefits will rise from $121 to $157.

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The increase is part of a multi-pronged Biden administration effort to strengthen the country’s social safety net. Poverty and food security activists maintain that longstanding inadequacies in that safety net were laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting an opportunity to make generational improvements that reach beyond the current public health crisis.

Activists say the previous levels of pre-pandemic SNAP assistance simply weren’t enough, forcing many households to choose cheaper, less nutritious options or simply go hungry as the funds ran low toward the end of the month.