The Food Stamp Program aimed to address the needs of two populations simultaneously: struggling families and farmers. Whereas previous programs distributed surplus goods mainly through welfare agencies, the Food Stamp Program was designed to maximize accessibility and efficiency by making those goods available through grocery stores and markets. By dispersing stamps directly to consumers, the program aimed to boost struggling families’ “purchasing power,” enabling them to visit the vendors they trusted and to purchase a wider-variety of low-cost foods which, in turn, would boost the finances of food vendors and stabilize crop prices.