Most immigrants were excluded from the program. Some restorations were made for the immigrant community in 1998, but still many hungry immigrants go without assistance. In the year 2000, advocates were successful in raising the shelter cap and adjusting the vehicle allowance for the Food Stamp Program.
Food stamps remain the single most important way to ensure the dietary well-being of poor families.
As families move from welfare to work or are diverted from applying in the first place, states and localities are, at times, not informing families that they still may qualify for food stamps. This intentional or unintentional withholding of information has led families to lose their food stamp assistance unnecessarily. This issue must be addressed. The Food Stamp Program is up for reauthorization in 2002. Changes in the program to make it more user friendly to working families as well as maintaining its entitlement status will be the goal of anti-hunger advocates.