Types
• Public aid includes food stamps, reduced housing costs, free and reduced meals for school children, medical assistance, aid for victims of natural disasters and aid to foreign countries for a variety of issues, including health care, war and poverty.

History
• Public assistance for single mothers began in 1911 with legislation passed on a state level in Illinois. In 1935, the federal government enacted Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

Statistics
• According to a November 2009 article in the New York Times called "Food Stamp Use Soars, and Stigma Fades," as of November 2009, one in eight Americans received food stamps. This translated to about 36 million Americans, with the ranks growing by 20,000 people per day.

Foreign Aid
• According to information provided from America.gov., in 2007, the United States was the largest donor of foreign aid. However, $61.7 billion, or more than half of U.S. assistance to foreign countries, came through private donations.