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WWII Food Rationing In Shawano County
Imagine, going to your local grocery store and not being able to buy what you want!
Over the years, people in Shawano County that lived during WWII and experienced food rationing, donated their ration cards and stamps. People that don’t know about food rationing in the USA during WWII might find it difficult to believe commodities like sugar, canned milk, butter, cheese, meat, coffee, and processed foods were rationed from March 1942 to November 1943 (depending on the commodity). This was done for several reasons; supply disruptions, worker shortages, commodity needs for soldiers, etc.
Rationing was overseen by the federal Office of Price Administration (OPA) who also set prices. Rationing was managed at the local level by volunteer rationing boards. Ration books were printed and issued to families. By the end of the war, over 100,000 citizen volunteers were managing the program organized into about 5,600 local boards.
Take a look at ration books of local Shawano County citizens.
I you experienced this ration system during WWII, let us know your stories!