By the time the United States actually entered the war, our allies were facing near starvation. One way that the folks back home could help contribute was by rationing. The less waste there was and the more food being eaten local, as opposed to imported, the more there was to send overseas.In the United States, food rationing during World War 1 became prevalent around the time the U.S Food Administration became established on August 10th of 1917.

The war propaganda featured above was found in the Lindsborg Record on September 6th, 1918. This image shows what the impact of food rationing could potentially bring to the men overseas. At the time, it may have seemed over-the-top to ration food. But propaganda such as these put the image of the soldiers’ faces in the minds of the people back. Rationing was a way that the families, friends, and acquaintances back home could help their boys while they were serving their country.  The food rationed in the States could both support the men overseas in a physical sense, with the extra food being sent over, as well as in an emotional sense, with the thought of support from home boosting moral.

Sophomore Instrumental Music Education Major/Honors Student at Bethany College