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Summary:
Enrollment in the major U.S. antihunger program, food stamps, grew by 1.2 million people in two months and stands at a record 33.8 million people, the government said on Wednesday.
July 9
US food stamp tally up 1.2 million in two months
Reuters
Charles Abbott
June 9, 2009
Food stamps helped one in nine Americans buy groceries during April, according to Agriculture Department figures. The average benefit of $133.28 per person was up $40 due to a short-term increase under the economic stimulus package.
Participation in food stamps grew by roughly 600,000 people, or 2 percent, in both March and April, the latest months for which figures were available. April was the fifth month in a row of record enrollment. The U.S. unemployment rate is 9.5 percent, highest in 26 years, with further job losses expected. Food stamps cushion the impact of economic recession.
Many low-income families face an additional food challenge during the summer because most schools close their free lunch and breakfast programs during the summer.
“For every six low-income kids, only one gets a meal during the summer,” said Jim Weill of the antihunger group Food Research and Action Center. “It can be, even in good economic times, hugely difficult to maintain a decent diet for their kids.”
According to FRAC, summer food programs in 2008 reached 17 percent of low-income children who received free meals at school. FRAC said more children would be reached if the government had higher reimbursement rates, helped pay for transportation and provided start-up and expansion grants.
U.S. food stamp enrollment in recent months:
- April - 33.758 million
- March - 33.157 million
- February - 32.556 million
- January - 32.205 million
- December 2008 - 31.784 million
- November 2008 - 31.097 million
- October 2008 - 31.050 million
- Sept 2008 - 31.587 million
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