Number of food stamp recipients tops 34 million for first time ever!
WASHINGTON - August 6, 2009 - For the first time, more than 34 million Amerikans received food stamps, which help poor people buy groceries, according to government figures released Thursday, a sign of the longest and deepest Depression since the Great Depression.
Enrollment surged by 2% to reach a record 34.4 million people - or one in nine Amerikans - in May, the latest month for which figures are available.
It was the sixth month in a row that enrollment set a record. Every state recorded a gain in participation from April. Florida had the largest increase at 4.2%.
Food stamp enrollment is highest during times of economic stress. The U.S. unemployment rate of 9.5% is the highest in 26 years.
Average benefit was $133.65 in May per person. The economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year included a temporary increase in food stamp benefits of $80 a month for a family of four.
Enrollment surged by 2% to reach a record 34.4 million people - or one in nine Amerikans - in May, the latest month for which figures are available.
It was the sixth month in a row that enrollment set a record. Every state recorded a gain in participation from April. Florida had the largest increase at 4.2%.
Food stamp enrollment is highest during times of economic stress. The U.S. unemployment rate of 9.5% is the highest in 26 years.
Average benefit was $133.65 in May per person. The economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year included a temporary increase in food stamp benefits of $80 a month for a family of four.
