The recession has left local families hungry for government assistance.
This year, nearly 8,800 people each month use food stamps compared to last year's average of 7,919, according to a June report from Athens County Job and Family Services.
Another assistance program, Ohio Works First, which financially assists needy families for up to 36 months, added 165 members. The program totaled 1,791 recipients this year, Nick Claussen, spokesman for Athens County Job and Family Services, said.
To qualify for food stamps, a family or individual must fall within 130 percent of the federal poverty guideline, meaning a family of four would have to make less than $42,220 a year.
Athens recipients receive $137 per month for food, though the state average is $142, according to the annual report. Last year, the county job and family services allotted more than $1.2 million in coupons.
The amount of money spent on food stamps throughout Ohio is increasing as well - giving more than $205.5 million each month this year, compared to the 2008 total of about $124.5 million.
While the primary factor is the economy
the unemployment rate has been rising steadily over that past year which has caused more people to be out of work and therefore more people are getting on state programs Brian Harter, spokesman for the Ohio Department Jobs and Family Services, said.
Even if the need for aid continues to increase, both government funding and the federal stimulus plan will be able to provide for it, Harter said.
They added some to it with the stimulus project. There's no sign of it running out Claussen said. Food stamp money is a great stimulus because things go back into the community. Studies show it helps the local economy.
Aside from food stamps, locals who need help feeding their families have been depending on food banks. The number of people who rely on donated food skyrocketed, Rhonda Bentley, director of the Nelsonville Community Center, said.
The Nelsonville Community Center's food bank helps about two people each week, which averages to about 40 people per month depending on those coming to the center for food, Bentley said.
It's been going on for about a year. It's just continuing to increase
Bentley said, adding that the need for food has yet to plateau.
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Libby Cunningham
