By: Zachary K. Johnson, Stockton Record
STOCKTON – The number of people in San Joaquin County receiving food stamps keeps growing, with the percentage of those receiving the benefit growing by 17 percent for the second year in a row.
Here are the startling figures:
» From September 2008 to September 2010, the number of individuals in the program grew from 64,909 to 88,577, an increase of more than 36 percent.
» In terms of households, the increase tops 40 percent, with 24,069 households in 2008 growing to 33,779 in 2010.
» In September 2010, the benefit paid out $12.8 million in federal funds to county households.
The upsurge mirrors a statewide increase in the use of the benefit, though the increase in San Joaquin County over the past year exceeds the state average, according to the California Association of Food Banks.