Americans in Record Numbers Sign Up for Federal Food Aid
Enrollment in the federal food stamp program surged to a record in September as millions more Americans sought the government’s help to buy groceries and feed their children hot lunches, the latest Agriculture Department records show.
The September enrollment in federal food programs rose sharply from a year ago, including a 3.26-million increase in food stamp participation and a 1.3-million jump in the number of low-income children receiving a free or reduced-price lunch at school, according to USDA figures obtained Monday.
The figures show that a record 23.76 million Americans were receiving food stamps in September, compared to 23.59 million in August and 20.5 million in September, 1990.
The number of children receiving free or reduced-price lunches under the national school lunch program also surged dramatically, the USDA numbers show--from 11.1 million in September, 1990, to 12.4 million in September, 1991.
Children receiving free lunches account for 42.2% of the 24.5 million school lunches being served nationwide. Last September, 40.3% of lunches were free.
A spokesman for the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service, Phil Shanholtzer, said the surge in food stamp and free school lunch participation could be due both to the economy and to changes that make the programs more accessible.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
