Number of Food Stamp Recipients Surges in March : Economy: Almost half a million people are added to the rolls. Figures point to weakness of nation’s recovery

The number of Americans receiving food stamps increased by almost half a million during a one-month period this spring--more than double the typical rate of growth and a chilling reflection of the limits of the current economic recovery, the Agriculture Department reported Friday.

The increase, which included a big jump for California, brought the nation’s food stamp rolls to a record 27.4 million.

The number of poor qualifying for the aid has been going up steadily for years, but the surge of 474,000, or 1.75%, between February and March was particularly big and has spurred concern among social agencies and government officials.

The number of Californians receiving food stamps was up from 2.84 million in February to 2.91 million in March. Over the last 12 months, the number of Californians getting food stamps has increased 12.6%, surpassed only by increases in Nevada, Alaska and Delaware.

Ellen Haas, assistant agriculture secretary for food and consumer services, said the increase in food stamp recipients in March illustrates “the extent of hunger in America and the need for immediate action.”

“As the number of Americans on food stamps rises, it is painfully clear that America continues to struggle to recover,” Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy said. “We need to get the economy back on track, put people back to work and reform our programs . . . to encourage independence from the system.”

The latest figures could provide compelling evidence that the benefits of the economic recovery, known to be uneven and shallow, are conspicuously missing for lower-income groups.

“It indicates that the growth in employment and incomes that was expected in 1993 has not come to pass,” said Robert D. Reischauer, the director of the Congressional Budget Office.

The figures could put pressure on the Administration to provide more anti-poverty aid at a time when President Clinton is under pressure from Congress to cut programs and scale back his tax package.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the current rise in food stamp recipients is a continuation of the legacy of the George Bush years--when the number of Americans receiving food stamps increased an average of 160,000 every month--and warned that it will continue unless Congress supports Clinton’s plans to revitalize the economy.

Espy said the continued increase in the number of Americans who rely on food stamps supports the Administration’s agenda for reshaping social programs so that they inspire and help people to become independent.

“Tomorrow marks the 32nd anniversary of the food stamp program,” he said. “I know that President Clinton’s hope and mine is that as the program gets older, we provide this essential safety net while we encourage empowerment and self-sufficiency.”

Economists and policy analysts said the fact that the number of food stamp recipients is growing while the number of unemployed is not may indicate that many people are getting low-paying or part-time jobs that do not pay them enough to feed their families. It also may indicate that people are too discouraged to look for jobs so they fall off the jobless lists but need to get food stamps to survive, they said.

But Carol Cox Wail of the conservative Committee for Responsible Federal Budget said the increase in food stamp recipients does not reflect a broader economic downturn and is probably due to some other factor.