Retailers take notice as record numbers turn to food stamps, By Tim Grant, December 4, 2009, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “A historic high number of Pennsylvanians — many of whom are middle-class families experiencing job loss and reduced work hours — are being forced to rely on government help to put food on the table. Records from the state Department of Public Welfare show there were 1.3 million people in the state who might have gone hungry if not for the federal food assistance program during the first 10 months of this year. Of that number, 136,563 are residents of Allegheny County. It is the highest number of food stamp recipients on record for the county and the state. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of food stamp recipients is at record highs across the nation. With more people receiving assistance than ever before and retailers across the country struggling to maintain if not increase sales, many stores that had not previously accepted food stamps are taking steps to do so…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty