Increasing Need for Food Assistance – Alabama

Food assistance participants increasing, By Russ Corey and Tom Smith, August 23, 2009, Florence Times Daily: “Jenny Kerbs said she doesn’t know how her family would make ends meet without the aid of the Food Assistance Program. ‘I still have to spend extra money, but just on milk and bread,’ she said. ‘I get all my meats and canned vegetables with my food stamps.’ Kerbs receives $163 per month on her electronic benefit transfer card to help offset the expenses of buying groceries for her family. The card is also referred to as EBT. The average monthly benefit for qualified families in the state is $128.54, according to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, and Kerbs is one of a growing number of local residents using EBT cards…”