1 in 5 rely on food stamps here, By Jennifer Liberto, May 2, 2014, CNNMoney: “Nearly one in five people are on food stamps in five states, a stark reminder that the Great Recession continues to be a drag on the nation’s poorest. In Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, New Mexico and Louisiana, food stamp use ranges around 20% of the population or more, according to January government data recently analyzed by nonprofit Food Research and Action Center. Nationally, about 15% of Americans are on food stamps. And as the economy has improved, nationwide use of the safety-net program for the most vulnerable has edged down to 46.5 million in January, about 1.2 million fewer than a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, food stamp use in the five hungriest states has barely budged since the height of the post-recession period in 2012, when food stamp use was between 20 and 23% of the population in those states…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty