44.1 Million Americans On Food Stamps: Up From 17.5 Million In 2001

03-20-2011 • MyBudget360.com

This is the highest percent of Americans on food assistance since the Great Depression when there was no food assistance early on aside from local charities. Yet this is somehow an economic recovery. A Wal-Mart executive was quoted as saying: “(NY Times) There are families not eating at the end of the month,” said Stephen Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart Stores, and “literally lining up at midnight” at Wal-Mart stores waiting to buy food when paychecks or government checks land in their accounts.” Even in more affluent neighborhoods and in states like California where the impression is that everyone is flush with money food stamp usage is on the rise: “(NC Times) More than 218,000 San Diego County residents were receiving food stamps as of mid-February, a whopping 70 percent increase from just two years ago. Since January 2010, the number has gone up by about 49,040, county supervisors were told Tuesday as they adopted a 58-point blueprint to speed up delivery of food assistance.