Not stamping out hunger

Whether it’s called hunger or food insecurity, the problem is causing a rise in the use of food stamps in the United States.

According to Kevin Concannon, an under secretary of agriculture,

“This is the most urgent time for our feeding programs in our lifetime, with the exception of the Depression,” he said. “It’s time for us to face up to the fact that in this country of plenty, there are hungry people.”

Here are the current numbers:

• the number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children
• 36 million people currently use food stamps
• the program is now expanding at a pace of about 20,000 people a day
• there are 239 counties in the United States where at least a quarter of the population receives food stamps

Find your county here.