Food stamp use rises, even in affluent burbs
It’s always eye-opening to look at poverty statistics for Westchester County, more commonly associated with the modifier “affluent.” The number of food stamp recipients here is surging, as I noted in a story about a statewide anti-hunger campaign.
At the end of October, there were 57,162 people receiving food stamps in Westchester, according to county stats. That’s up from 39,000 since the same period in 2007, a 47 percent increase. If you figure that into about 950,000 residents, about 6 percent of the county population is receiving the aid.
The number of food stamp applicants in Westchester rose from 10,918 in 2007 to 17,572 so far this year — already a 61 percent increase.
A New York Times article Sunday focused on the share of residents who receive food stamps. Across the country, it’s one in eight Americans, and one in four children. In Westchester, one in five children are on food stamps, according to the Times.
Photo: Sister June Quinlan, right, helps distribute items at a food pantry at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck.
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