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By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Jun 08, 2008
Nearly one in 10 state residents — or 1.08 million people — received food stamps last year, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
That overall number has climbed by more than 208,000 in the past five years — a 24 percent increase.
And counties are reporting an even heavier influx of applications since the beginning of the year.
Stark County experienced a record-high in April with more than 37,000 people getting food stamps. That same month, 27,511 families in Summit County received help — about 2,000 more than the average last year.
Food stamp recipients rise 40% in Portage
''The people who were wondering 'Should I or shouldn't I?' are coming through our doors now because there is no other option,'' said Victoria Berbelis-Borden, who oversees the program for Summit County.
The federal food stamp program, which expanded across the U.S. in 1974, provides money for low-income families and individuals to buy food. Nationwide, there are an average of 27.5 million people receiving benefits each month.
A family of four earning less than $2,238 a month might be eligible for up to $542, depending on if they meet certain criteria.
Reasons whyMore people are using food stamps today because of the increasing cost of gas and groceries, and job losses, experts said. With more money going to gas, for example, the working poor have fewer dollars to spend on food, they said.
''As factories and businesses continue to close around the state, that's going to continue to affect the number of people who are on food stamps,'' said Brian Harter, a spokesman with the state Department of Job and Family Services.
Last year in Ohio, $1.3 billion worth of food stamps were handed out, up 45 percent from five years earlier. The average monthly benefit was $102. (That average already has risen $5 this year.)
''When people think about the hungry, they think of a homeless person walking down the street without food,'' said Debby Missimi, director of food services for Family and Community Services, which offers hot meals and has food pantries in Kent and Ravenna.
''With this economy, that's not the case. It could be your neighbor. It could be someone in your family. It could be someone who sits next to you in church. In this economy, the face of hunger has changed.''
Life can change quicklyTeresa Croasmun, 51, never thought she would need food stamps.
But the one-time nursing assistant ended up on disability for a mental condition years ago. And her husband, Timothy, 47, lost his decent paying job at a tool and die shop in Cleveland.
They lost their house in Bedford. Then, their mobile home in Streetsboro.
Now they live in a cramped second-floor apartment in a subdivided house in Ravenna. Their 6-year-old daughter lives with relatives.
They started getting $60 a month in food stamps last December and still seek help from local food pantries to get by. The Center of Hope Christian Cupboard in Ravenna and Streetsboro Church of Christ's food pantry have been godsends.
''It's not the way I was raised,'' Teresa Croasmun said while sitting barefoot in her living room. ''We were raised to be independent and provide for ourselves.''
She always envisioned she would be the one handing out the food — not one of the people who needs the help. She chuckled at the thought.
Timothy recently landed a minimum-wage job doing packaging at a company in Kent. The only downfall is getting there. They also might lose their food stamps because of his job.
''It's looking like I can't even afford to get him to work,'' she said, alluding to the gas prices.
Food stamps are helpful, she said, but there is a drawback. They can be used only for food. She wishes toilet paper was allowed under the program.
Still, she considers herself lucky to receive food stamps.
''We're grateful it's there,'' she said.
Another reasonIn addition to the growing need for help, the increase in the number of people using food stamps could be related to the lessening stigma of being on public assistance, some experts said.
Several years ago, actual food stamps were done away with and recipients now receive an Ohio Direction Card that operates similar to a debit card.
''Some people may have been hesitant to stand in line at the food store and peel off food stamps,'' said Donn Aukerman, assistant director of the Wayne County Department of Job and Family Services. ''But now, a guy swipes his VISA and the next guy swipes American Express and the next guy swipes an Ohio assistance card and nobody is the wiser.''
However, Teresa Croasmun and her neighbor Judy Deffenbaugh, 57, who has been on food stamps since the mid-1990s, disagreed.
Some people still stare at them at the store with that ''get a job'' look in their eye, Teresa Croasmun said.
''We're liked and we're not liked,'' Deffenbaugh said.
One problem for many people on food stamps is that they don't stretch as far as they have in the past because of price increases at the grocery store.
That's put a strain on food banks and pantries, where people are turning when the money runs out.
''What we're seeing at the hunger centers is that they help but they don't last all month,'' said Josie McElroy, director of development for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is distributing 10,000 pounds more per day now than last year. A portion of that can be explained by the food bank moving into a larger facility, McElroy said.
Need spreadingThe need also is spreading out of urban cities into suburbs and rural areas.
In the Akron region, the number of people receiving food stamps in Medina, Portage and Wayne counties is increasing at a faster rate than the urban counties of Cuyahoga, Stark and Summit.
Medina — one of the fastest growing counties in the state in terms of population — has experienced a jump of 42 percent in the past five years. The amount of money being handed out there climbed from $3.8 million to $6.3 million.
Meanwhile, Portage and Wayne have seen the number of food stamp recipients rise 40 percent and 31 percent, respectively, over the same time period.
Wyandot County, the home of Upper Sandusky in Northcentral Ohio, had the largest percentage jump in the state at 59 percent — although that represented an increase of only 349 people.
Fairfield County, just southeast of Columbus, was second at 57.2 percent. The others in the top five were: Van Wert (54.8 percent), Williams (50.1 percent) and Ottawa (50 percent).
''[The economy is] even catching up in the rural areas,'' Aukerman said. ''There are fewer jobs and a need for more assistance.''
Only one county in Ohio had a decrease in the number of people receiving food stamps. Nine fewer people received benefits last year in Holmes, a rural area filled with Amish who generally don't use public assistance programs.
As expected, the biggest increases by number were in the urban counties. Franklin County, the home of Columbus, had the amount of food stamp recipients grow by 28,294 or 31.7 percent over the five-year period. Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery and Lucas followed. Summit, the fourth-most populated county, was sixth with an increase of 8,421 or 19 percent.
''I don't see any end to it,'' Summit's Berbelis-Borden said. ''It really is scary.''
For more details about food stamps, go online to: http://www.jfs.ohio.gov/ or http://www.fns.usda.gov/FSP/. Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Beacon Journal staff writer David Knox, manager of computer-assisted reporting, contributed to this report.
Nearly one in 10 state residents — or 1.08 million people — received food stamps last year, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
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