Number on food stamps soars

CalFresh, formerly the food stamp program, says that in September in Merced County, 51,343 people received CalFresh, a 70 percent increase since September 2006. The average monthly CalFresh benefit is $146 a person.

In Merced County, 35,000 low-income adults are estimated to be food insecure. That means that within the county, 40 percent of all adults with incomes of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level (less than $36,000 a year for a family of three in 2009) struggle to afford adequate, nutritious food, CalFresh said in a news release.

"Not only has this crisis affected the blue-collar worker, but with city, county, state and federal cuts, this ongoing struggle is affecting all of our community," Claudia G. Corchado, program manager for the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program at United Way of Merced County, said in a news release. "It is imperative that families do not have to decide whether to pay the electricity bill or feed their families."

According to data from the California Health Interview Survey, more than 3.7 million California adults experienced food insecurity in 2009. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods." The number of people struggling is up from 2.8 million low-income adults in 2007 — a 30 percent increase.

For more on the food insecurity statistics and the increase in CalFresh participation, go to http://cfpa.net/publications.