Food Stamp Applicant’s Increase
The number of Colorado and Larimer County families relying on food stamps shot up as unemployment rose in 2008.State officials say the number of Colorado households receiving government assistance for groceries grew by 19 percent last year, up by 8,000 households just between October to December. Larimer County saw a 24 percent increase from December 2007 to December 2008, matching Boulder and Jefferson counties for the highest increase among the state’s urban areas.
Last month, 6,388 Larimer County households received food stamps, up from 5,157 a year earlier.The number of new Larimer County applications for food stamps almost doubled from 689 in December 2007 to 1,270 last month,The food stamp surge followed sharp job losses in Colorado. Some 14,600 people lost their jobs in October and November. State officials say that when December numbers are announced today, they will show another 14,000 people lost their jobs, the Denver Post reported.
“It’s really stunning; it’s really sad,” said Bill Thoennes, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. There are now about 126,000 Colorado families with accounts for food stamps.And with no hope in sight for the economy one can only imagine that the trend will continue to grow.
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