More Signs of Tough Times

From a report Tuesday by Fox 2 reporter Paul Schankman:

From 2001 to 2006, the average number of households on food stamps in the city of St. Louis went up 35%. In St. Louis County, the number went up by 70%. In St. Charles County, it was an 82%. And in Jefferson County, the average went up 88%.

“People at even higher income levels these days it seems like are finding that they need help to get by,” says Janel Luck, from the Missouri Department of Social Services.

Financial analyst Juli Neimann says the rich are getting richer, but middle class wages are dropping. Combine that with Missouri’s rising unemployment rate and steep increases in the price of gas and basics like eggs and milk and a lot of new faces start showing up at the food pantries.

Still, the Missouri Department of Social Services claims the increase in food stamp usage is largely the result of a statewide initiative to make sure everyone who is eligible is enrolled.