Dianna Meyer, a clerk at Taney County Damaged Freight and Grocery Outlet, marks the price on packages of spaghetti noodles Thursday. The number of families turning to food stamps to pay for groceries is on the rise, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. BDN photo by Mindy Honey
By Mindy Honey
BDN Staff Writer
mhoney@bransondailynews.com
The number of families turning to food stamps is rising, and recently, the agency that provides the service received a $6.4 million bonus from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA awarded three bonus checks to the Missouri Department of Social Services’ Family Support Division, which provides food stamps to needy Missouri families. Missouri received a $2,506,980 bonus for best program access, a $1,302,504 bonus for the best application timeliness rate and $2,682,498 for best payment accuracy.
Brian Hauswirth, a DSS spokesperson, said the department does not have the specific details on how it will use the money yet, but said it will go back into the program to make it more efficient. Good news considering the number of those needing the program’s service is on the rise.
“The numbers are way up from last year,” said Hauswirth. “Generally, we see a natural increase each year.”
Last year, statewide about 300,000 families received food stamps. This year that number is 324,222.
In Taney County, 2,745 families received food stamp assistance in September, up more than 400 families from September 2007, when 2,316 families were assisted.
In Stone County, the numbers are also up. In September 2007, 1,387 families received food stamps. This September, 1,464 families received food stamps.
“They have definitely gone up this past year,” Hauswirth said.
Dianna Meyer, who works at Taney County Damaged Freight and Grocery Outlet in Hollister, knows first-hand the number of families using food stamps is rising. She said she has seen an increase in the number of people using food stamps, known as EBT cards, at the store.
“People are really struggling,” she said. “It is all walks of life.”
Meyer said the store has a lot of EBT card users and sees many are people who are not familiar with how to use the card, leading her to believe they are new to the food stamp program.
“They have been led to believe it is a prosperous area,” she said, of a family who recently moved to the area from Texas. “I’ve seen a steady increase in the past six months.”
Hauswirth said the bonus money the Family Support Division received this week will go toward making the program more efficient.