Food stamp usage grows significantly

A record high number of Marylanders are on food stamps this year, according to the Department of Human Resources, with Anne Arundel County currently seeing the largest increase of recipients in the state.

The county is experiencing a 26 percent jump in the number of people seeking food-stamp help in November, compared to last November, state figures show. For each month, county resident enrollment in the food-stamp program has steadily increased.

In November 2007, about 15,700 individuals across the county received the subsidy. This November the number shot up to more than 19,800 people, according to the state agency. Those...