Food pantries are being slammed with requests. At Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City, 47 percent more households sought assistance this September, compared to the same month last year. Clients are regularly asking for help with their mortgage payments.
Officials are encouraging residents to investigate food stamps, including people who have been turned down before, in light of the changes.
Certain assets, such as many retirement accounts, no longer hurt an individual's chances to qualify. The cost of child-care and caring for the elderly is now considered differently. Some people's monthly benefit will go up.
"No child in this state should ever go hungry," Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said at a news conference Wednesday.
Yet families are undeniably struggling. By September, the 2-1-1 help line had referred more than 7,000 Utahns to food pantries in the preceding 12 months. That was nearly double the number of calls from September 2006 to September 2007.
People looking for food at Crossroads are citing the same problems that low-income people always have, such as difficulty paying rent or utilities, said Rachel Fischbein, who runs the pantry. But more people are coming in who say they've never sought help before, she said.
The need in Utah is even greater than the more than 58,000 households on food stamps would suggest, officials said. Thousands of Utahns who qualify for food stamps fail to take advantage of the program, which provides people with an electronic card, like a debit card, that can pay for certain food items.
At 22, Chelsea Ford has the opposite story. She guesses she's been on food stamps her whole life. First, while living with her mom. Now, as a young mother to two children. Food stamps are like a financial boost each month for Ford and her family, helping her pay her bills and put dinner on the table. She receives about $80 per month.
"I don't think it's an embarrassing thing as long as you are working hard to not be on the program any more," she said.
A student at Stevens-Henager College, Ford hopes one day she won't need food stamps. "What's really great is it's helping us get to that point," she said.
Having a job does not disqualify someone from food stamps. Rachael Smock, 27, works at Pioneer Theatre Company helping to dress the actors. Making only $7 an hour, she waits for her mom to take her shopping at Wal-Mart, where her food stamps will go farther.
As she strives to improve her life, having enough food is critical, Smock said.
"It's really hard to look for a job when you don't have peanut butter in your house to sustain you," she said.
jlyon@sltrib.com
To find out more about food stamps:
* Call 866-526-FOOD for information.
* Go to jobs.utah.gov and click on "food and financial."
* Call Utahns Against Hunger at 801-328-2561 or 800-453-3663 to discuss eligibility.
* Visit community partners such as the Salt Lake City downtown public library, Salt Lake Community College south campus, Crossroads Urban Center, Horizonte School and others.
