Use Of Food Stamps On The Rise For U.S., Oklahoma

Food stamp usage is going up in Oklahoma. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that about 15 percent of the national population is enrolled in the program.

The most recent upturn in food stamp enrollment really started when the recession began, in late 2007.

Since then, not only have many states been hit hard with unemployment, but federal aid for natural disasters has come into play.

This past year alone, food stamp rolls have gone up about 8 percent, and that's mostly due to natural disaster assistance. Several east coast states saw drastic increases this year - food stamp usage in New Jersey alone went up 33 percent after Hurricane Irene.

The stats for Oklahoma are a little more encouraging. Despite the drought and tornadoes we've experienced - our state had one of the smallest rises in food stamp usage

It's only up two percent from 2010.