Food Stamp Use Increases in West Virginia

  A new report says West Virginia is one of seven states to see an increase in the number of residents receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The report by the nonprofit Food and Research Action Center says 362,133 West Virginians received benefits from the program in February. That’s up nearly two-and-a-half percent from January and three-and-a-half percent from February 2013.

McDowell County had the most recipients at 34 percent. Monongalia and Jefferson counties both had the fewest recipients at 9 percent.

Dawn Hawkins with the Department of Health and Human Resources tells the Charleston Daily Mail that the increase is due to a number of factors, including job loss.

Other states seeing an increase in February were Nevada, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania.