The New York Times this weekend published an extensive expose on the rising rate of food stamp use across the country, and datelined the story from Martinsville, Ohio, just minutes down the road from Wilmington. The story, written by Jason DeParle and photographed by Robert Gebeloff, features some stark statistics: nearly one in eight Americans and one in four children-- 36 million Americans, in total-- relies on the federal benefits to put food on their table, and that number continues to balloon. An unprecedented number of Americans-- about 20,000 -- become eligible every day for the benefits. To a lot of us here in Clinton County, and to hundreds of other economically depressed communities in the U.S., none of this is news. We've seen and experienced first-hand the drought in community resources, the growing lines at food banks, and the changing face of poverty. In fact, we've been expecting it. We've long realized that severance packages will only last so long, and the true repercussions of DHL's departure haven't fully materialized. In short, the need will continue to grow, and the face on the other end of the food stamp transaction will continue to change. That is undeniably the most important aspect of DeParle's article: the face of the food stamp recipient is changing, and the stigma that plagues assistance benefits is starting to fade.
