The Oregon state Department of Human Services experienced a 25% increase in its Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program this year - the second straight year of record use. TANF distributes food stamps and temporary cash assistance to those in need, and the number of people applying for both is expected to increase by another 24%-30% over the next several months. Already, the number of people using food stamps grew by almost 120,000 this year. Officials at the Department say that Oregon's unemployment remains high, and they expect high demand to continue, or even to increase, in the foreseeable future. The unemployment rate in Oregon currently hovers around 12%, over 3 percentage points higher than the national average.
See "State food stamp help soars to new record", Portland Tribune, May 21, 2009