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--> --> Food stamp use jumps 32 percent PORTLAND (AP) - The number of Oregonians on food stamps jumped more than 77,000 in September compared with September 2000, another sign that the state economy is in rough shape. The 32 percent increase pushed the number of Oregon food stamp users to 315,691, roughly 9 percent of the population. State economist Tom Potiowsky said there's no question the rise is related to Oregon's unemployment rate, now at 6.4 percent. Many of the recipients likely are minimum-wage workers, who are often the first to lose their jobs in a recession and who don't have savings to tide them over, he said. Jim Neely, state food stamp coordinator, said Wednesday it was the biggest year-to-year increase he has seen since 1974, when he started working in the assistance program. People out of work or whose hours have been cut account for much of the increase, he said. But the food stamp program has also streamlined the application process and is reaching more Oregonians eligible for help, Neely said. "It's difficult for us to tell how much of the increase is related to the economy and how much is related to increased outreach," he said. "But certainly the economy plays a role." The number of food stamp recipients jumped by nearly 9,000 from July to August. That is serious, Neely said, because numbers usually decrease in August. The rise has been particularly sharp in the past three weeks, he said. Still, there is no danger of the state running out of benefit money because the food stamp program is federally funded and not capped on a state level, he said. In the past year, prodded by advocates for the poor, the Department of Human Services has sought to increase food stamp participation by cutting red tape. The application form was cut from 14 pages to two. Oregon is the only state in the country to increase its food stamp participation rate from 1996 to 2001, according to Oregon Action, a nonprofit anti-hunger organization. "The Food Stamp program is our strongest public tool for preventing hunger," said Rose Spears, an Oregon Action board member. "It's also a great economic stimulus strategy. These dollars are spent right here in Oregon. They are not taken to Washington or California." Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing