Nearly 1 in 4 county residents depend on food stamps

YAKIMA, Wash. -- A brawny 34-year-old who works 27 hours a week mopping floors and cleaning toilets, Mike Elman recently found himself in an unfamiliar government building, applying for food stamps.

"It eats your pride because you don't want to do this," Elman says. "A man or a woman who's physically able to go to work every day needs to go to work. That's the way I was raised.

"I want a job where I don't have to collect food stamps."

But Elman, who can barely pay his $600-a-month rent, is now in the growing ranks of Yakima County residents who depend on the government to eat.

And he's far from alone.

Nearly one of every four people in Yakima County is on food stamps. That's more than anywhere else in Washington and more than twice the state average.

Authorities say they are seeing applicants who they otherwise wouldn't have seen a few years ago.

"I was like, hey, if we qualify, every bit helps," says Robert Covely, a former plumber with two young children who hasn't found steady work since he was laid off in November 2008. "We're very conscious of what we buy and when we're using it."

And as the economy continues shedding jobs, the numbers keep growing here and nationwide. In June 2009, the latest month for which county statistics are available, there were 33 percent more Yakima County residents getting food benefits stamps than two years earlier.

Economists peg December 2007 as the start of the national recession.

"As more people get close to the poverty level, more people can participate," said John Camp, the state's administrator for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program through the Department of Social and Health Services.

"At this point, anecdotally, a lot more people who have never been associated with the program -- never needed it, didn't know a lot about it -- are finding themselves using the food program to make ends meet. And we're very happy we can help them out with that."

The recession is a major factor in the increase in the food stamp rolls. But it isn't the only one.

In October 2008, the state raised the income cap for eligibility from 130 percent of the federal poverty level to 200 percent. That means a family of three can earn $3,052 per month and qualify for assistance.

While a quarter of all Yakima County food stamp recipients report no other sources of income -- including work or government aid -- many have recently lost jobs or, like Elman, are underemployed.

"I was lucky to find this job, but I'm struggling," said Elman, who works as a janitor at the Salvation Army's main Yakima office and buys only nonperishable items to eat in the motel room he rents.

"I don't understand why we live like this sometimes. It's like we live in a Third World country. ...

"You eat, but it's not until your stomach is filled. It's enough to get by until you cash your check or until the 8th of the month, when the food stamps come in."

The program is still commonly referred to as "food stamps" even though the state now issues debit cards to recipients instead of vouchers. On average, Washington families receive a monthly allotment of about $249.

The food money doesn't always last through the month, though -- and recipients increasingly are finding themselves at Yakima's food banks.

In the past year, Northwest Harvest's distribution center in Yakima, which distributes food to 40 food banks in Central Washington, has seen a 20 percent increase in clients.

"It is unemployment and senior citizens on fixed incomes and young working families with young children under the age of 8," said Rosemary Rief, a spokeswoman for the organization.

On a recent distribution day at the Salvation Army food bank on Sixth Avenue, a small crowd formed in the bare lobby.

"Now we're getting all types," says Josie Riojas, a former homemaker-turned-caseworker. "The other morning I had a city employee who was laid off. She's a little scared about what's going to happen to her.

"For the professionals, it's humiliating to come here and ask questions about food stamps."

* Melissa Sánchez can be reached at 509-577-7675 or msanchez@yakimaherald.com.

Are you eligible?

The Washington Basic Food Program, commonly known as "food stamps," is a federally funded program for low-income individuals and families. To qualify, your income must not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold, which is:

* $1,805 monthly income for one person.

* $2,429 monthly income for two people.

* $3,052 monthly income for three people.

* $3,675 monthly income for four people.

* $4,299 monthly income for five people.

You must also be a U.S. citizen or a legal immigrant. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for benefits, although their U.S. citizen children are.

Learn more or apply by calling 877-514-FOOD or visiting foodhelp.wa.gov.

What can you buy?

You can purchase any food to be eaten by people including bread and cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish and poultry, dairy products, spices, packaged food and snack foods. You can also buy seeds and plants that produce food for the household to eat.

You can't use food stamps to buy beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco. Also, you cannot buy nonfood items including pet foods, soaps, paper products, household supplies, vitamins and medicines. You also can't buy hot, prepared foods to be eaten in the store.

-- Source: state Department of Social and Health Services

Washington counties with highest food stamp participation rates:

1. Yakima County, 24%

2. Ferry County, 21%

3. Cowiltz County, 21%

4. Adams County, 20%

5. Okanogan County, 20%

-- Source: state Department of Social and Health Services, June 2009