More San Diegans Facing Hunger

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published January 28, 2009 at 5:34 AM PST

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

Close to a half million people in San Diego County live near the poverty level and face the threat of hunger. Yet over 70 percent of eligible residents in the county do not receive food stamps. We'l

Maureen Cavanaugh : Just last Monday alone, American employers announced over 70,000 job cuts. And even President Obama is warning the economy will probably get worse before it gets better. So we may well see more people in San Diego needing assistance from the government to get by. The question is, will they get that assistance?

There are already more than 350,000 people in San Diego County who could qualify for food stamps, but are not getting them. In fact, as documented recently in a KPBS TV Envision investigative report, San Diego has the lowest rate of participation in the food stamp program than any urban area in the country.
Why is that the case and what can be done about it?

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Guests

Mitch Mitchell , chairman of the San Diego Food Bank .
Marti Emerald , city council member representing the 7th District.