Who Said That?
By - 8/4/2008



"I've been working since I was 15 years old and I've never before asked for help. ... It feels really bad."
-- Lisa Ackner, a 44-year-old south Fort Myers resident laid off from her job and trying to get food stamps
The sagging economy and rising unemployment rates have led to food stamps being doled out at record rates.A recent federal analysis showed Florida leaped the highest -- 21 percent -- in food stamp participation in a year. Southwest Florida numbers, specifically those in Lee County, are more jarring.Lee residents relying on food stamps jumped 60 percent in the last year. That translated to an almost 78 percent spike in food stamp dollars, or $3.9 million, being handed out from June 2007 to June 2008.