Big jump at food banks

Almost one million L.A. County residents - or nearly one in 10 - received food assistance from food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, according to a report by the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. That's up 46 percent from 2005. Other findings from the study:

•The number of children receiving food assistance has more than doubled from 2005.
•More than a third of the households surveyed include at least one employed adult, but two-thirds of those are working part-time.
•One-quarter of adults have a college or technical school education, while 44 percent do not have a high school diploma;
•Almost half report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities and 46 percent choose between food and rent.

The recession, of course, is behind much of this increased demand. Trouble is food banks, homeless shelters and other organizations dealing with the poor have seen a sharp drop in donations, also the result of the terrible economy. So they have fewer dollars and need to feed and provide shelter to more people.