ATLANTA (AP) — The number of people relying on food stamps in Georgia is rising.

The program a year ago provided food assistance to a record 1.91 million people in the state a year ago. Nearly a quarter of them were 6 years old or younger.

By this June, the program had added 40,000 more recipients.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that those numbers have nearly doubled since the economy slid into recession in late 2007.

Georgia suffered more than most states and is still hundreds of thousands of jobs below its pre-recession levels. Moreover, many jobs that have been added are low-paying positions. About 58 percent of working-age recipients are working.

Meanwhile, Georgia has surged from having the 15th-highest proportion of food stamp recipients to sixth-highest.

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