"I think we are seeing people who may have needed help before but didn't want to come here, but now they have to," LePage said.

Raen Harvey, a single mom with a 13-year-old daughter, is among the newest group of Food Stamp recipients.

She tried for several years to make a go of it on her own.

She worked and attended college, but it got to the point about two months ago where it was not enough.

"I have pride, and it was hard for me to go on Food Stamps because I don't want to rely on the state for much," Harvey said.

And the $210 worth of Food Stamps per month that she gets is not buying as much as it did a few months ago.

"Plums are $2.99 a pound," she said. "How can they expect us to eat properly when all the healthy stuff is so expensive."

Harvey, 33, lives in Mooers and works in Plattsburgh. Her paycheck of $306 every two weeks from her part-time job gets eaten up by fuel costs.

She says she spends about $160 in gas every two weeks commuting to work.

When she buys food, she has to make difficult choices.

"I think of my child first, but the prices for everything are so crazy," she said.

AMOUNT MAY RISE

Lyon said the state is considering changing the amount of Food Stamp benefits allotted because of the increase in food prices.

"There is also a push to get more people on food stamps and to make applying for them easier."

If the number of food-stamp users continues to increase, it won't affect the county tax bill, LePage said, but it will mean more work for Social Services staff.