Driven by a devastating mix of high food prices and a nationwide recession, families in Dane County and the rest of the state are using food stamps in record numbers, experts and state officials said.

Nearly 470,000 people in Wisconsin, or about one in 12, are now enrolled in the federally funded FoodShare program — a 19 percent increase over last year, according to the state Department of Health Services. That's the highest level seen in state records going back to 1985 and is likely be the highest ever, advocate Jon Peacock said.

Costs in the program are rising twice as fast.

"It means a lot of parents are struggling to put food on the table and trying to balance what bills they're going to be able to pay in terms of rent and utility bills and health-care costs and groceries," said Peacock, research director for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. "It means extremely difficult decisions for families."

With the economy worsening and unemployment rising, public officials and managers of strained food pantries said they're preparing for even more families to be sucked into the vortex of need and hunger.

Single mother Valencia Compton of Fitchburg is already facing those difficulties. Compton, 27, works a full-time job plus regular overtime as a certified nursing assistant. But with the cost of her monthly groceries rising about $100 over recent months, she has struggled to pay for food for herself and her two sons.

"Gas prices were outrageous. The price of food went way up," Compton said. "Everyone is charging more."

Compton signed up for food stamps in May and now receives about $230 a month.

Nationally, Peacock said, one in 10 people are now on food stamps, putting the program on track to reach record levels there as well.

The FoodShare program in Wisconsin is funded by the federal government and administered by the state and county agencies. Families receive an average of $217 a month in benefits. With a card similar to a debit card, they can spend the money at some grocery stores and food markets to buy most food items, but not alcohol or tobacco.

In October 2008 in Wisconsin, the federal government paid $44.8 million for food stamps for the 202,000 families enrolled in the program, up 38 percent from $32.4 million in October 2007.

In Dane County, the surge in enrollments and costs is even greater than the rest of the state, with costs rising 51 percent in October compared to the same month a year ago.

"We're seeing more and more working-poor families," said Lynn Green, director of the Dane County Department of Human Services.

Dane County has also signed up more families for food stamps because more of them are approaching the county to sign up for the new state BadgerCare Plus program that offers health-care coverage for all children, Green said.

The Rev. Mary Pharmer, pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church on Spruce Street, is also seeing more hungry families at the food pantry her congregation operates in its basement. In spite of increased donations and food, "our pantry shelves are almost bare very often," Pharmer said.

With job losses increasing in Wisconsin and the recession expected to stretch into next year, some community leaders said they're worried the problem may worsen.

Second Harvest Food Bank supplies groceries for about 450 food pantries and community groups in the region, including St. Mark's. President and chief executive officer Robert Mohelnitzky said those groups are reporting about a 25 percent to 30 percent increase in demand, with more needy families coming in for the first time.

"Our biggest concern is: Where's this going? When's the recession going to sort of bottom out?" he said. "We're preparing for the first quarter of next year to be a more dire situation."

HOW TO APPLY

The federally funded FoodShare program helps pay for groceries for low-income families at some grocery stores and food markets. The net income limit for a family of four in the program is $21,200 a year. To sign up for the FoodShare program, call 800-362-3002 or go to access.wisconsin.gov.