HELENA - Montana hit a sobering milestone in July. A record number of Montanans, more than 100,000, are on food stamps, the federal anti-hunger program now known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

The growth represents a more than 24 percent increase since May 2008, said Linda Snedigar, administrator of the Human and Community Services Division at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Some 100,552 people received food stamps in July, she said, representing a little more than 10 percent of the state's population.

Snedigar said Montana started seeing a sharp uptick in SNAP applications last fall.

"We've seen this surge that is just astonishing," she said. "You think it will slow down, and it doesn't."

Last month, workers in Missoula and Yellowstone counties processed more 800 new applications for SNAP, or about 26 a day. Rural counties are also seeing unexpected growth, she said, driven partly by jobless people moving back home, or, perhaps, the lower cost of housing in smaller towns. Fergus County, for example, processed 83 new applications last month.

Nationwide, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is also growing briskly, statistics show. States hardest hit by the housing collapse have seen some of the steepest growth, although Western states like Idaho and Utah are also seeing a surge. Utah saw a 45.5 percent increase in SNAP recipients between April 2008 and April 2009.

More than 34 million Americans participated in the program in May, a national record.

Run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the food stamp program no longer uses "stamps" or paper food vouchers. Recipients now receive a plastic card that people use like a debit card at the grocery store or farmers' market. Participants must meet certain requirements to qualify.

Generally speaking, they must earn less than 130 percent of the federal poverty limit, which is $1,984 a month for a family of three. The program also considers other factors, such as the cost of day care, some housing costs and other household expenses in determining who qualifies.

The maximum food stamp allowance for a family of three is $526 a month.

SNAP is paid for by the federal government, Snedigar said, and run by state employees assigned to each county. The cost in Montana has almost doubled since July 2008. Back then, Snedigar said, Montana spent $7.8 million on food stamps. This July, the program spent just more than $13 million.

The program has seen so much growth that workers can't keep up, Snedigar said, and some recipients have to wait to receive their SNAP voucher card. That wait bothers many workers, she said, who know food stamps are sorely needed by those who apply for them.

"They are working as hard as they possibly can," she said. "Truly, they've done a heroic job."

More retailers are also signing up to accept SNAP cards. Target stores, Sam's Club, Walgreens, CVS and convenience stores such as Town Pump, Holiday and Noon's have recently signed up to participate, Snedigar said.

Nationally, Costco has also begun accepting SNAP cards, although Montana's Costco stores are not yet participating.

As brisk as Montana's growth has been, Snedigar said, other states are seeing overwhelming demand. In Phoenix and Las Vegas, both hard hit by the housing market crisis, people stand in line for up to four hours just to get to the front door of the SNAP office.