Much attention is paid to the needs of the less fortunate around the holidays, but that same need exists year round.

Nationally, the demand on aid programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, has increased steadily over the past several years. As of May of this year, 40.8 million Americans—about one in eight—used food stamps. The number of participants reached an all-time high shortly after, in July. Six million people, or about three million households, have been added to the rolls just this past year.

According to an October USDA report, the percentage of households without cash income of any kind has more than doubled in the last 20 years. In 1989, 7 percent of households receiving food stamps had no gross income. In 2009, the number of households jumped to nearly 18 percent.

People remember to donate during the holidays, said Marianne Hunley, a benefit specialist with the Mathews County Department of Social Ser...