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More Bay Area Residents Living in Poverty

SAN JOSE (KCBS) - The recession may officially be over, but the latest data from the Census Bureau shows the number of people in the Bay Area living in poverty continues to grow.

The statistics show the income gap between the richest and poorest Americans grew by the largest margin ever last year.

This comes as no surprise to Michael Enos, who works at San Jose's Second Harvest Food Bank.

KCBS Mike Colgan Reporting:

"We've seen an increase in the demand for food within the past couple years, and especially within the last year," said Enos. "We've essentially increased our distribution by 11 percent, meaning we're giving food to over 230,000 people each month."

Janet, who was laid off more than six months ago, has seen her savings run out, and is about to use up the last of her unemployment benefits as well.

"It's hard not knowing where the money is going to come from when it's all gone, wondering how I'm going to pay rent," she said. "I have two children, and I'm a single mom."

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