A profile of food stamp recipients: Grim

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that seven of 10 food stamp recipients had no income in 2010.

For the year, 19 million households relied on food stamps for at least part of the year. A total of 40 million people used food stamps during the year.

About 21 percent were on Supplemental Security Income, the program known as SSI that assists people with disabilities and the elderly, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Only 8 percent received assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which is generally known as the welfare program.

Of those who received food stamps, 35.7 percent were white, while 22 percent were African American and 10 percent were Hispanic.

The vast majority, 94 percent, were U.S.-born citizens, the newspaper said.