In Ohio, about 11,560 Walmart employees and their family members receive food stamps, according to state data published this month by the liberal-leaning research organization Policy Matters Ohio.
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No other company had more Ohio employees and their family members receiving food assistance, though McDonald’s came close with 9,927, the data show. Walmart routinely has topped the food assistance list over the years.
Kroger ranked third in the state with 5,051 employees and family members, and Bob Evans was fourth with 3,641 assistance recipients.
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Walmart’s wage increase is good news, but it’s hard to tell if it will lead to significant numbers of employees and their families in Ohio no longer needing food stamps, said Zach Schiller, Policy Matters research director.
“It’s certainly true that $11 is better than $9,” Schiller said. “But I don’t think that’s a wage level in which we’ll see all 11,500 Walmart workers and their family members disappear off of the SNAP rolls.”
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SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which was formerly called the food stamp program.
Here’s a list showing the top 50 employers whose employees and their family members receive food stamp benefits.
Rank, Company, #of workers/family members
1. WALMART 11,560
2. MCDONALDS 9,927
3. KROGER 5,051
4. BOB EVANS 3,641
5. WENDY’S 3,581
6. DOLLAR GENERAL 3,211
7. GOODWILL 2,843
8. TACO BELL 2,748
9. SPEEDWAY 2,734
10. BURGER KING 2,503
11. STAFFMARK 2,236
12. FAMILY DOLLAR 2,137
13. SUBWAY 2,042
14. DOLLAR TREE STORE 1,983
15. ADECCO 1,959
16. ARBY’S 1,649
17. HOME DEPOT 1,575
18. CLEVELAND CLINIC 1,546
19. AMAZON 1,430
20. TARGET 1,397
21. YMCA 1,347
22. LOWE’S 1,288
23. UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS 1,275
24. STEAK N SHAKE 1,273
25. ARAMARK FOOD, FACIL, UNIFORM 1,260
25. GIANT EAGLE 1,260
27. MEIJER 1,249
28. WALGREEN’S 1,222
29. MACS CONVENIENCE STORES 1,216
30. PIZZA HUT 1,202
31. CVS STORES 1,167
32. FEDEX CORP 1,135
33. KOHLS 1,133
34. CALLOS NURSE & PERSONNEL SVC 1,121
35. INTERIM HEALTH CARE 1,090
36. KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN 1,081
37. JC PENNEY 1,070
38. MANCAN 1,025
39. I FORCE 1,020
40. OHIO HEALTH CORP 1,013
41. CHIPOTLE 973
42. UNITED PARCEL SERVICE 971
43. CRACKER BARREL 961
44. INDEPENDENT VOLUNTEER HOURS 952
45. APPLEBEE’S 936
46. PANERA BREAD 925
47. MINUTE MEN 897
48. FRISCHS 894
49. CIRCLE K STORES 886
50. “A V I FOOD SYSTEMS ” 850
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