PORTLAND (AP) – More people in Maine are turning to food stamps during a time of economic stresses including high fuel and food costs.

The number of Mainers using food stamps grew 7.2 percent this month to 181,814. That’s slightly less than the national increase of 7.7 percent.

Christopher St. John of the Maine Center For Economic Policy says the numbers indicate more people are finding it difficult to get by as wages fail to keep pace with the cost of living.