EL PASO, Texas -- The number of people going hungry across the country is up. More people are turning to the government for help, including people in El Paso.

"My little girls eat a lot. It's a lot of food. They eat a lot, and they've been growing a lot, especially when they go to school and come back from school, they're hungry," said Margarita Torres, of west El Paso.

She said if it weren't for food stamps times would be tougher for her and her family. Torres has been out of a job, the economy's in shambles and the cost of food keeps going up.

"The cost of food? It's very expensive. It's very expensive. A gallon of milk will cost you almost $5," said Torres.

"People are losing their jobs right now, they're trying to hold on their homes right now and the thing that they do without ... the easiest piece to not budget for is food," said Brian Smith, of Capital Area Food Bank.

This holiday season, donations to food banks across the country are down, and demand has never been higher. Families who never thought they would need government assistance, or go to a food pantry are hungry and reaching out for help.

According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the number of people on food stamps increased 15 percent. There were 148,885 recipients in October and 159,808 in December of 2008.

The number of Americans on food stamp is expected to exceed a record 30 million this month. The last time it was even close to that was right after Hurricane Katrina.

No matter how tough times get, Torres said she and her mother make sure the girls have enough to eat, even if it means putting in extra cash on top the monthly food stamps to pay for groceries.