PROVIDENCE – The number of Rhode Islanders receiving food stamps was up 19.3 percent in April compared with a year earlier, topping 100,000 for the first time, according to new government figures.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 102,305 Rhode Island residents were participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in April. That was up from 85,778 a year earlier and an increase of 3.2 percent from March, when 99,122 residents were enrolled.

Congress changed the name of the food stamp program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program last October as part of the 2008 farm bill.

Rhode Island had the 10th-highest percentage increase of any state from March to April, figures show, but many states saw their participation rates grow by more year-over-year.

The number of Rhode Island households enrolled in the program reached 51,662 in April, up 22.8 percent compared with a year ago and 3.7 percent compared with March.

Nationwide, a record 33.8 million people were enrolled in the food stamp program in April, the fifth-straight month of record participation and an increase of 20 percent from a year earlier, Bloomberg News reported. The Obama administration expects participation to average 35 million people a month in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

The federal government gave out $4.5 billion in assistance during the month. The average benefit increased to $133.28 per person and $294.65 per household in April, up from $113.86 and $251.98 the previous month, thanks to an increase included in the economic stimulus law enacted in February.

Rhode Island has ramped up efforts to enroll eligible residents in the food stamp program in recent years with the launch of the Food Stamp Outreach Project. Participation is up by more than 40 percent since 2006, according to the Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America at the University of Rhode Island, which manages the project.

In Massachusetts, food stamp enrollment was up 25.3 percent year-over-year in April, with 629,651 Bay State residents receiving nutrition assistance.

Additional information on the R.I. Department of Human Services Food Stamp Program is available at DHS.State.RI.US and EatBetterToday.com.