More Spaniard rely on charity handouts

More Spaniards are now relying on charities for food, as the country struggles with deteriorating economy and widening debt crisis, according to aid groups. Reports from Spain say the number of people gathering to get food, clothing, and counseling at shelters has gone up during Christmas The society of Saint Vincent de Paul is a Catholic charity that runs dozens of small centers across Spain. It offers clothing, counseling and a hot meal to the people in need. According to the social worker in charge of the charity's Madrid center, things have gradually got worse since 2009, the year that the economic crisis began to take hold. “In the last five years, the number of users has increased from 70 to 240 a day and we have always had the same sources or even less. I don't know how we still keep it. With much love, I guess,” social worker Ana Manzano said. Spain has eurozone's highest jobless rate of 21.3 percent, currently with 4.9 million unemployed people. Battered by the global financial downturn, the Spanish economy collapsed into recession in the second half of 2008, destroying millions of jobs. Analysts say the Spain's economy is expected to enter into a new recession in the first two quarters of 2012.