By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES, March 9 (Reuters) - Its image is mostly that of rich California housewives, multimillion-dollar beach mansions and Disneyland, but Orange County has been hit so hard by recession that some of its food banks are struggling to feed the hungry.

In fact food banks in Orange County, which has been portrayed as an oceanfront playground for the wealthy on such TV shows as "The O.C." and "The Real Housewives of Orange County," were reporting demand had increased 40 to 60 percent since June of 2008.

"Demand has skyrocketed so quickly," Monica Horner, development manager of Second Harvest Food Bank, told Reuters in an interview. "I've been here for eight years and I've been talking to my colleagues and this is the most widespread, rapid increase we've seen."

Officials say the spike in those going hungry is one more symptom of the worst economic slump since the early 1980s, which is hitting parts of California's third-most populous county hard despite a median income of more than $70,000.

"It's considered to be one of most affluent places but we've always had a hunger issue here, it's just been very well hidden. The scary part is that it can happen to anyone now," Horner said. "People are being laid off, seniors relying on retirement are finding that slashed."

Horner said that her food bank, which serves some 400 member agencies across the county including shelters, rescue missions, church pantries and homes for abused women and children, has so far been able to keep up.

But the Orange County Register newspaper reported that other food banks were being forced to close distribution sites, cut hours and turn down new programs.

"The demand we have seen is so unprecedented that we're handing out more food than we ever have before," Orange County Food Bank Director Mark Lowry told the Register.

Of turning away new shelters who come to the food bank for help, he said: "It's distasteful. It's not something we relish doing. I hope it's not permanent."

The newspaper reported that the Catholic Charities center in Santa Ana, the county seat, has already served almost as many people as it did all of last fiscal year and was recently forced to cut its hours from five days a week to three. (Editing by Eric Walsh)

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