'A hollow pain'.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Children are going hungry in Oregon.

As The Register-Guard's Susan Palmer reports in today's edition, the degree and severity of that hunger varies, depending on where children live, their poverty level and their access to the social services, school food programs and charities that help feed low-income children and their families.

But make no mistake, children are going hungry in Oregon - and in Lane County. That ugly reality should get the full attention of every public official and every citizen in this state. There can be no higher priority than making certain that kids have enough to eat.

Last year in Lane County, the number of students who qualify for free school meals has grown by an alarming 10 percent over the past two years. The people closest to the problem - social workers and school officials who see hungry children every day - attest to the severity of the problem. Listen to their words: "We know there's hunger," says Connie Sullivan, who heads the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program in Lane County. Maxine Proscurowski, health services coordinator for River Road Elementary School in Eugene, describes seeing "real visual proof that kids are malnourished."

Listen also to the words of a 19-year-old homeless teen named Aaron, who is living on the streets of Eugene. "It's like a hollow pain all over," he says, describing the hunger that recently caused him to lose 11 pounds in a week.

As Palmer's stories make clear, neither the causes nor solutions are simple. In Lane County, there is an extensive safety net of public and private programs that provide food to children of impoverished families. But the cords of that net have been weakened by state and federal budget cuts and by an ailing economy that threatens to reduce the flow of charitable giving.

The shadow of hunger falls most heavily on the working poor who often qualify for little or no outside assistance and who don't have enough money left over for food after paying for housing, utilities, transportation, medical care and other expenses.

Ultimately, the most effective solution for such families is a rebound in the state's ailing economy and an increase in the number of jobs that pay enough to enable families to meet household budgets. Oregon has one of the country's fastest-growing gaps between its poorest and wealthiest residents. That's a trend that must be reversed before child hunger can be eradicated.

Shortly after taking office, Gov. Ted Kulongoski took the welcome step of convening a statewide hunger summit. Such a high-level focus on the reality of hunger in our midst was long overdue.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers have crafted several measures aimed at reducing Oregon's child hunger problem. One of them, Senate Bill 287, could increase summer food programs for children, SB 500 seeks to expand low-income families' access to farmers markets, and House Bill 2888 would use matching federal funds to develop a statewide food stamp outreach campaign. Only one of these bills has made it out of committee, a sorry situation that local legislators should take the lead in changing as soon as possible.

Yet another promising measure, HB 2450, has passed the House and Senate and was signed last week by the governor. Aimed at getting welfare families with children out of the cycle of low-paying jobs, it will allow a parent who receives welfare to attend college instead of job hunting or working, as currently required.

Meanwhile, individuals can help locally by donating money and food supplies to FOOD for Lane County and other organizations that feed the hungry. The governor's office also has set up a special account allowing private individuals and businesses to contribute to an existing government program and receive tax breaks in return.

These are good beginnings, but much more remains to be done. No one should rest as long there are hungry children in Oregon.