Feeding the hungry.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The shameful paradox of hunger in Oregon shows signs of abating.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest statistics indicate a marked decline in the percentage of Oregonians who sometimes don't get enough to eat. Oregon no longer has the worst hunger statistics in the nation - the problem is still acute, but the numbers are moving in the right direction.

The USDA regards hunger in the United States as more a matter of money than of food. The department measures "food insecurity" in American households, which is defined as occasionally having trouble providing a healthy and adequate diet to all family members. It also counts the number of households reporting "food insecurity with hunger" - those that occasionally skip meals because they can't afford food. The economic dimension of hunger helps explain its prevalence in a middle-income state like Oregon.

In the three-year period from 1996 through 1998, Oregon had the worst average rate of food insecurity with hunger in the country - 6 percent. Only Texas, with 5.5 percent, came close. The state's rate of food insecurity was also high, at 14.2 percent, but several other states had higher rates.

The averages for the latest three-year period, 2001-03, are much improved. The USDA reports that Oregon's rate of food insecurity with hunger declined to 4.3 percent. The decline of 1.7 percentage points was the third-steepest in the nation, and Oregon now ranks eighth among the states in its hunger rate. The national average is 3.5 percent.

Oregon's rate of food insecurity also improved to 12.9 percent, and Oregon is now 11th in this category. Nationwide, 11.2 percent of households reported being food insecure at some time during the year.

Food insecurity is a result of tight finances. Food is a relatively minor item in most household budgets, costing less than housing or transportation. It is, however, one of the items over which households can exert control - the rent must be paid and the car has to be fixed, but a trip to the grocery store can wait until after payday. In the worst of circumstances, placing food toward the end of the list of budgetary priorities can lead to skipping meals, which the USDA defines as hunger.

Oregon has attacked this type of hunger by expanding the federal food stamp program. The number of Oregon households receiving food stamps increased 34 percent in 2001-03 - mirroring the 28 percent reduction in households reporting food insecurity with hunger. The USDA gave Oregon a $1.9 million bonus this month for its efforts to sign up people eligible to receive food stamps. The effect on hunger is direct, because food stamp benefits can't be spent on anything but food.

Though Oregon's hunger statistics are improving, there is no honor in remaining among the least food-secure states in the nation. More needs to be done, through government programs such as food stamps and through private efforts such as food banks. More broadly, Oregon needs to pursue economic development strategies that would alleviate the financial squeeze resulting from expensive housing and low-wage jobs.

As long as working Oregonians find themselves with little or no money left over for food at the end of the month, the state's hunger problem will persist.