Governor Kulongoski Declares April 9 - 15, 2006, Oregon Hunger Awareness Week

Governor calls on all Oregonians to join him in the fight against hunger

Governor Kulongoski attending a food drive January 12thy, 2006 in Salem Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - Continuing his effort to raise awareness about the issue of hunger in Oregon, Governor Ted Kulongoski will kick-off Hunger Awareness Week on Monday at the Oregon Food Bank Hunger Heroes Luncheon, and deliver the first annual Jerry Tippens Award for an individual`s contribution in the fight against hunger. The Governor will also announce several key steps he will take in the coming years to continue the progress over the last three to end hunger and food insecurity in Oregon.

The Goal of Hunger Awareness Week is to: 1) Promote awareness about the hunger problem in Oregon; 2) Educate about the root causes of hunger; and 3) Help inspire citizens and communities throughout the state to take action to help end hunger in Oregon.

As part of the immediate food needs, on Tuesday the Governor will announce the state agency awards and total employee contributions to the fight against hunger as a result of the Governor`s annual State Employee Food Drive.

At that event, as part of his effort to address the root causes of hunger, Governor Kulongoski will also announce a new initiative to protect Oregonians from unfair fees charged when working families try to access the money they earned using check-cashing services.

`Hunger has been one of my top priorities, which is why I have declared one week in April each year `Oregon Hunger Awareness Week,`" Governor Kulongoski said. `Our work is delivering results, moving from first in the nation to 19th in hunger, but we are not finished fighting this battle. We must look at the emergency food needs of our citizens today while also looking at the drivers that cause hunger, such as income, health care costs and ensuring critical consumer protections are in place for working families."

The Governor will conclude the week on Thursday by convening a roundtable with Oregon Hunger Relief Taskforce members, families suffering from the high cost of health care, medical providers documenting health impacts of food security, and Kaiser Permanente representatives highlighting their involvement in food advocacy. The Governor will outline his Healthy Kids Plan and get feedback from physicians and families on what they see and experience when providing care or trying to access care on a fixed income.

`The bottom line is that hunger is an income problem. When Oregonians are hungry, it is usually because their incomes don`t stretch far enough to afford all of the basic necessities of life � housing, transportation, child care, health care � and food," the Governor continued. `If we are serious about this issue, which I am, then we must address hunger with a comprehensive and collaborative approach. If we succeed on that front, we will succeed in ending hunger in Oregon."