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Editorial: We can step up and fight hunger crisis Well, locals, it's up to us. After delivering an uninspired and directive-challenged address on statewide hunger last week, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is moving on to other state business - like massive budget deficits facing schools and state agencies, and yes, a major league loser of a proposal for a baseball stadium in Portland. Apparently, it is the governor's belief that creating more jobs would help Oregon shed its status as the national pit of hunger. This state, after all, has the worst record in America when it comes to the amount of people going hungry. Kulongoski went on to say that the larger need is rekindling investors' interest in Oregon and making sure residents have enough training and education to fill any new jobs created as the economy recovers. How does that work, exactly? People survive by eating their training manuals as they wait for jobs to open up in a recovering economy? When is this "recovery" going to happen, and what do food-starved people do in the meantime? Kulongoski at least showed some insight when he stepped up to the podium last week. He pitched the idea of establishing a state-run fund that would receive private donations to pay for hunger relief programs in Oregon. Unfortunately, the program would be administered through high-level state agencies, allowing our legislators to further ignore the problem and continue wrestling endlessly over the state's budget woes. Which brings us back to Ashland, where people in need can always find a break. It's what sets this town apart from many others, and it's something we're never tired of repeating on this page. On Saturday, you can help fight hunger. The National Association of Letter Carriers is conducting its 11th annual food drive. Letter carriers in Ashland will be picking up plastic bags full of peanut butter, pasta, canned goods and other non-perishable items, and it would send a loud message to Salem if we could pull off a big turnout. Talentonians, while not directly involved in the Ashland drive - food, in fact, will make it from Ashland to shelters in Talent - have their chance to make a difference, as well. All food deposited at mailbox sites in Talent will go directly to food agencies in Medford, where letter carriers will also be out in force Saturday. The Ashland Emergency Food Bank collected more than 16,000 pounds of food last year during the letter carriers' drive. Doubling that number, even tripling or quadrupling it this year will give every participant the heartfelt satisfaction that they are working toward ending our state's hunger crisis. Fill up those bags, set them out Saturday morning and do your part to help fellow Oregonians. Realize, however, that a one-day event will not stem the suffering, meaning there is plenty of work to do the rest of the year at our local food banks. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -