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SUNNY Temp: 94 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Sunday, September 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 14, 2003 For Carla Perez, 42, who is disabled, and Paul Dillard, 43, an unemployed logger, food agencies such as St. Vincent de Paul keep hunger at bay. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Food pantry folk say hunger problem grows The issues behind hunger can’t be solved with a simple food drive By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Jackson County food pantry organizers say they haven’t spent much time pondering Oregon’s dubious status as the hungriest state in the nation. They’re too busy feeding people. "Whether we’re No. 1 or No. 15, or whatever it might be, it’s still an issue here," said Philip Yates, nutrition program coordinator for ACCESS Inc. of Medford. Moreover, local anti-hunger advocates haven’t even been able to seize on whatever public relations opportunity such bad news engendered. Advertisement "We don’t use it as a method to raise hunger awareness because we have to talk about the problem locally," Yates added. It’s a problem that’s grown at least 20 percent in the past year, he said. Between January and March, 7,642 local households received food boxes, up from 6,309 during the first quarter of 2002. That’s a sentiment echoed by Sharon Schreiber, director of the Interfaith Care Community of Medford and Ashland, who logged some 26,000 client visits last year — and expects to chalk up 40,000 this year. "We have people who now take it as a normal thing to have a can of green beans for dinner," she said. Questions about the accuracy of national studies are valid, but they also obscure the enduring local problems, Schreiber said. "Being ranked as one of the hungriest states is kind of like getting SARS," she said. "As if hunger and poverty is something we’re just now catching." In fact, the issues behind hunger — joblessness, high housing costs, low wages, substance abuse, to name a few — are entrenched social problems a simple food drive can’t solve. In Jackson County, for instance, a third of households earned less than $25,000 a year, according to 2000 census figures. "While people will respond to romanticized views of human problems, we don’t want to look at the very difficult causes of those problems," Schreiber said. At St. Vincent de Paul, a Medford agency that offers free hot meals five days a week, staffer Dick Handley said state rankings didn’t cause much local stir. "We’ve never used that," said Handley, whose agency provided 45,000 meals last year. "We’ve said we have hungry people." On Tuesday, that included Carla Perez, 42, of Medford and several members of her extended family. "Usually, we come every day," said Perez over a plate of beef stew and garlic bread. "I’m on a fixed income and I’m disabled and it’s easier for me." The meals at St. Vincent’s provide relief for the clan that includes Paul Dillard, 43, who’s looking for work in construction or logging. Whether Oregon ranks as the nation’s top state for hunger or not, Perez said she knows what it means not to eat. "I went to a food bank in White City last week and they refused me," she said. "They said there were too many people. So I just did without." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times