Director's Message

Oct. 12, 2007

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, M.D., director

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"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
~President Dwight David Eisenhower

The leaves are changing color and the air is turning crisp. It's autumn, the season of harvest, a time when we are reminded of the beauty and bounty of Oregon. And, as we celebrate Oregon Harvest Week next week, it's also a time to remember that too many people still don't share in that bounty.

Oregon Harvest Week began in 2003 to raise awareness about the issues surrounding hunger in Oregon. The week is a partnership between Governor Kulongoski, the Oregon Food Bank, local government and community leaders, and many other organizations and advocacy groups. Events scheduled to take place throughout the state next week will help increase awareness of hunger issues, develop action plans to address hunger, and raise money to assist people in need.

Oregon and DHS take the issue of hunger seriously, and our commitment to reducing hunger and food insecurity is making a difference.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded DHS a $1.7 million performance bonus for being one of the five states that provide food stamps to the highest percentage of people who are eligible for food aid. We reach nearly 68 percent of eligible individuals, the fourth highest rate in the nation.

My thanks, congratulations and heartfelt appreciation go to those of you who made that award possible. To those of you who were a part of helping get needed food assistance to our clients and neighbors, thank you. Great job!

We plan to use that bonus to reach even more eligible individuals and to improve the health of stamp recipients. We also are receiving additional help reaching people eligible to receive food assistance thanks to a recent three-year $430,843 grant awarded by the federal Food and Nutrition Services Program. The money will help support additional nutrition outreach and education efforts such as increasing program participation among seniors and making the application process easier.

Today more than 400,000 Oregonians receive food aid. Key groups that have helped us with our outreach efforts and led to the high percentage of eligible people served include the Oregon Food Bank, Hunger Relief Task Force, the Interagency Coordinating Council on Hunger, and the Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your great efforts and your collaborative partnership.

The Food Stamp Program has had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of individuals who otherwise would have gone hungry. Oregon's hunger rate -- the number of people unable to provide a basic amount of food for their families -- was at an all-time high a decade ago. We've made significant progress since that time in reducing food insecurity among Oregonians.

Still, there are too many children and families who are going without meals or eating less food than they should. Those are the families we need to reach.

My thanks to everyone who has made it possible for more people than ever to share in Oregon's bounty. Now let's raise that 68 percent to 100 percent.

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To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.