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By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer 10/15/2007

enlarge SStaff photo by Joe Phelan JPhelan

CONVOCATION SPEAKER: Naomi Schalit, Opinion Page Editor of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel, gives the keynote address for the University of Maine at Augusta's Convocation on Sunday afternoon in Jewett Hall. Schalit spoke about the papers' seven day editorial series called “For I was hungry” that ran in July. “Hunger is a problem that affects all of us — far more of us than even we at the newspaper imagined when we started this project,” she said.

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It affects the old. It hurts children. And it takes a moral and financial toll on society, Naomi Schalit, opinion page editor of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel, told those gathered at the University of Maine at Augusta Sunday.

Schalit, the keynote speaker at the fourth annual UMA Convocation, shared her thoughts and research on the subject as the school kicked off a year that will be focused on health and social justice. In July, the papers ran a seven day editorial series called "For I was hungry."

"Hunger is a problem that affects all of us -- far more of us than even we at the newspaper imagined when we started this project," she said.

The hour-long Convocation drew about 60 people to Jewett Hall, along with a nearly equal number of professors who marched in wearing their caps and robes. In addition to Schalit's address, UMA President Richard Randall honored Hallowell resident Katy Perry, and Donald Winslow of Herman, with community service awards.

Perry, a writer and teacher, joined the Peace Corps at age 65 and served in Belize. She's written more than eight books and teaches a course at the university's Senior College.

"Clearly, retirement is an alien concept for this remarkable woman," Randall said.

Winslow is a retired Bangor police chief and is involved in many community activities.

In her speech, Schalit outlined how the newspaper discussed many topics before deciding to write a series of stories about hunger in Maine. She said a lawmaker from western Maine told her that food pantries in his area couldn't keep up with demand. When she looked into it further, she was surprised by what she found.

She offered these statistics as proof that hunger is a growing problem in Maine:

*In the Somerset County town of Anson, 90 percent of the children in the elementary school qualify for free and reduced price lunch. That's up from 60 percent in 1999.

*The number of food pantries in Maine has grown from 450 in 2004 to 600 now.

*Of all the states in the country, Maine had the highest percentage growth rate of hungry people over the last five years.

Schalit, who joined the newspapers in April 2006, also talked about the people who were willing to be interviewed despite the stigma that goes along with being hungry.

"Bless them for speaking of their pain at having to ask for a handout after a life of work, paying taxes, serving one's country, raising children," she said. "Some told me about their anguish and anger when -- despite a college education and a job -- they couldn't feed their kids. They opened their refrigerator doors to show me how little was inside."

Schalit, who worked with Publisher John Christie and Executive Editor Eric Conrad to come up with recommendations to address hunger in Maine, said she believes there are real solutions to the problem.

One recommendation is to require every school in Maine to offer free breakfast, which is subsidized by the federal government. The newspaper sent copies of the series to every Maine legislator, but got little response.

"These are the people who have the power to get breakfast to more hungry children in the state," she said. "And how many have we heard back from? Two."

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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