At Hillsboro’s Shute Park, Claudia Derby watched three kids munch on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They sipped milk, and followed it with a fresh apple.

The meal was free, provided by Hillsboro’s Outpost Program, a free summer lunch effort. Derby said she’s grateful to have it, since rising food and fuel prices make it hard to feed her kids a healthy diet.

“My kids right now in the summer, they want to eat fruit, something fresh, and we can’t afford that every day, milk or juice,” said Derby.

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The Outpost Program feeds 380 kids every day, up from 200 last summer.

For organizers, it’s another sign that more and more Oregonians are having trouble making ends meet. At the Oregon Food Bank, demand for emergency food boxes is up at a time when there’s more competition for charitable contributions.

Governor Ted Kulongoski agrees. He was there Wednesday, serving lunch to some of the kids in Hillsboro.

“When you look at gasoline at $4 and some cents a gallon, you look at the price of food, this puts a strain on a lot of these kids parents,” Gov. Kulongoski said.

Summer lunch programs exist throughout the state, and the governor said the Outpost program is a model. It’s a community effort, bringing together donations from the business community with volunteer efforts, and funding from the federal Summer food program.

In addition to the free lunch, the program also offers recreational and educational activities.