ernon Township High School students read about Make A Difference Day in their local newspaper and decided to volunteer at their local soup kitchen.

But there wasn't one.

So they created a temporary facility and then went on to trigger events in the adult world that may bring hungry residents permanent help.

It began when teenagers discovered that the nearest soup kitchen was a long bus ride away. Not fair, they reasoned: If the needy could afford to take the bus, they wouldn't need free food. So Oct. 24, they opened a one-day soup kitchen in the high school cafeteria.

On the menu: soup for 60, plus leftovers to take home. And needy families could pack up all the food they wanted from half a ton of food - bagels, vegetables - collected by the school's community service club.

But the students were still hungry for a permanent solution. They studied hunger in their community and on May 1 are to lay the facts before government and business officials. At last the teens may have a satisfied feeling: They hope their area's first permanent soup kitchen will open on the next Make A Difference Day.

  $10,000 award from Paul Newman will help start Harvest House soup kitchen.