Oklahomans encouraged to fight hunger in September

Kay County residents will join the fight against hunger in Oklahoma by participating in Hunger Action Month. This month-long, national campaign works to inspire the community to take action against hunger in Oklahoma.

“Nothing runs on empty, especially our friends struggling with hunger,” said Rodney W. Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “Whether it’s sending a tweet, volunteering with friends, or making an online donation, we can all make an impact this month and help our neighbors. We are grateful to our donors, volunteers, agencies and advocates for helping the one in six Oklahomans who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.”

Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation, where one in four children struggles with hunger every day. Most of the clients served by the Regional Food Bank are children, seniors living on fixed incomes and working families who cannot make ends meet.

With distributions in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties, the Regional Food Bank depends on local community partners to get food to Oklahomans struggling with hunger.

In Kay County, the nonprofit partners with 14 partner agencies to fight hunger year-round. Agencies include: New Emergency Resource Agency Food & Resource Center, Agape Church of Christ, Associated Charities, Domestic Violence Program of North Central Oklahoma, Friendship Feast, House of Prayer Blackwell, Marland Children's Home, McCord Senior Citizens, Northern Oklahoma Youth Services, Opportunity Center, Peachtree Landing Inc., Ponca City Welfare, Salvation Army – Ponca City, The Mission and Tonkawa Community Food Bank.

Some of the events taking place in the Oklahoma in support of Hunger Action Month include:

• Donating to fight childhood hunger in the state. Every donation to Food for Kids between now and Sept. 30 will be matched, up to $150,000, thanks to the generosity of the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma, Top of the World, David Gorham and two anonymous families. To make a donation, visit foodforkids.us or call (405) 600-3136.
• Joining the conversation on Twitter. Help raise awareness about the one in six Oklahomans who has inconsistent access to food by using #HungerActionMonth.
• Participating in Hunger Action Day. Wear orange, the color of hunger, to support hunger awareness on Thursday, Sept. 8.
• Volunteering at the Regional Food Bank. It’s a fun team-building experience for corporate groups; a bonding experience for families; and a great way for church groups to come together and give back to the community. Volunteer times are available Monday through Saturday. To sign up visit regionalfoodbank.org/volunteer.

• Signing up for the Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive. It’s not too late for schools to participate in the 12th annual Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive. The drive runs from Sept. 26 through Nov. 11. All food donations raised through this drive stay local. For more information, or to sign up, contact Natalie Price at [email protected] or 405-600-3174.

• Shopping through Amazon Smile. When you do your shopping at Amazon Smile, and select the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma as your charity of choice, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. For more information visit smile.amazon.com.

Established in 1980, the Regional Food Bank is the largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization in the state of Oklahoma. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit distributed more than 52 million pounds of food and products through a network of more than 1,200 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.

Together, we can solve hunger. To make a donation, or for more information, visit regionalfoodbank.org or call 405-600-3136.