Faces of Hunger

The face of hunger is all too real. It has become younger and it includes the working poor, seniors and children. In today's economy, it also includes the newly unemployed – families who find themselves suddenly out of work and no longer able to afford the same life they've been living. Many have had to give up their homes and, in some cases, move away from family and friends in order to find new employment opportunities and a fresh start.

One in four children in our state is at risk of hunger on a daily basis. The Regional Food Bank is providing food to more than 90,000 people each week and nearly half of those are children.

The face of hunger could be living next door to you; it could be the child playing next to your child in the park; it could be the senior citizen you see buying food using a stack of coupons at the grocery store, counting every penny. Just because you don't recognize the face of hunger, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Oklahoma is the 5th hungriest state in the nation, with 600,000 Oklahomans uncertain where their next meal will come from. The face of hunger is all too real.