Nearly $11,500 Raised To Benefit Food 4 Kids
“Eat Up” and Paper Towel Sales Wipe Out Childhood Hunger
April 21, 2010
On April 13, the Made in Oklahoma (MIO) Coalition and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma hosted an “Eat Up” event to help fight childhood hunger in Oklahoma. Richard Wasson, executive director of the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, presented the Regional Food Bank with a check for $11,304 from the sale of MIO paper towels in the first quarter. The proceeds will be used to support the Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids backpack program.
Food 4 Kids provides nearly 8,000 chronically hungry elementary school children with a backpack filled with nutritious, kid-friendly food on weekends and holidays throughout the school year. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of MIO paper towels goes to support the Food 4 Kids program statewide. Since March 2009, MIO has raised more than $47,000 to support the Food 4 Kids program. MIO hopes to sell 1 million paper towel rolls before the end of April, which was designated “Made in Oklahoma Month” by Gov. Frank Keating.
“We want to rally the community to support Made in Oklahoma products, especially during the month of April, to help benefit our local food banks,” Wasson said. “When Oklahomans buy local products, they’re supporting Oklahoma children and the Food 4 Kids program.”
The “Eat Up,” which was sponsored by MIO and Lamar Advertising, featured fine food prepared by the Good Egg Dining Group, a member of the MIO Coalition. Sen. Andrew Rice, co-author of the Hunger Task Force bill, addressed more than 75 guests about the high incidence of food insecurity in Oklahoma. Regional Food Bank Celebrity Council Members Lauren Nelson Faram, who was crowned Miss America in 2007, and Johnathan Kayne, from Project Runaway, were also in attendance.
“We want to thank MIO and Lamar for their support to fight childhood hunger,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “One in five children in Oklahoma struggles with hunger every day. No child should ever have to go to bed hungry.”
MIO paper towels are available at local grocery stores, including Wal-Mart, Homeland, Buy 4 Less, United Supermarkets and Crest Foods.
To learn more about childhood hunger in Oklahoma, or to make a donation, call the Regional Food Bank at 405-604-7111 or visit our website at www.regionalfoodbank.org. Follow the Food Bank on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rfbo or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/regionalfoodbank.
For more information about MIO visit miocoaliton.com; follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MIO_Coalition, or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/madeinoklahomacoalition.
(David Brooks, Shawnee Mills and MIO member; Sen. Tom Ivester; Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma; Sen. Andrew Rice and Richard Wasson, executive director of the Made in Oklahoma Coalition)
About the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as a link through which the food industry and community may donate food and other goods. The products are then distributed to more than 700 elementary schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. In the last fiscal year, the food bank distributed more than 28.5 million pounds of food and product to help the charitable community effectively feed people in need. Since its inception in 1980, the food bank has distributed 321 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. To learn more about the Regional Food Bank, visit www.regionalfoodbank.org.
About Made in Oklahoma (MIO) Coalition
The MIO Coalition promotes brand awareness and consumer loyalty for Oklahoma food products through collective marketing for the purpose of increasing sales, maintaining business retention and expanding Oklahoma's food processing sector. The MIO Coalition represents more than 30 Oklahoma food manufacturers that employ 20,000 Oklahomans statewide. The coalition is supported by both private and public funds. For more information, please visit www.miocoalition.com.
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