Food Drive on May 8th Helps Oklahomans Struggling with Hunger

WHAT:	The Feeding Hope and Letter Carriers Food Drive, the largest single-day food drive in the country, will kick into full gear at 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 8th as letter carriers throughout Oklahoma collect plastic sacks overflowing with canned food donations from residents along their mail routes.  More than 500 volunteers will help the National Association of Letter Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” by sorting an expected 700,000 pounds of canned food donations at post offices throughout central and western Oklahoma.
WHY:	As the state’s largest private hunger-relief charity, the Regional Food Bank distributes enough food to feed more than 77,000 people each week through its network of partner agencies; yet it is still not enough.  More than half a million Oklahomans struggle with hunger each day, including one in five children in the state.  Partner agencies have reported an increase in demand as high as 50 percent - with more and more newly unemployed seeking assistance for the first time in their lives.
WHO:	Interviews are available with: Rodney W. Bivens, Executive Director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma; Singer/Songwriter Graham Colton; Singer/Songwriter K.C. Clifford; Designer Johnathan Kayne; Devon Energy employees; Chesapeake Energy employees; volunteers; and letter carriers.
WHEN:	Saturday, May 8th from 1 to 4 p.m.
WHERE:	Edmond Centennial Post Office, located at 301 W. 33rd St. in Edmond Midwest City Post Office, located at 8275 E. Reno Ave. in Midwest City Britton Post Office, located at 301 W. Britton Rd. in Oklahoma City
VISUALS:	Project Runway’s Johnathan Kayne and singer/songwriter K.C. Clifford will be sorting donations with 15 volunteers at the Edmond Centennial Post Office; Chesapeake Energy employees and singer/songwriter Graham Colton will be sorting food donations at the Britton Post Office; and Devon Energy employees will be sorting donations at the Midwest City Post Office.

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 nearly 700 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. In the last fiscal year, the Food Bank distributed 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 more than 321 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry.

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