$25,000 Mazon Grant Supports Public Policy Efforts in Oklahoma
June 21, 2010
A $25,000 grant award from Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger will fund the continued implementation and enhancement of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s statewide public policy and advocacy efforts.
“It takes more than food to fight hunger,” said Rodney W. Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is committed to programs and policies that guarantee adequate nutrition for all Oklahomans. Thanks in part to the continued support from MAZON: A Jewish Repose to Hunger, we have laid the foundation for change in Oklahoma.”
Through this grant, the Regional Food Bank will work to educate local and national political leaders, as well as the charitable community, in an effort to reduce hunger in Oklahoma. Oklahoma ranks as the sixth hungriest state in the country, where one in five children struggles with hunger. Due to their special needs, senior citizens and disabled individuals are also at a higher risk of going hungry.
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s objectives include: recruiting partner agencies to engage with elected officials about hunger and its solutions; involving the Regional Food Bank’s Board of Directors in matters of public policy impacting the organization's mission; and engaging 1,000 people to advocate on behalf of the Regional Food Bank and its mission.
The Regional Food Bank urges you to become an advocate today by signing up for information about hunger and nutrition issues online at http://www.regionalfoodbank.org . Help raise awareness about the reality of hunger in Oklahoma and advocate for legislation that addresses the many factors that contribute to hunger.
For more information about the Regional Food Bank or to make a donation, call 405.972.1111 or visit www.regionalfoodbank.org.
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 Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 352 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. Visit regionalfoodbank.org to see the new counter that tracks the pounds and meals distributed every second.
