Walmart Foundation Keeps On Giving

July 13, 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Walmart Foundation’s generous grant of $50,000 through its State Giving Program is benefiting the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids, Kids Cafe, and Summer Feeding programs.  The Foundation’s partnership and support will assist the nonprofit in meeting children’s basic nutritional needs throughout central and western Oklahoma.

“Twenty percent of children in Oklahoma struggle with hunger every day,” said Rodney W. Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank.  “No child should ever go to bed with the pain of hunger. We thank Walmart for their continued support and their compassion for hungry children.”

Food for Kids is an emergency feeding program for chronically hungry elementary school children. Children, who might have very little or nothing to eat between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday, are given a backpack filled with nutritious, kid-friendly food every weekend and holiday throughout the school year.  The Regional Food Bank plans to expand the program by an additional 63 schools in the fall. Numerous teachers and administrators have reported that students’ school performance, attendance and self-esteem have improved as a result of participating in the program.

“I had a student come up to me and say, ‘Thank you. Because of the food you gave me, we had something to eat at home when it was cold and no light in my house,’” said one Food for Kids coordinator.

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is one of only five local nonprofit organizations that have been selected to be a part of the new Walmart and Sam’s Club “Associates Choice Program” in Oklahoma.  Walmart and Sam’s Club Associates have the opportunity to vote, between July 7 and August 13, for which nonprofit they would like to receive a $100,000 donation from the Walmart Foundation.  The Regional Food Bank encourages Walmart and Sam’s Club employees to go to http://www.mywalmart.com to vote.

For more information about the Regional Food Bank or any of its programs, call 405.972.1111 or visit www.regionalfoodbank.org.  To volunteer, contact Jamie Treadaway at 405.600.3154 or e-mail jtreadaway@regionalfoodbank.org.