Big Truck Equals Big Success
July 27, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY - More than 400 people helped fight hunger on Tuesday by attending the Big Truck Tacos Volunteer Night at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. After filling up on tacos courtesy of Big Truck Tacos, volunteers filled up Emergency Family Boxes of food and household products, which equates to 98,640 pounds of product, to help Oklahoma families in need.
“The Regional Food Bank and Big Truck Tacos asked the community to respond to the call for help, and they did in a big way,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “We would also like to thank Big Truck Tacos for sponsoring the event and continually supporting our efforts to fight hunger in Oklahoma.”
Even though Big Truck Tacos has been a staple in Oklahoman City for only a year, the restaurant has supported the Regional Food Bank by participating in food drives, fundraising and participating in the Regional Food Bank’s annual food and wine tasting event, Chefs’ Feast.
On Sunday, August 1 Big Truck Tacos is holding their one year anniversary party to thank their fans at their headquarters, located at 530 NW 23 St. in Oklahoma City from 4 to 8 p.m.
The Regional Food Bank needs volunteers to pack Emergency Pantry Boxes in August. “August is typically a tough month to find volunteers,” said Bivens. “We still have a huge number of Emergency Family Boxes that need to be assembled and distributed before the end of August. Finding enough volunteers to assemble the boxes is a critical component to getting the food to families in need.”
The nonprofit needs to sort and pack 75,000 boxes by the end of August, which means they need more than 200 volunteers a day.
No appointment is necessary for individual volunteers. Volunteer from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Groups of five or more people can call 405.972.1111 or email volunteer@regionalfoodbank.org to set up a volunteer appointment. Volunteering during weeknights and on Sunday is also available by appointment.
Thanks in part to volunteers, who donated more than 64,000 hours of their time, the Regional Food Bank distributed nearly 36.5 million pounds in Fiscal Year 2010 through a network of more than 700 charitable feeding programs and elementary schools. This represents a 28 percent increase in distribution over the previous year.
Oklahoma ranks as the sixth hungriest state in the nation, where 500,000 people wonder every day where their next meal will come from. The Regional Food Bank provides enough food to feed more than 77,000 hungry Oklahomans each week. The majority of those served by the Regional Food Bank are children, seniors living on fixed incomes, and working families who cannot make ends meet.
For more information, or to make a tax-deductible donation to the Regional Food Bank, visit regionalfoodbank.org. Connect online with the Regional Food Bank at twitter.com/rfbo or facebook.com/regionalfoodbank.
