Newsroom
Big Lots Makes Big Difference in Bryan County
Dec. 3, 2009
Bryan County, Oklahoma – The latest census information shows that Bryan County has more than 6,500 Oklahomans living at, or below, the poverty level. With the help of donations from Big Lots in Durant, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma distributed more than 1.3 million pounds of product to Bryan County in Fiscal Year 2009 – enough to provide more than one million meals. This also represents the largest amount of food distribution to any county served by the Regional Food Bank outside of Oklahoma County.
Big Lots has supported the efforts to fight hunger in Oklahoma by donating product from its Durant facility to the Regional Food Bank for more than five years. Last year, nearly 12 percent of all Big Lots' donations, or 39,000 pounds, were distributed in Bryan County. These donations support 16 different charitable feeding programs and provided the equivalent of more than 30,000 meals for the hungry in Bryan County.
Partner agencies receiving the product include: in Colbert - Colbert Senior Citizens, County Gospel Lighthouse and First Baptist Church of Colbert; in Durant - Crisis Control Center, Inc., Families Feeding Families; Hands of Hope, Loaves and Fishes, MHSSO, Southern OK Nutrition Project, St Catherine's House and Youth Services of Bryan County; in Bokchito - Southern OK Nutrition Project; in Calera – Southern OK Nutrition Project; in Wade-Albany – Wade-Albany Senior Center; and in Yarnaby - Yarnaby Senior Nutrition.
According to the Oklahoma Task Force on Hunger, the percentage of people classified as food insecure within Oklahoma has risen from 13.4 percent to 14.6 percent. Big Lots' donations of 330,874 pounds of product in Fiscal Year 2009 helped provide more than 258,000 meals for the hungry throughout the Regional Food Bank's 53 county service area in central and western Oklahoma.
"The number of people seeking food assistance is greater now than any other time in the history of the Regional Food Bank," said Rodney Bivens, executive director and founder of the Regional Food Bank. "Despite these tough economic times, companies like Big Lots remain ever committed to our mission of fighting hunger and feeding hope."
The Regional Food Bank also operates the Food 4 Kids backpack program in Bryan County. Food 4 Kids provides chronically hungry elementary school children with a backpack of kid-friendly, nutritious food every Friday throughout the school year to help sustain them over weekends and holidays when school meal programs are not available.
And now, thanks to a generous offer from an anonymous local foundation, every dollar donated to the Food 4 Kids-Bryan County program between now and December 31st will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. All donations to Food 4 Kids-Bryan County, including the $25,000 match, will be used exclusively to support the program in Bryan County elementary schools.
Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation – ranking sixth in food insecurity. Even though the Regional Food Bank provides enough food to feed more than 63,000 people each week, it is still not enough. Financial donations are down 17 percent, while distribution is up 19 percent compared to the same time last year.
For more information about the Regional Food Bank, or to make a donation, please call 405.972.1111.
