Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma News
The Oklahoman: How Congress can act as increased food costs are hitting Oklahomans particularly hard.
While inflation has leveled out, we are all still feeling the sticker shock of increased costs for just about everything, including grocery store staples. If you’re on a fixed income or you struggle to make ends meet, you’re forced to make hard choices. As one of the hungriest states in the nation, these increased costs are hitting Oklahomans particularly hard. This fall, Congress has the opportunity to strengthen federal nutrition programs through the reauthorization of the Farm Bill.
The Oklahoman: Guest: As supplemental food funds decrease, need increases for many of our fellow Oklahomans
For more than 408,000 Oklahoma low-income families, the arrival of March means the end of a COVID-19 emergency program that, for the past three years, has provided additional funds to help them cover the rising cost of food each month.
KOKH: As emergency SNAP benefits end, food banks forecast increase in food assistance needs
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is forecasting an increase in food assistance as people in the state get their final Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotments in February. State officials said more than 855,000 Oklahomans received snap benefits in 2022. SNAP is a federal nutrition program that supplements food budgets of low-income households so they can buy the food they need.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, is our country’s most important anti-hunger program. A federally funded program, SNAP keeps families out of poverty by providing supplemental funds for their monthly food budget.
Oklahomans expressed the importance of maintaining food assistance programs in the 2023 Farm Bill to Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas during a town hall meeting.
The Hunger-Free Campus Act, a pilot program addressing post-secondary student hunger in Oklahoma, will receive $200,000 in state appropriations this year.
Lawton Rep. Daniel Pae is bringing his focus to the Hunger Free Campus Act, for students who need food the most. Being a former college student himself, Rep. Pae knows the struggles of those who are in need, and is doing his best to make sure the program flourishes.
From February to March, the need for food assistance in central and western Oklahoma increased as much as 50%. The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma knows all too well that hunger affects too many Oklahomans. It can be a neighbor, a co-worker or your child’s classmate. People find themselves facing food insecurity for a variety of reasons, such as an unexpected major expense or having a job that doesn’t pay a living wage.
House Bill 3349, the effort to eliminate state taxes on groceries for Oklahomans, passed in the Senate Committee on Appropriations at the State Capitol Tuesday with no opposition. The House had previously passed the measure.
“Food banks saw a 20% to 30% increase in need during the pandemic,” said Bailey Perkins Wright, state advocacy and public policy director for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The Regional Food Bank distributed a record amount of food in 2021. If the grocery sales tax is eliminated, Perkins Wright hopes the state will find another way to fund core services.
Tackling hunger takes community partnerships. Since 2012, the Oklahoma Food Banks have partnered with more than 30 post-secondary institutions to establish pantries on campuses, including the University of Central Oklahoma, Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma. Despite these efforts, campus hunger remains an issue for too many of our students. Addressing student hunger matters and takes multiple interventions to alleviate it. It’s time for the Legislature to do its part.
Questions? Contact Us:
Cassie Gilman
Chief Advancement Officer
Email: cgilman@rfbo.org
Office: 405-600-3155
