Oklahoma Food Banks in the News
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.
“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.
NonDoc invited Bailey Perkins Wright, state advocacy and public policy director for the Oklahoma Food Banks, on to their podcast to talk about food insecurity and ways to combat it.
“Just as Oklahomans are seeing limited options at their local grocery stores, the Regional Food Bank is seeing those same limitations when it comes to sourcing food,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank.”
“As Oklahoma’s most vulnerable continue to recover from the economic impact of this pandemic, we must leverage every available resource to support them,” wrote Hunger Free Oklahoma Executive Director Chris Bernard, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma CEO Stacy Dykstra, and Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma Chief Culinary Officer Jeff Marlow.
Dietrich and Perkins said they were having conversations with the governor’s office and the state Department of Human Services (OKDHS) to see if anything could be done to taper off the benefit or otherwise extend it, but acknowledged the language of the federal program does not allow for states to do that on their own without action from Washington.
Oklahoma will use $6 million in CARES Act money to replenish food banks across the state. The funds will be used to replenish the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank in Eastern Oklahoma, both of which had their supplies depleted after a rough year that left many Oklahomans seeking help.
“One in four children in our state go hungry and we have concern about that because not only did those statistics exist prior to the pandemic, but they’ll still continue because of the impact of COVID,” said Perkins.
o Oklahoma Food Banks remain ready to be an emergency food assistance provider, but we need the legislature to do its part to boost food security in our state. Any consistent relief that can be provided to Oklahomans facing food insecurity will remove barriers, expand options, and create greater flexibility for people to not make the impossible choice between food and other basic needs. We hope that the legislature will prioritize boosting the sales tax relief credit or finding a replacement for grocery sales tax revenue that doesn’t burden low-income earners in Oklahoma this upcoming legislative session.
Bailey Perkins said poverty and hunger go hand-in-hand. “For more than 580,000 Oklahomans facing food insecurity, a daily meal isn’t a choice between different dishes, it’s a choice between food and essential needs like a prescription, car repairs and childcare,” Perkins said.
Bailey Perkins Wright of the Oklahoma Food Banks and Art Younger from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma discuss food insecurity and the work of food banks to combat hunger on the student-led NE OKC Community Think Thank Podcast.
“The Oklahoma Food Banks and our network of partners spanning all 77 counties see a record number of Oklahomans needing food assistance and other resources. We work hard to help meet our neighbors in their time of need. It’s time for our Oklahoma Legislature to do what’s right by protecting needed revenues and investing in what we know will help people get ahead.”
“Feeding America now projects that one in five Oklahomans, including an astounding nearly one in three Oklahoma children, will face food insecurity as a result of the pandemic. During Hunger Action Month, September, we are asking all Oklahomans to take note, and take action. The collective activities and actions offered by the Oklahoma Food Banks are designed to educate, engage and raise the funds and food needed to meet the increasing need.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is using innovative methods to meet all food assistance needs while also adhering to safe social distancing practices. Due to mandated statewide school closures and overall employment disruption, the Regional Food Bank anticipates and is preparing for an increase in the number of people needing food assistance.
“Before COVID-19, one in four Oklahoma children was food insecure and that has now moved to nearly one in three. With a record number of Oklahomans filing unemployment claims, every community has been impacted. As our Oklahoma congressional delegation continues to think through solutions, the Oklahoma Food Banks urge them to support measures that support and protects families now more than ever.”
Questions? Contact Us:
Lauren Brockman
Director of Advocacy and Public Policy
Email: lbrockman@rfbo.org