Dec. 21, 2020 – The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma served 1,600 families Dec. 19 during food distributions in six Oklahoma communities. Families took home nearly 100 pounds of food at each event.

“This time of year can bring added stress to the lives of our neighbors living with food insecurity and add to that the increased number of Oklahomans who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt these distributions were needed,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “We are so grateful to our partners in these communities and their volunteers who helped provide food, and hope, to our neighbors in need of food assistance.”

The distributions were made possible through the help of six Regional Food Bank partner agencies and their volunteers: Loaves & Fishes in Calvin, Chickasha Emergency Food Pantry, Hobart Area Ministerial Food Pantry, Christian Lay Resources in Mangum, Loaves & Fishes in Mustang and River of Life in Wilson.
Families received shelf-stable food, vegetables, fruit, frozen chicken, eggs and dairy at each drive-through distribution.

The Regional Food Bank and its partner agencies have witnessed a 30% increase in need among Oklahomans facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and many are seeking food assistance for the first time. The Regional Food Bank has more than 300 partner agencies distributing food across central and western Oklahoma. If people are in need of food assistance, they should contact the Regional Food Bank at 405-972-1111 or visit rfbo.org/get-help to find a nearby food pantry.

Learn more about the fight against hunger in Oklahoma by visiting rfbo.org.