For hardworking families living paycheck to paycheck in central and western Oklahoma, it’s often a challenge to put food on the table. But summers are particularly hard. Summer break means the end of free or reduced-price school breakfasts and lunches. On top of that, day care costs start to pile up.

Summer is a time of stress for so many Oklahoma parents. Instead of planning vacations or signing their children up for summer sports, parents are busy saving every last penny. Often, it’s still not enough.

Thanks to your compassionate support, the Regional Food Bank provides critical programs that help food-insecure children and their families get the nutrition they need to thrive throughout the year.

Summer “Grab & Go” Program for Children

For Oklahoma families struggling to put food on the table during the summer months, the Regional Food Bank’s “Grab & Go” program is a real blessing. Children up to the age of 18 can receive a free nutritious meal and snack during the summer months when school is not in session.

One of those sites is hosted at the Norman Smith Memorial Library in Hinton. “Every 10 days, a child can pick up two boxes of food, enough for 10 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch,” says Michelle East, director of the library. “There’s spaghetti packets, macaroni and cheese, cereal, crackers, juice and milk. Last summer we served well over 150 kids.”

The Difference You’re Making in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation. The majority of people served by the Regional Food Bank are food-insecure children, seniors living on limited incomes and hardworking families trying to make ends meet.

Thanks to caring friends like you, the Regional Food Bank distributes, on average, 50 million pounds of food each year through its network of more than 1,300 community-based partners in 53 counties in central and western Oklahoma.

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