Sept. 19, 2022 – Donations to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids Programs are matched, dollar for dollar, up to $245,000 through Sept. 30 thanks to the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma, Mark and Beth Brewer, Chesapeake Energy, David Gorham, Energy Transfer, David and Lezlie Hudiburg, Dolese Bros and Marathon Oil.

Through the Regional Food Bank’s Food for Kids Programs more than 2.4 million meals were distributed to children during the last school year. The programs help provide important nutrition throughout central and western Oklahoma.

“Beth and I are proud to support the Regional Food Bank and its work to provide meals to Oklahoma children,” said Mark Brewer, sponsor of the Food for Kids Match. “It is integral that we put food on the table for the next generation of Oklahomans during such an important time in their lives.”

There is a critical connection between childhood nutrition and cognitive and physical development. Nutritional deficiencies of a relatively short-term nature can negatively impact a child’s health, behavior and the ability to concentrate and perform complex tasks.

“Hungry children cannot learn. The Regional Food Bank works hard every day to provide essential nutrition for thousands of Oklahoma children,” said Stacy Dykstra, chief executive officer of the Regional Food Bank. “We couldn’t do that without the incredible generosity of our match sponsors and our donors across the state.”

The Food for Kids Programs are the Backpack Program, the School Pantry Program, the Summer Feeding Program and Kids Cafés. The School Pantry Program provides chronically hungry middle and high school students with food to sustain them after school and over the weekends and school holidays. Located on school grounds, school pantries make accessing nutritious food easy for the students.

Veronica, a School Pantry Program coordinator at a Putnam City school, shared the following story of the program’s impact at home and in the classroom.

“We have a middle schooler that is very food insecure and we were able to get him shopping at our pantry. I truly believe that without the pantry program this student’s only meals would be at school,” Veronica said. “Being able to offer him a bag every week has helped him learn better in the classroom because he is now getting dinner and snacks at home too.”

Make a donation today at foodforkids.us or call 405-600-3136. Donors can also text “Kids” to 501-501 to make an automatic $10 donation.