Welcome to The Feed — a quick update about the tremendous impact YOU — our donors, partner agencies, volunteers, and the eastern Oklahoma community make! We could not fight hunger without you!
Message from Jeff
SNAP Cuts Will Impact Oklahoma
The proposed cuts to SNAP will remove nearly $300 million from Oklahoma’s economy, dollars that would otherwise go directly into local grocery stores and communities. While the Food Bank doesn’t receive direct state or federal funding through SNAP, we will feel the ripple effects.
When retailers, especially small, locally owned grocers, see reduced SNAP spending, they tighten operations. This affects our food rescue program, which depends on retail partners to provide food nearing its expiration date. Less product on shelves means less rescued food for families in need. Last year, we rescued nearly 11 million pounds of food through this vital program.
At the same time, when our neighbors receive less government support, they turn to us and our network of more than 600 dedicated feeding partners. The pantries we serve across Oklahoma have already experienced a 26% increase in need over the past year. These cuts will only make that worse. Much worse.
We’re still grappling with challenges coming out of the pandemic, fewer resources, and more demand. But there is hope. With the support of our partners and community, we can ensure that no one goes hungry in Oklahoma. Thank you for your continued support, compassion, and for being a partner in our mission. We will continue to support our network of pantries and meal programs and the families they serve throughout eastern Oklahoma. We will keep you updated along the way.
Gratefully,
Jeff Marlow
President & CEO
Tulsa Mayor Nichols Kicks Off Hunger Action Month!
We were honored to kick off this important time with a visit from Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols! Mayor Nichols joined our CEO Jeff Marlow for a tour and learned how we fight hunger alongside 600+ partner pantries and meal programs. The two leaders connected on their innovative and visionary approach to solving problems and uncovering new opportunities. He also spent time visiting with volunteers and a food bank team visiting from Arkansas.
Feeding America’s 200+ food banks work year-round to fight hunger, and this month, you can help too! Whether it’s volunteering, donating, or hosting a food drive, every action counts.
Summer Meals Program Serves Record Number Meals
Our team of hunger fighters were hard at work all summer long to ensure delicious, healthy meals and snacks were provided to our sites around our 24-county service area. And the result made an incredible impact.
Our Summer Meals distribution for children in need served more than 500,000 meals this summer! This is an incredible jump from last year’s number of 225,000 meals served. Our entire team not only delivered meals but also fun to our sites, including children’s activities for our guests. We are grateful to all our partners who made summer as it should be for kids. Now our Food for Kids outreach moves into back-to-school mode and will provide a number of solutions to childhood hunger including School Pantries, our Backpack Program and much more!
News on 6 / Burnett Home Improvement Food for Kids Match!
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is grateful to News on 6 and Burnett Home Improvement for this tremendous campaign to fight hunger! Every day in Oklahoma, far too many children go to bed hungry—not because food doesn’t exist, but because it’s out of reach. These two organizations are helping us change that and so can you! Every little bit helps make a big difference and your generous donation will be matched by Burnett Home Improvement through the end of August (up to $2,500).
Check out News on 6 Anchorman Craig Day talking up this wonderful project here.
Now in its 19th year, TulsaPeople’s Restaurant Week runs from September 5–14, and includes a delicious lineup of local spots, including our own Table 24 Catering & Event Hall!
Join us for our first-ever Restaurant Week Lunch on September 11 at the Food Bank! For just $25 per person, enjoy one of five mouthwatering sandwiches, kettle chips, a soft drink, and a cookie. Reserve your spot: table24catering.com/lunch
Proceeds support our Food for Kids program, because in Oklahoma, 1 in 4 children face hunger daily. Let’s change that, one meal at a time.
Senator Jo Anna Dossett Visits FBEO
Senator Jo Anna Dossett stopped by the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma as part of our ongoing effort to bring Oklahoma leaders here to see firsthand how we fight hunger by partnering with more than 600 partner pantries and meal programs in our 24-county service area. Senator Dossett was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2020 representing District 35 in Midtown Tulsa. She is a former teacher who holds degrees from William Jewell College and Oklahoma State University-Tulsa. She served in the U.S. Peace Corps before returning to Tulsa, where she taught English as a Second Language for 15 years and was named a school district Teacher of the Year. She is on the Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, and Health and Human Services Committee. Thank you, Senator Dossett, for taking the time to learn about the impact we have in eastern Oklahoma!
Feeding America Partnership Helps Feed Underserved
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma was recently awarded a generous $300,000 grant thanks to Feeding America and their partnership with CVS Health, General Mills, CNH Industrial Foundation, and Performance Food Group. This grant has helped us feed many Oklahomans in need, particularly in underserved communities. The donation has already had a positive impact on our community by making more Mobile Markets possible, which allows us to help more families! For more information, click here.
Volunteer Spotlight:
St. Pius X School
For the past four years, students from St. Pius X School have been volunteering at the Food Bank, helping sort donations and prepare food for families in need. This long-standing tradition not only supports the community but also teaches students the value of compassion, responsibility, and giving back. By engaging in hands-on service, these young volunteers learn firsthand how their actions can make a positive difference in the lives of others.
“The kids LOVE doing real work here. They know it’s going to go out to people who need it. When we go to other places (they volunteer at our partner food pantries) they see the food that they packaged… and it makes them feel like they are doing important work.” - Lynn Glover - 5th grade teacher at St. Pius X
Did You Know?
Did you know that our state-of-the-art Culinary Center was designed for providing food efficiency?
Whether it's cooking meals in mass for disaster relief or preparing food for kids all summer long through our Summer Meals program, our kitchen can produce up to 15,000 meals a day! Each aspect of the design: the layout, workflow, and equipment choices, allows our Culinary Team to what they do best— fight hunger by preparing meals for those in eastern Oklahoma who need it most.
In the News
This summer has been busy, and we appreciate the local and national media organizations who have covered our innovative solutions to fighting hunger in Oklahoma! Check out just some of the coverage ranging from an incredible milestone of serving more than 500,000 meals to children in need to our new Table 24 catering business!
Food Bank serves 500,000 meals through summer feeding program
Food Bank of Eastern OK serves summer meals for kids at mobile eatery sites | News | fox23.com
Arvest Bank’s Million Meals campaign raises $44K for Tulsa-area food pantries
Social Enterprise Gets a Higher Profile – Food Bank News
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma teaches FOX23 a deviled egg recipe | News | fox23.com
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma teaches FOX23 a BBQ spice rub recipe | News | fox23.com
Spice up summer meals with easy tzatziki recipe from the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
