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!
Hunger is Growing Across Oklahoma
The latest data tells a difficult story. Oklahoma now ranks second in the nation for overall food insecurity and first for child food insecurity, meaning more of our neighbors are struggling to put enough food on the table. But these rankings do not have to define who we are as a state. Let us be defined by how we respond. By neighbors helping neighbors, communities coming together and people choosing generosity and compassion, we can meet this growing need with hope and action. Together, we can make sure that when hunger grows, our response grows even stronger.
Helping Pantries Stretch Every Dollar
Rising costs are creating more need while putting greater pressure on the pantries working to meet it. Last year, our network saw a 16% increase in visits, stretching already-limited budgets even further. That is why the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is providing fresh produce at no cost to our partners, helping them stretch their dollars while giving more neighbors access to healthy, nutritious food. By strengthening our partners, we strengthen our entire network and our ability to feed neighbors together.
Senator Lankford Visits the Food Bank
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, alongside the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, recently welcomed U.S. Senator James Lankford for a conversation about the growing challenges facing Oklahoma families. The visit provided an opportunity to share what we are seeing across our communities, discuss the pressures facing our network of food pantries, and highlight solutions that are helping feed neighbors across the state. By bringing together community leaders, hunger-relief organizations, and policymakers, we can amplify our collective response and build a healthier, more food-secure Oklahoma.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Once Again Makes a Difference!
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, along with more than 20 other wonderful non-profits, received more than $1 million dollars in Blue Impact grants from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK)! This amazing grant supports our efforts to address food insecurity and improve access to nutritious food across eastern Oklahoma. It's all part of BCBSOK's local investments in healthier communities!
Celebrating a Birthday by Feeding Neighbors
What if every birthday wish could help feed a neighbor? This summer, longtime Food Bank supporter Chef Shannon Smith turned her birthday into an opportunity to give back, pledging a donation for every comment she received on her Facebook birthday post. Those messages quickly added up, resulting in a gift of more than $6,000 from the Shannon Smith Charitable Foundation to the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. We are incredibly grateful for Shannon’s continued generosity and for finding a creative way to bring others into our mission. It is a wonderful reminder that each of us can find our own way to make a difference and feed neighbors together.
Celebrating a Birthday by Feeding Neighbors
We’re honored to be recognized as a Feeding America Advocacy Hall of Fame honoree! 🏆The Feeding America network has more than 200 food banks nationwide, and we are grateful for this distinction! The Advocacy Hall of Fame recognizes network members that demonstrate strong advocacy engagement throughout the year. Advocacy is a critical part of our mission, and we’re grateful to the staff, volunteers, partners, advocates, and neighbors who make this work possible.
Partner Spotlight
Community Listening Session in McIntosh County
On September 12, the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma hosted a community listening session at Friendship Kitchen in McIntosh County, where residents and volunteers shared challenges to accessing food and essential resources. Participants discussed high grocery prices, transportation barriers, limited access to nutritious and specialty foods, and the difficult financial choices families face as living costs continue to rise. The conversation highlighted that resources are not always accessible due to factors such as work schedules, childcare needs, transportation costs, and registration requirements. Participants emphasized the importance of being treated with dignity and respect when seeking assistance. The Food Bank is using this feedback to explore more accessible services and strengthen community partnerships, and thanks to donor support, can continue listening to neighbors and developing programs that reflect the realities and needs of the communities it serves.
Volunteer Spotlight
Oklahoma University Nursing
The Fran & Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma demonstrated its commitment to caring for others beyond healthcare settings by volunteering at the Food Bank. A total of 35 nursing students served at three volunteer shifts, including the FEEDOK Culinary event, where they helped assemble ready-to-eat meals for Oklahoma children. Through their service, students gained valuable insight into the impact of food insecurity and the vital role access to nutritious food plays in overall health. Thank you, OU Nursing students, for your time, compassion, and support of our mission to fight hunger across eastern Oklahoma!
Advocacy Spotlight
This past week, our team joined Hunger Free Oklahoma’s D.C. Fly-In alongside several of our Oklahoma partners to bring the voices and experiences of Oklahomans directly to our nation’s capital. During our time in Washington, we met with members of the Oklahoma delegation to advocate for two important priorities: extending the timeline for the SNAP error-rate penalty and protecting critical funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). These conversations are an important opportunity to share what we are seeing on the ground and help our elected leaders understand how federal decisions impact Oklahoma communities, families, farmers, and the hunger-relief organizations working every day to fill gaps. We are grateful for the opportunity to stand alongside our partners and continue advocating for strong nutrition programs and resources that help ensure Oklahomans have access to the food they need. These efforts are especially critical as Oklahoma ranks among the nation’s hungriest states and has the highest rate of child food insecurity. We also continue to advocate for a strong Farm Bill and look forward to working with lawmakers and partners to strengthen nutrition assistance, support agriculture, and ensure Oklahomans have reliable access to food.
Did You Know?
Did you know we distribute approximately 400,000 pounds of protein every month—enough to create more than 16 million quarter‑pound burgers?
In the News
We are grateful for all the local, regional, statewide, and even national news coverage our programs receive! Check out some of the coverage below:
Hope Starts Here Breakfast highlights youth mental health and suicide prevention
Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, TSET launch statewide student meal initiative
