Policy & Advocacy

To amplify the voices of those who experience hunger and food insecurity, Hunger Free Oklahoma is launching the Lived Experience and Resource Network (LEARN) Workshop that includes a paid eight-month program beginning September 2024 for Tulsa and surrounding area residents.

by Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist State Updates Interim study season is finally upon us. Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton has approved 73 interim studies for consideration. The studies were assigned to relevant Senate committees, but no committee hearings have been scheduled yet. All approved Senate studies must be completed by […]

Today, Ryan Walters put out an email to Oklahoma parents informing them that every child in Oklahoma should have access to no-cost school meals. While we share the end goal, we do not agree it can be achieved by this proposed approach.

“This bill is a setback, and it’s frustrating. But it doesn’t change what we know to be true. Hunger didn’t begin with this bill and it won’t end with it, either.”

Hunger Free Oklahoma is sounding the alarm about the advancement of Congress’ proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would shift the burden onto states like Oklahoma and weaken a program millions rely on to feed their families.

One out of every five kids in Oklahoma doesn’t always have enough food to eat.
No child should have to sit in class hungry and unable to focus. It hurts their ability to learn, disrupts the class for the teacher, and results in worse outcomes for our educational system. But it happens in classrooms for thousands of students in our state every day because their families don’t have the resources and their schools don’t leverage all the tools available to them to make sure kids have access to the food they need.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist State Updates For the 2025 Legislative Session, 527 bills were sent to the Governor. 148 of those bills were signed, 70 were vetoed, and 47 of the vetoes were overridden. 305 bills became law without the […]

Hunger Free Oklahoma President/CEO Chris Bernard released a statement in response to Governor Stitt’s Executive Order 2025-13 which, in part, seeks to limit SNAP purchases:

Today, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced in an executive order that he had the Oklahoma Department of Human Services pursue federal approval to restrict the purchase of soda and candy with SNAP benefits as part of a larger set of directives to address Oklahomans’ health. While we all share the important goal of improving health outcomes for Oklahomans, this approach is misaligned with both the data and the broader needs of our communities.

As Congress engages in critical budget resolution discussions, we urge lawmakers to safeguard essential safety net programs that serve as lifelines for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans. Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and other vital services threaten not only the well-being of vulnerable populations, but also Oklahoma’s economic stability and health.

Oklahoma has taken a significant step toward integrating nutrition into healthcare with the passage of Senate Bill 806, known as the Food is Medicine Act. This legislation recognizes the critical role that access to nutritious food plays in preventing and managing chronic diseases, particularly for those enrolled in Medicaid.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy State Updates The state legislature is in the final week of the regular legislative session. While some bills remain, most bills that will make it through the legislative process this year have already made their way to the governor’s desk. Interim Studies As the regular […]

As Congress engages in critical budget resolution discussions, we urge lawmakers to safeguard essential safety net programs that serve as lifelines for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans. Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and other vital services threaten not only the well-being of vulnerable populations, but also Oklahoma’s economic stability and health.

Hunger doesn’t end when the school bell rings. For thousands of Oklahoma children, afterschool meal programs provide more than just nourishment—they offer stability, academic support, and a safe place to go. The 2024 Afterschool Meals Report highlights Oklahoma’s progress in serving afterschool meals and the work still needed to ensure every child has access to nutritious food beyond the school day.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist Check out the new Friday Five There is a new way to get the latest info on food security policy discussions that impact Oklahoma. Follow HFO on social media and each Friday, we are sharing the […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist The temperatures are creeping up and legislative deadlines creep up on us as well, welcome back to our March edition of Capitol insider. We have updates on committee deadlines, floor deadlines, and which bills are still […]

As Congress engages in critical budget resolution discussions, we urge lawmakers to safeguard essential safety net programs that serve as lifelines for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans. Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and other vital services threaten not only the well-being of vulnerable populations, but also Oklahoma’s economic stability and health.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist State Updates Anti-Hunger Day at the Capitol Join Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Hunger Free Oklahoma, and Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for our 2025 Anti-Hunger Day at the Capitol March 27. Gather with food security […]

We’re taking a moment to breathe now that the federal grant freeze has been rescinded. While we have weathered this moment of confusion and chaos, we are mindful that there will continue to be rapid changes and shifts in information on all sorts of issues that impact our work, our partners’ work, or the communities and people we seek to support.

Forty acres and a mule. That was the promise made by General William Sherman to former enslaved Africans during the Civil War as a form of reparations for their centuries of forced labor. This promise was soon rescinded by President Andrew Johnson. However, just as Black people had emancipated themselves from slavery, they took the fate of their free futures into their own hands. No group emphasized this liberatory spirit more than the Black people who raced to Oklahoma to claim land after the Civil War, built strong communities in this new land, and blazed a path forward for Black economic and political autonomy, including the freedom to feed themselves.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist State Updates: January 16, 2025, was the filing deadline for bills to be heard during the 2025 Oklahoma Legislative Session.  As of January 17, 2025, there have been over 3,000 bills filed for the 2025 legislative […]

There are many misconceptions and stigmas surrounding public assistance and federal nutrition programs, often perpetuated by the media and politicians, as well as by everyday people. My parents, hardworking and staunchly independent, made sacrifices to ensure our family’s basic needs were met, a privilege for which I am grateful.

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist State Updates: Season’s greetings from the Policy Team at Hunger Free Oklahoma! The year is winding down, but advocates are warming up to get ready for another state legislative session. Coming off the November elections, there […]

by Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist Welcome to November’s hefty edition of Capitol Insider. We bring you a bounty of election updates at the state and federal levels, and things to keep an eye on in the food policy realm. The next few months will be filled with lots of changes and […]

As we close the doors on this year’s Hungry for Action Conference, we are filled with gratitude and inspiration from the nearly 400 passionate attendees who gathered in Tulsa to confront the pressing issue of food insecurity in our state. Over the course of this event, we explored new strategies, forged invaluable connections, and ignited a shared commitment to action.