Practice

by Eugenia Chow, Richard Comeau, Jessica Dietrich, Matthew McClure, Katie Raymond, Devin Schroeder, and Taz Shah More than 1 in 5 children in Oklahoma experience food insecurity, meaning they lack adequate nutrition to learn and grow to their fullest potential. Hunger Free Oklahoma (HFO) and partners are committed to ensuring more children are fed more […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy 2022 Legislative Session The state legislative session is almost at the halfway point, with the second major deadline this week. There are approximately 1,400 bills (down from about 5,000) still moving through the process following the first committee hearing deadline. About 19% of bills filed […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy 2022 Legislative Session Legislative session is now underway, with both chambers primarily focused on committee work through March 3. Legislators requested a total of 3,019 bills ahead of this legislative session. New bill requests, combined with carryover bills from the 2021 legislative session, means there […]

by Sarah Smith-Moore, Hunger Outreach Program Specialist Food is a basic need that every human being deserves but it is also more than that. Food nourishes our bodies, connects us to our families, our neighbors, and our community. We often gather around a table of food for many reasons: holidays, hardships, birthdays, or a night […]

by Chris Bernard, Executive Director 2021 did not play out in the manner many of us had thought or hoped it would at the beginning of the year. While we were able to get back to some degree of normalcy for part of the year, it was not long until new variants brought about the […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy 2022 Legislative Session This week is the bill filing deadline ahead of the 2022 legislative session which begins in just a few short weeks. Legislators requested a total of 3,019 bills ahead of legislative session. New bill requests, combined with carryover bills from the 2021 […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist Chris Bernard Testifies Before House Rules Committee In case you missed it, our Executive Director, Chris Bernard, was invited to testify at a congressional roundtable along with four other experts from across the nation as part […]

Chris Bernard, Hunger Free Oklahoma’s executive director, was invited to testify at a congressional roundtable, along with four other experts from across the nation, as part of an effort to examine the issue of hunger in rural America. The roundtable, Ending Hunger in America: Food Insecurity in Rural America, was the twelfth event in a […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy & Government Relations Manager and Bailey Ashbaker, Senior Policy Analyst and Engagement Specialist Announcing the LOCAL Coalition Hunger Free Oklahoma, in partnership with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, recently formed the Lift Oklahoma Communities, Agriculture, and Lifestyles (LOCAL) Coalition. The coalition is advocating for a state investment to expand access […]

by Chris Bernard, Executive Director In reflecting on HFO’s five years of work and thinking of how to best sum it up for the newsletter, I struggled. Listing accomplishments and impacts is a perfectly reasonable approach, after all, we have many accomplishments to be proud of – as an organization and as a member of […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy and Government Relations Manager Oklahoma has some of the poorest health indicators in the nation, ranking 45th overall according to the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings 2020 report. The same report ranks Oklahoma 49th in fruit and vegetable consumption and 46th in household food security. There is a significant body […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy & Government Relations Manager Pandemic EBT Update Oklahomans are continuing to receive P-EBT benefits from the 2020-2021 school year. The Oklahoma State Department of Education Parent P-EBT review form is now open at this link. Parents should complete this form if they: Have not yet received their P-EBT card Need to […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy & Government Relations Manager School Year 2020-2021 Pandemic EBT Update Last week the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education, began issuing P-EBT benefits from the 2020-2021 school year. These benefits provide critical relief to Oklahoma families working to stretch their grocery budget while […]

by Candace Pape-Macedo, Senior Manager of SNAP Programs No Kid Hungry and Hunger Free Oklahoma are partnering to expand the Oklahoma SNAP in Schools project. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allows eligible individuals and families to stretch their grocery budgets each month. Despite its proven ability to improve household food security, SNAP is underutilized […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy & Government Relations Manager USDA updates the Thrifty Food Plan, the basis for SNAP benefits Last week, the USDA made the first significant updates to the Thrifty Food Plan since 1975. The update, originally directed through the 2018 Farm Bill, takes effect October 2021. The Thrifty Food Plan, which serves as […]

by Candace Pape-Macedo, Senior Manager of SNAP Programs Food insecurity isn’t always easy to spot, but we see its impacts all around us. An inability to consistently meet basic nutritional needs impacts child development1, academic achievement2, workforce performance3, military recruitment and service (national defense)4, family stability and adverse childhood experiences5, individual resilience6, dental health7, emotional8 […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy & Government Relations Manager Though the Oklahoma State Legislature has adjourned their regular session, there is still ongoing work for our elected officials. State Representatives and State Senators recently submitted their requests for interim studies. Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat approved 71 interim study requests and House Speaker Charles McCall will […]

by Treasure Standeford, Hunger Outreach Specialist & Devin Schroeder, Senior Manager of Programs While school is out between May and August in Oklahoma, more than 1,300 Summer Meals sites are helping to fill the nutrition gap for children and teens by providing no-cost, nutritious meals. The Summer Meals program allows participating programs to serve up to two reimbursable meals each […]

by Treasure Standeford, Hunger Outreach Specialist During the past decade, I have worked to support childhood food security in Oklahoma in different jobs and capacities. I am often asked, “What is food security?” Simply put, it is having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. I also share that economic hardship prevents […]

Hundreds of thousands of children in Oklahoma rely on school meals on a regular basis. So, when schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that dependable source of school meals disappeared almost overnight and it emphasized the need for many children across the state. Enter your local school nutrition team.

A new year does not magically end the challenges of the last, but it does give us an opportunity to look forward and set new priorities for the year ahead. We are grateful to be able to look ahead, regardless of the current challenges or new challenges that may arise, and think about what more we can do to move toward a Hunger Free Oklahoma.

Hunger Free Oklahoma was awarded a $500,000 matching grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to expand Double Up Oklahoma in farmers markets across the state and to pilot a grocery store program in rural Oklahoma. Combined with over $400,000 in support from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) for an expansion to grocery stores

by Sam Kirzner, Double Up Oklahoma Program Manager, Hunger Free Oklahoma Double Up Oklahoma (DUO), a program that matches SNAP purchases with free produce dollar-for-dollar, is expanding to grocery stores! This farmers market season, DUO operates in 16 farmers markets and one mobile grocer. About 17.9% of Oklahoma SNAP participants currently live in an area […]

by Katie Marvel, Communications Coordinator, Hunger Free Oklahoma It comes as no surprise that the COVID-19 shutdown has affected Oklahomans economically in more ways than one. Local businesses have had to close their doors, thousands of workers have been laid off, and families, some for the first time, are struggling to pay for basic needs: […]