Research

by Abby Stainer, Regional Program Manager The Oklahoma Childhood Food Security Coalition’s 2022 Summer Meals Kickoff is officially in the books. Thank you to all participants and presenters! The educational and inspiring four-part virtual series took place on the fourth Thursday of the month from January through April, averaging more than 60 attendants per session […]

by Leslie Young, Double Up Oklahoma Program Manager According to the United States Department of Agriculture, fifteen percent of Oklahoma households are food-insecure. It’s a staggering percentage, a number that represents the more than 600,000 Oklahomans that don’t have the means or access to adequate food. There are various temporary and permanent reasons for food […]

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 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 […]

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 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 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 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 Allycia Brimson, Raul Lopez, and Treba Shyers of the HFO SNAP Application Hotline Leadership Reflecting: Everyone everywhere is reflecting on the past year—the pandemic, the struggles, the loss, and the lessons learned. About a year ago we all felt the shock and reality of the COVID-19 crisis. We had questions… • How do we […]

by Richard Comeau, Program Director, Hunger Free Oklahoma Double Up Oklahoma (DUO) is making a difference. In the city of Okemah (Okfuskee County), which has only one full-service grocery store and some of Oklahoma’s worst health indicators, Double Up Oklahoma (DUO) is fulfilling a need. So much so that according to Homeland staff, people are […]

by Jessica Dietrich, Policy and Government Relations Manager, Hunger Free Oklahoma The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress March 10th, will help the thousands of Oklahomans struggling to put food on the table. According to the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, Oklahoma’s food scarcity rate, the more extreme end of food insecurity, has been […]

by Katie Maschino, Hunger Outreach Specialist, Hunger Free Oklahoma We have all heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” and research consistently proves that eating breakfast is better for our physical and mental health than skipping breakfast altogether. For children, the benefits of eating school breakfast are especially strong. Research […]

by Chris Bernard, Executive Director The well-known African Proverb says, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” In the past year, across Oklahoma we have seen this proverb in action to address food insecurity. Oklahoma’s non-profit organizations, tribal nations, government stakeholders, community leaders, and others are […]

by Doug McDurham, Director of Public Affairs, Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative Published in 2017, “Ending Hunger in Oklahoma; An assessment of food insecurity and resources in Oklahoma,” included a statewide analysis of the sources of food assistance. According to the authors, my colleagues at the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI), 93% of food assistance in […]

by Hunger Free Oklahoma Communications Staff When the school year ends, so do school meals. For the more than 30,000 Tulsa Public Schools students who eat free and reduced price school meals, this means an increased risk of missing out on a nutritious meal. And for the kids eating a free and reduced price school […]

Health and Food Insecurity – A Comprehensive Approach by Katie Maschino, Hunger Free Oklahoma Hunger Outreach Program Specialist The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food security as “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.” This enables those working in the anti-hunger field to use a comprehensive […]

Hunger Free Oklahoma, an organization working to end food insecurity across the state, published its first Oklahoma School Breakfast Report Card today which finds that the rate of breakfast participation in Oklahoma has fallen behind other states, even as participation has experienced a slight uptick.

Hunger Free Oklahoma is seeking input from community members about hunger related issues. Responses will be used in developing community solutions to hunger.

Hunger Free Oklahoma wants your input on the experiences you have had with Federal Nutrition Programs. Data will be collected to identify successes and barriers to participation in programs, such as school meal programs and SNAP. We are specifically asking for input on your satisfaction with the programs and changes you would like to see […]

10. No Child Should Start the Day Hungry – Students who skip breakfast have slower memory, make more mistakes, and are more likely to repeat a grade. Find out more. 9. Growing Brains Need Fuel – Eating breakfast boosts math, reading, and standardized test scores, improves attention, and increases problem-solving skills. Find out more. 8. […]

An Assessment of Food Insecurity and Resources, Excerpt Individuals and organizations throughout Oklahoma – in its larger cities and its rural communities – are working to support their neighbors struggling with food insecurity. Despite the tireless work of local and state organizations, food insecurity is still a serious problem in Oklahoma. In order to fully […]

Imagine fighting hunger – and the stigma that comes with a “free or reduced meals” application – in our public schools with free breakfast and lunch for all students.  In Houston, that dream has become a reality. Houston ISD offers breakfast and lunch free of charge in all elementary and middle schools (even some high […]