10/29/2025 – Tulsa, OK: As the federal government shutdown continues into its fourth week, the State of Oklahoma faces a dire crisis: the suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits beginning November 1, leaving nearly 685,000 Oklahomans without critical food assistance.
Hunger Free Oklahoma is calling on all levels of government to act swiftly and decisively and are inviting other organizations to join the call. The USDA must immediately release the roughly $6 billion in contingency funds and fund SNAP for November. The refusal to deploy these reserves, despite urgent need, is unacceptable and threatens the health and dignity of millions of Americans.
While other states have declared emergencies or released state funds to fill the gap, Oklahoma has yet to take similar action. The state’s more than $1 billion Rainy Day Fund remains untouched, with legislative leaders citing restrictions on its use. But when the federal government fails in its duty to protect the most vulnerable, state leaders must rise to the occasion.
Oklahoma cannot and must not rely solely on the nonprofit sector to shoulder this burden. Organizations are already stretched thin, having distributed nearly 57 million pounds of food last year and now bracing for a surge in demand. These groups do heroic work, but they do not have the capacity to replace a nearly $130 million monthly federal program with an estimated $200 million monthly economic impact in Oklahoma communities.
“Every day, even with SNAP, families in our communities are forced to choose between food and other basic needs. SNAP is not just a safety net; it’s a lifeline. We are calling on the federal government to act now, but we are also calling on our state legislators to stop waiting for federal action and start leading. The answer to this unprecedented emergency in food security cannot only be to call on community to rally, we need government-sized resources to keep 685,000 Oklahomans from going hungry, to support our local grocers who will be forced to cut hours for employees, and support our local community organizations that are responding to this crisis. We understand the solution may be more complicated than it sounds, but leadership means solving problems and doing hard things, that is why voters put these people in office,” says Chris Bernard, President & CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma.
We demand:
- Immediate release of federal contingency funds to cover November SNAP benefits.
- Bipartisan Congressional action to end the shutdown and restore full funding.
- State-level emergency measures to ensure no Oklahoman goes hungry, including temporary state funding to address this crisis.
This is not a partisan issue; it’s a matter of basic human rights. Hunger does not wait for political negotiations. Oklahoma families, children, seniors, and veterans deserve better.
We call on our federal and state leaders to act now.
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Hunger Free Oklahoma is an anti-hunger organization dedicated to improving food access for all Oklahoma. HFO leverages the power of collaboration to solve hunger in Oklahoma by improving systems, policies, and practices. Learn more at HungerFreeOK.org.
SIGNED-ON ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
This list is continually updating:
Antoinette Bakery
Bixby Outreach Center
Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa County
Broken Arrow Neighbors
Brooks Cattle Company
CAP Tulsa
Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma
CCMH TSET HLP
Chart Consulting
Cherokee Nation
Community Market of Pottawatomie County
CREOKS Health Services
East Central Oklahoma Family Health Center, Inc.
Ed Darby Foundation
Elk City Help Inc
Fellowship Congregational UCC
Food Bank of Eastern OK
Food On The Move
Great Salt Plains Health Center, Inc.
Hunger Free Oklahoma
Infant Crisis Services
Iron Gate
Khan Ohana Foundation
Lawton Farmers Market
LIFE Senior Services
Morton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc
Mythic Press
N40 Berries, LLC
NERA, Ponca City
New Emergency Resource Agency, Inc.
Oasis Fresh Market
OK Turning Point Council
OKC Food Hub
Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
OSUIT Pete’s Pantry
Our Daily Bread Food & Resource Center
Our Neighbors Cupboard
Owasso Community Resources
Parent Promise
Partnership for a Healthier America
Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
Restore Hope Ministries
Sanford & Irene Burnstein Family Foundation
Schnake Turnbo Frank
South Tulsa Community House
The Urban Mission
Tidy Tabs Cleaning Co.
Tina Evans Coaching, LLC
Tulsa Health Department
Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry