double up oklahoma

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.

Mayor David Holt officially declared August 4-10 as Oklahoma City Farmers Market Week in alignment with National Farmers Market Week, celebrating the local farmers and producers who contribute to Oklahoma City’s rich agricultural heritage.

As every parent feeding a child knows, food prices are rising at historic rates.  
In 2022, the price of grocery store or supermarket food purchases increased by 11.4 percent, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. Food prices are expected to grow more slowly in 2023, but still at above-historical rates. In 2023, grocery prices are predicted to increase 7.8 percent.  

Sand Springs residents won’t have to choose between eating enough and eating healthy thanks to Double Up Oklahoma (DUO), a nutrition incentive program operated by Hunger Free Oklahoma. When customers make a purchase with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) card at Cash Savers in Sand Springs, those purchases will now be matched, dollar for dollar, with DUO Bucks redeemable on fresh produce.

Based in Oklahoma City, Doug McDurham will spearhead strategic communications and fund development initiatives at HFO.

“Collectively, this support will allow us to make Double Up Oklahoma the largest nutrition incentive program in the region. More importantly, this grant allows us to make sure more communities have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and more Oklahomans have the resources they need to make healthy choices,” – Chris Bernard

“Collectively, this support will allow us to make Double Up Oklahoma the largest nutrition incentive program in the region. More importantly, this grant allows us to make sure more communities have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and more Oklahomans have the resources they need to make healthy choices,” – Chris Bernard

The Lift Oklahoma Communities, Agriculture, and Lifestyles (LOCAL) Coalition is seeking ways to expand the DUO program across the state through a stronger public/private partnership.

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 USDA announced that Hunger Free Oklahoma was 1 of 35 recipients nationally to be awarded a Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program COVID-19 Relief and Response (GusCRR) grant of $650,000 to continuing the DUO program at farmers markets and grocery stores and allowing expansion to high-need areas across the state for the next year.

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 […]

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