Dear Supporters and Partners,
This year reminded us of what it means to show up for our communities and that the path to success is not always a straight line. Together, with partners across Oklahoma, we expanded access to proven programs, responded to urgent challenges, and continued building the systems that help families thrive. We also advocated against sweeping changes to SNAP and the food safety net. While we lessened the damage, we could not stop it all.
Our year began with abrupt and confusing freezes to federal grants and contracts, cuts to local purchasing initiatives, and much more. All while our charitable partners saw record numbers of clients due to rising costs of living. That chaos and pressure did not stop; it has been unrelenting, and the targets are constantly shifting. During that time, I sent a message to all of you saying, “We were built for this.” A message conveying that Hunger Free Oklahoma (HFO) and our partners have been here before, that HFO will not shrink or soften our voice, we will not stop putting out the facts, we will not stop advocating for what we know works, and we will not stop seeking to expand access to the federal nutrition programs. I am proud to say that we held true to that commitment, and that is thanks to the depth and breadth of our partnerships and supporters.
One of the clearest examples of this collective strength came during the fall government shutdown when hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans suddenly lost access to the SNAP benefits they rely on, and the state failed to take any significant action to address the loss of SNAP. In a moment of uncertainty for so many families, HFO and our network acted quickly and creatively. From coordinating real-time information with agencies and community partners to helping distribute emergency grocery assistance, Oklahomans stepped up for one another. When the governor stood at a press conference and announced that Oklahoma would do nothing to address the loss of SNAP and instead called on charity to solve the problem, HFO immediately called for state funding and action; many partners joined us in that call and soon afterwards the state committed some money to a response. The amount was not enough, but it was something, and it partially funded a systemic change that will allow for a better state response in the future. That response is a real-time example of why it takes systemic, coordinated response and the need for advocacy in times like these. We needed collective response; we needed community action, but we also needed government action, and that took advocacy.
Beyond crisis response, 2025 was also a year of major progress:
- With our partners in Tribal Nations, schools, and local organizations, we helped support implementation of Summer EBT across Oklahoma, issuing benefits to 292,000 children.
- In Oklahoma City, together we raised $960,000 in just three weeks to ensure families had the resources needed to buy nutritious food during the summer months, an extraordinary testament to what is possible when we work together with urgency and purpose.
- The passage of SB 806, the Food is Medicine Act, represents a meaningful step toward integrating nutrition into healthcare and strengthening pathways for Oklahomans to access the foods that support better health. This is the kind of system-level change that improves lives far beyond a single program or intervention.
Next year, 2026, marks Hunger Free Oklahoma’s 10-year anniversary, a milestone made possible by a decade of partnership, collaboration, and shared commitment across the state. As we look ahead, we remain dedicated to celebrating the collective wins of Oklahoma’s anti-hunger community and creating space to recognize the real impact you help make every day. Still, we cannot ignore the reality that much progress was also undermined in 2025 by federal policy changes. We also cannot ignore the signals and rhetoric that are showing us the attacks on SNAP and the food safety net are not over. We must be ready to continue to work together to make impact in our state and on the ground in our communities, but we absolutely cannot ignore what is happening in the halls of power. We are ready to advocate, to call out bad policy and practice, to speak truth to power, and to make the many voices of the anti-hunger movement heard.
We made a commitment this year to continue to strengthen our support of our partners in all our work and we are keeping that front of mind as we look forward. It will take all our voices and influence to protect the progress we have made over the last ten years in a time of hostility towards our cause. We need all of you to continue to join us, to hold us accountable to our commitments, and we must collectively push to continue towards the goal of ending hunger in Oklahoma through systemic change and investment. Thank you for your support, your partnership, and your belief in a hunger-free Oklahoma. Together, we will keep building a stronger and more equitable future for our neighbors.
In gratitude,
Chris Bernard
President/CEO
Hunger Free Oklahoma