Hunger in Oklahoma

500,000 Oklahomans are at-risk of going hungry every day.

• Oklahoma's DHS reports that one in every three children in Oklahoma received food stamps for at least one month in the last year.
• One in five Oklahoma children is at risk for hunger on a daily basis.
• According to the Oklahoma Task Force on Hunger, the percentage of people classified as food insecure has risen from 13.4 percent to 14.6 percent.

Thanks to partner agencies, donors, volunteers and advocates, there is hope.

• For every $1 donated, the Regional Food Bank is able to return over $14 worth of food to the community. That's 7 meals for each dollar!
• The Regional Food Bank's administrative and fundraising costs are less than 5 percent.
• The Regional Food Bank distributes enough food to feed more than 77,000 hungry Oklahomans each week – yet there are still thousands going without food.

During fiscal year 2009, the Regional Food Bank distributed 36.5 million pounds of food and products to hungry Oklahomans in 53 central and western counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed 321 million pounds of food and product.

The majority of those served by the Regional Food Bank are the working poor, seniors and children. According to the 2006 Hunger Study:

• 79 percent of all clients are food insecure and 44 percent are experiencing hunger
• 34 percent of clients at emergency food providers are children under 18 years of age
• 24 percent of households served by the Food Bank have a member over 65 years of age
• 35 percent of client households have one or more adults working
• $11,440 is the average annual income of all households receiving food
• 66 percent of clients are female; 34 percent are male
• Among client households with children, 32 percent are single-parent households
• 56 percent of adult clients skip meals because there is not enough money for food
• Clients have to choose between buying food and paying for other necessities: 42 percent must choose between utilities or food; 33 percent must choose to pay rent or mortgage or buy food; 33 percent must choose to buy medicine or food; 41 percent of clients report that one or more household members are in poor health; and 55 percent of clients have unpaid medical or hospital bills.
• 58 percent of pantries, kitchens and shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2001 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.
• 88 percent of pantries, kitchens and shelters served by the Food Bank say that losing the food they receive from the Food Bank would have a significant or devastating effect on their programs

For more information about hunger in Oklahoma visit www.hungerinoklahoma.org.