Newsroom

Anonymous $25,000 Match Nears End

Dec. 17, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY – A generous offer from a local foundation in Bryan County will allow every dollar donated to the Food 4 Kids-Bryan County program to be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 this holiday season – but only until December 31st.

"We have several families that didn't need food before, but now they have somebody in the hospital, or somebody that is out of work," said one Food 4 Kids coordinator. "I'm seeing even more of a need than I did before."

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's Food 4 Kids program provides chronically hungry elementary school children in Bryan County with a backpack of kid-friendly, nutritious food every weekend and holiday throughout the school year to meet this need. All donations to Food 4 Kids-Bryan County, including the $25,000 match, will be used exclusively to support the program in Bryan County elementary schools.

Last school year, 239 children in 10 elementary schools in Bryan County benefited from the Food 4 Kids program. Children, who were identified as chronically hungry by school personnel, received a backpack filled with non-perishable food that could easily be prepared without adult supervision. Before receiving help from the program, many of these children ate little or nothing between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday.

Teachers and administrators have reported that students' school performance, attendance, and self-esteem have improved as a result of participating in the program. A $200 donation provides a backpack of food for one child for an entire school year. Thanks to the generous dollar for dollar match, that same donation made before the end of the year will now go twice as far – it will provide two children with backpacks full of food.

"No child in Bryan County should have to go to school on Monday morning with the pain of hunger in their belly," said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. "Please make a donation to the Food 4 Kids program in Bryan County and help us take advantage of this generous match."

To make a donation to Food 4 Kids-Bryan County, please contact Lisa Perry at lperry@regionalfoodbank.org or 405.604.7107; or contact the Regional Food Bank at 405.972.1111. Donations can also be mailed to:

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
Food 4 Kids – Bryan County Match
P.O. Box 270968
Oklahoma City, OK, 73137-0968

Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation – ranking sixth in food insecurity. Even though the Regional Food Bank provides enough food to feed more than 63,000 people each week, it is still not enough. Financial donations are down 17 percent, while distribution is up 22 percent compared to the same time last year.