Food for Kids and Made In Oklahoma Benefits Edmond

The Regional Food Bank started the Food for Kids program in January 2003 in response to hearing a firsthand account of an Oklahoma City elementary student who fainted on a Monday morning, while waiting in the school lunch line, due to lack of food over the weekend.

The program provides chronically hungry children, identified by school personnel, with backpacks filled with non-perishable, kid-friendly food to eat on weekends and school holidays. The program was launched in 2003 with five Oklahoma City schools serving 180 children.

Last year, Edmond’s participating schools included: Orvis Risner Elementary with 33 children, Centennial Elementary with 13 children and Will Rogers Elementary with 12 children.

“Thanks to sponsors Buy for Less Grocery Stores; Top of the World; and Marc Heitz Auto Family, from August 30th until September 30th, all of the donations made to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Food for Kids program will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $102,000,” said Andrea Hurst.

Food for Kids has grown significantly since 2003, serving 296 elementary schools in 42 counties across central and western Oklahoma, providing backpacks to nearly 8,000 chronically hungry children each week during the 2008-2009 school year. The program continues to expand, with new schools being added each semester.

“The impact of the program has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Hurst. “Teachers report improvements in attendance, attention, grades and self esteem.

The long-term objectives of the Food for Kids program are to give participating children the power to learn and grow independently, and provide hope for their future, thereby giving them the opportunity to become well-adjusted and involved Oklahoma citizens.

To help combat this critical need, the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, in partnership with Orchids Paper Company of Pryor, introduced MIO Paper Towels in March 2009. Proceeds from the sale of MIO Paper Towels support the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. Currently, the MIO Paper Towels have generated enough revenue to add 245 students to the program.

“By addressing the needs of these children, we are working toward meeting the Regional Food Bank's goal of ending hunger among Oklahoma's children,” said Hurst. “An elementary school principal said it best, ‘When hunger ends, learning begins’."

A donation of $200 provides a backpack of food for one child every weekend for an entire school year. To learn more about how you can help, visit www.regionalfoodbank.org.