TULSA, Okla. –
More than 4 million Americans have lost SNAP food benefits over the last 18 months. That breaks down to about 18% of recipients in Oklahoma who were removed from the program.
How are the cuts impacting local food banks?
Local food banks are reporting more participants in their food distribution program.
Jeff Marlow, President and CEO of The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, issued this statement saying,
“We continue to see the need increase, and food banks help fill the gap when nutrition assistance programs like SNAP don’t fully meet a family’s needs. However, food banks and other nonprofits cannot replace SNAP. We need to both work together.
We saw that firsthand during last November’s government shutdown. We were grateful to have the resources to help meet the temporary increase in need, but that level of demand is not sustainable for the nonprofit sector over the long term.
Hunger is a complex issue, and no single organization or program can solve it alone. It takes food banks, government, nonprofits, businesses, and the community all working together to ensure families have reliable access to nutritious food.”
How are the cuts impacting the Tulsa Dream Center?
The Tulsa Dream Center has two locations, serving more than 200 individuals with food packages and hot meals weekly.
Danielle Melton, director of programs, says they have seen a sharp increase that is becoming a strain. She pointed out empty shelves to demonstrate the challenge.
“We would have these to the wall, you know, and no gaps and things like that. And we can see, ‘Oh there’s a gap there,’ because we literally don’t have enough food,” said Melton.
She says where they would have several carts of food boxes, they only have a few these days.
“We’re like going through food a little bit faster. We’re going to have to ration a little bit more. So instead of people getting like two things of water or two jugs of things, we have to kind of give them one so we can make sure that everybody is served,” said Melton.
How is Food on the Move handling the need for more food assistance?
For the months of June and July, Food on the Move helped more than 1,600 families during its food distribution events. During their most recent event, they gave away 300 boxes, according to Ramal Brown, Community Outreach Coordinator.
“300 people is a lot. And so we gave away all of our bags. So we packed close to 400 bags in total for our families. And all of our bags are gone. So we see an uptick with people that are coming on a daily basis,” said Brown.
He also said Food on the Move has a surplus of food, so after their last event, they will share what they have with other organizations. Brown says many other nonprofits are also seeing an uptick in assistance.
“We’ve seen so many challenges with so many families within the community. They are challenged with knowing where they’re going to get their next meal,” said Brown. “A lot of grandmothers and mothers and fathers within our community are challenged each day, which is finding the resources.”
How can families find help?
There are two food banks in Oklahoma. Here in eastern Oklahoma, the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma supports a network of more than 600 partner pantries and meal programs throughout its 24-county service area. In the Oklahoma City area, the other food bank, Regional Food Bank, supports pantries and meal programs there in a similar way.
The Food Bank website has a pantry finder where anyone can log on and enter their ZIP code—partner pantries and meal programs closest to them will come up.
