Food for Families Recruiting Participants
(TULSA, Okla.) January 25, 2010 – USDA reports bad news for the new year; Oklahoma moved from the eighth hungriest state in the nation to the fourth. This means harder work for food pantries in Oklahoma struggling with a 40 percent increase in the number of people seeking food assistance in their community.
To help with the increase in need, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma is hosting its 25th annual Food for Families Food and Fund Drive beginning February 8th through March 9th. This community-wide event invites all schools, organizations, and businesses to compete to see who can collect the most food and money. All proceeds from the event will help the CFBEO and their 460 Partner Programs feed approximately 50, 000 hungry Oklahomans in 24 different counties of Eastern Oklahoma.
The winner will be chosen by dividing the pounds of food they collect by the number of members in their group. The participant or group with the most pounds per person wins. Money is also factored in as every dollar counts as two pounds of food. Awards will be given to first, second, and third place winners in each category. Categories include: pre-schools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, combined schools, colleges/universities, organizations and clubs, businesses with less than 50 employees, businesses with 50-200 employees, and businesses with more than 200 employees.
Last year, 53 participants collected a total of 32,759 pounds of food and $82,343. Some of the stars of the drive included the Tulsa Hotel and Lodging Association, who donated over 10,000 pounds of food, beating their own personal record from the years before. Another standout included the Kaiser Frances Oil Company who raised an incredible $40,000 during the drive. This year though Food for Families has recognized the greater hunger need in Oklahoma, so therefore have proposed a higher goal of 50,000 pounds of food and $90,000.
The most needed items for the food drive are canned protein (tuna, chicken, etc.), 100% fruit juice, peanut butter and jelly, soups, chili and stew, rice, pasta and pasta sauces, and canned fruits and vegetables.
Corporations, organizations, and schools can sign up for this event by contacting Susan Hartman at (918) 585-2800, ext. 111 orshartman@cfbeo.org. Individuals can also participate by either bringing food donations to a Bank of America branch in the Tulsa-area, or by making an online donation by visiting the Food Bank’s Web site and clicking on the Donate Now button. More information is available at www.cfbeo.org
Updated 01-25-2010
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