Owasso Community Resources Receives Significant Food Donation to Provide Hope
WORKING FOR OTHERS: All smiles as the food has been delivered to Owasso are Cyndi Wright, program director; Amy Ross, special services director; and Lizabeth J. Rolfson, manager of Welfare and Self-Reliance Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One of a series of national donations of 53 semi-truck loads of food came to Bartlesville and Owasso in June.
The truck brought more than 41,000 pounds of long-life, shelf-stable food from Salt Lake City, headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mary Martha Outreach in Bartlesville was the first recipient, where half of the shipment was divided by local volunteers and missionaries. The semi-truck then proceeded to Owasso Community Resources to deliver the second half, where volunteers and missionaries worked shoulder to shoulder with the non-profit to alleviate hunger.
According to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, 632,000 Oklahomans are at risk of going hungry on a regular basis, pre-pandemic. The donation provided over 35,000 equivalent meals to local recipients. This was the first official large-scale donation from the Church in the Owasso and Bartlesville communities, though membership in the region regularly holds service-oriented activities to provide localized donations of items such as hygiene kits, diapers, food, and emergency supplies.
During the pandemic, the church has also partnered regionally with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Integris Health, Hungry Hearts Feeding Ministry, and Broken Arrow Neighbors.
“We’re pleased to work side by side with these wonderful nonprofits in the Bartlesville and Owasso communities who work diligently to distribute food to those who need it most during challenging times” said Melanie Bayles, Communications Director for the Bartlesville Oklahoma Stake. She continues, “Food pantries like these not only fill empty stomachs but also fill people’s hearts with hope.”
The Bartlesville Oklahoma Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has congregations from Independence, Kansas to Cleveland, Oklahoma, including three congregations in Bartlesville and three in the Owasso area.
President Matthew L. Bell of Claremore has led the regional membership since 2014. For more information, contact Lizabeth Rolfson, Assistant Communications Director at lizabeth.rolfson@churchofjesuschrist.org or visit churchofjesuschrist.org.
A similar truck load was delivered to The Bridges Program that feeds children in the West Plains, Missouri school district just before Christmas last year. The donation was shared between five other food pantries in the region.
