Food pantries face growing need for groceries

By Randy Ellis

Published: May 18, 2008

Survival has become a struggle for poor Oklahomans confronting high food and transportation costs.

"These are the worst conditions I've seen as far as the food situation,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

Bivens helped create the regional food bank 29 years ago, so he is speaking from experience.

"Some people in rural areas need food and can't afford the gas to go get it,” Bivens said.

Food distribution organizations also are struggling.

Many agencies report they have had volunteers quit, saying they can't afford the high fuel costs, Bivens said.

"About 20 agencies are on a waiting list asking for food bank deliveries,” he said. They don't have the volunteers to pick it up.

The food bank distributes about 25 million pounds of food a year, but Bivens estimates this food is only meeting 50 to 55 percent of the need.

Bivens' concerns are echoed by Maj. Alan Hill, area commander for the Salvation Army in Oklahoma City.

"We're having to buy a lot more food to give out at the food pantry,” he said. "We're also getting a lot more requests for utility assistance.”

Dee Watts, social services case manager for the Salvation Army, said food requests came in cycles in the past, with requests dropping off for two or three weeks after food stamp money was distributed, and then picking up again at the end of the month.

"Now it just stays high,” she said.

Still, Oklahoma appears to be doing better than most parts of the country.

The number of food stamp recipients in Oklahoma has dropped by 3.7 percent the past two years. That bucks the national trend, which shows the number of Americans depending on food stamps has risen 6.1 percent in the past year, from 26.1 million in February 2007 to 27.7 million in February of this year.

"We're blessed in one sense — we're an energy state and overall the economy has been doing pretty well,” Bivens said.

Oklahoma also is blessed with generous people, he said.

"We are in the middle of a food drive where we already have collected the highest amount ever,” Bivens said.

Last year, letter carriers helped the food bank collect 406,000 pounds of food, he said. This year's food drive has already collected 416,000 pounds of food, and the drive continues through Friday.

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