TULSA — Oklahoma ranks dead last in the country in feeding children during the summer months, but not because there’s a lack of funding, or food to distribute.
The main issue, it seems, is lack of awareness about the free meals available to any school-aged child.
Wednesday, State Superintendent Dr. Joy Hofmeister and Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist teamed up to kick off an awareness campaign dubbed "Food for Thought" at Disney Elementary School in Tulsa.
They want to get the message out to parents: Breakfast and lunch is available for any child at dozens of sites in Tulsa, at no cost, with no questions asked.
They were joined by USDA Administrator William Ludwig, as well as members of the Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa Fire Department, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, and Hunger Free Oklahoma.
“We have millions and millions of dollars available for feeding kids who qualify,” Hofmeister told KRMG. “That money’s going to go to another state. And I say absolutely not - not on my watch. We bring that food here and that opportunity here, and we work to really build the nutritional foundation for all of our kids so they can grow.”
She says part of the problem is transportation to the feeding sites, something they plan to emphasize more next year.
This year, they’re focusing on increasing awareness, especially in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
“One of the things we say during the summer a lot is that ‘learning doesn’t take a vacation,’” Gist told KRMG, “but hunger doesn’t take a vacation either. And so...as a school district, working with the support of our state superintendent, can make school sites, library sites, boys’ and girls’ clubs, all the partners we can find - churches, I visited a couple of churches last year who are serving as sites for summer food programs - we can make these meals available, and children and families will benefit as a result.”