Oklahoma food banks will be the benefactors of generous farmers and ranchers collecting non-perishable food this fall as part of a nationwide effort to help feed hungry people. Greg Lucas, Altus, is spearheading the food drive.
“It’s only natural for farmers, those who are the first to harvest the food, to share it with others as part of a second harvest,” Lucas said.
The southwest Oklahoma farmer encourages all Farm Bureau members attending the state Farm Bureau convention in Oklahoma City Nov. 22-24 to bring a sack of non-perishable food items. The food can be deposited in the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma truck parked outside the Cox Convention Center during the convention.
Lucas, a member of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee, was inspired to start a food drive when he participated in a similar event in Utah earlier this year.
“I learned there are many needy people in this country and we should try to help as many as possible,” Lucas said. “No one should have to go to bed hungry.”
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma distributes supplies to 53 counties in central and western Oklahoma, according to Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
“Our mission is to feed hungry, under-served people no matter whether they live in rural or urban areas,” said Bivens.
Also participating in the food drive is the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Tulsa.
Both food banks are associated with America’s Second Harvest, a national not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, Ill. with the goal of creating a hungry-free America.
