Oklahoma Food Leaders Urge Delegation To Address Hunger Crisis With New Farm Bill

It’s estimated that, in Oklahoma, one in every six adults and one in every four children is food insecure, meaning they're at risk of going hungry.

That’s why the state's food security leaders have been in Washington this week, urging the delegation not to overlook their less fortunate constituents.

More specifically, they’re urging the delegation to pass a new five-year Farm Bill, since that’s what makes it possible for them to provide the services and advocacy that they do. And, they say, those services are in greater demand than ever before.

"In FY '24, we saw a 23 percent increase in the services we provided," said Stacy Dykstra, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, which serves 53 of the state's 77 counties.

Megan Quickle, Executive Director of Broken Arrow Neighbors, a food pantry in Eastern Oklahoma, says hunger is an all-too-real issue in the Sooner State.

"Feeding people is not a political issue," said Quickle in an interview Wednesday, "it's a human rights issue."

And, Quickle says, from her vantage point, that right is increasingly in jeopardy. She says Broken Arrow Neighbors has seen demand for services quadruple since 2020.

"The need has grown so much in our communities and across the state," Quickle explained, "and that's why we're here today to advocate."

Quickle, Dykstra and the leaders of food banks and hunger prevention groups from across Oklahoma tried to visit with each member of the delegation and impress upon them the importance of the Farm Bill in keeping hunger from becoming a bigger problem in Oklahoma than it already is.

"They do understand how important it is and what a powerful piece of legislation it is," Dykstra stated. "And so, we feel good about their commitment to trying to do what's right by it."

No member of the delegation is more welcoming to the group -- and understanding of their concerns -- than Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK3), currently a member of the House Agriculture Committee with decades of experience writing Farm Bills.

"Oh, there's lots of discussion, as we change from one administration to the other," Lucas said in an interview Wednesday.

Lucas says he explained to the Oklahoma group it's too late in this Congress to do anything other than further extend the current Farm Bill, but he's confident the new Congress, under all GOP leadership, will pass a new one that meets the moment.

"I don't think that we will step back on our commitments to help our fellow citizens," Lucas said, "especially in areas like food banks that are so successful."

Not every member of the delegation is as supportive as Lucas, but the group says that's why they made the trip.

"There's so many of us here from across the state," Quickle said, "from Shawnee to Broken Arrow to Oklahoma City to Tulsa, we're all here working together to make sure that we're doing and bringing awareness to hunger in Oklahoma."