MARIETTA, Okla. – The Chickasaw Nation and Feed the Children teamed up again this year to provide holiday care packages to hundreds of Love County families on December 12 during No Hunger Holidays.
The holiday care packages were distributed to an estimated 800 families in the Marietta area during a drive-thru event at the Love County Fairgrounds.
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The parcels provided children and families with much-needed food and essential supplies, including a five-day supply of family meal kits designed to feed a family of four each day; a 15-pound box containing daily essentials such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, five pairs of socks and other personal care items, as well as books and toys.
In addition, boxed meals from the Chickasaw Nation Impa’chi program were provided to children attending the event.
The Love County event was one of several No Hunger Holidays events hosted nationwide by Feed the Children in November and December.
This marks the ninth year that the Chickasaw Nation and Feed the Children have partnered to provide resources to Oklahoma families during the holidays through No Hunger Holidays.
Marietta was hit by a tornado last spring and the city’s only grocery store, along with several businesses and medical facilities, were destroyed.
“They lost their grocery store, and they still don’t have one,” said Joy Standridge, director of Child Nutrition Services at the Chickasaw Nation. “This community has struggled to recover (from the storm’s devastation) and No Hunger Holidays is one of the ways the Chickasaw Nation can bless families in this area.”
Previous No Hunger Holiday events have taken place in Ada, Ardmore, Kingston, Madill, Newcastle, Pauls Valley, Sulfur and Tishomingo.
“The Chickasaw Nation’s partnership with Feed the Children helps fulfill our mission of improving the overall quality of life for the Chickasaw people, and extending that mission to our neighbors,” Standridge said. “We hope that offering these gifts to our Chickasaw families and neighbors will brighten their holidays and we are pleased to once again partner with Feed the Children to help Oklahoma families.”
Oklahoma currently ranks among the top five hungriest states in the country, according to a recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In rural Oklahoma, 15.5% of households are food insecure, Standridge said.
The No Hunger Holidays campaign aims to provide children and families with food and essential necessities during the holidays, and to raise awareness of the important issue of child hunger.
“We are grateful for a long-term partnership with the Chickasaw Nation,” said Catherine White, Feed the Children Corporate Partnership Manager. “We are an Oklahoma-based nonprofit organization and hosting these resource rally events in our own backyard, here in Marietta, really means a lot to us.”
Feed the Children has planned No Hunger Holidays events in multiple communities across Oklahoma and the U.S. as part of its campaign to turn hunger into hope this season. The nonprofit aims to provide 10 million meals to families through this campaign.
“Only through collaboration can we reach these families during the holidays,” said Travis Arnold, president and CEO of Feed the Children. “No child should miss out, and Feed the Children is grateful for our partnerships that can help ease the burden many families face. If you are fortunate enough to experience joy and generosity around your own holiday table, you can make a huge difference when you give from your heart.”
During the Marietta event, about 50 volunteers wore Santa hats and warm winter clothes and worked to unload the large Feed the Children tractor, greet participants, load packages and direct vehicles. Most of the volunteers are Chickasaw Nation employees who volunteer at the No Hunger Holidays event each year.
For more information about nutrition programs and services the Chickasaw Nation offers its citizens and members of the public, contact Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services at (580) 436-7255 or visit Chickasaw.net.
Feed the Children, one of the nation’s leading anti-hunger organizations, was founded in 1979. Its headquarters are in Oklahoma City. The organization provides food, education initiatives, basic needs and disaster relief, while helping children and their families become independent and self-reliant. Feed the Children currently works in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 10 countries around the world.
For more information about the No Hunger Holidays campaign, visit FeedtheChildren.org/NoHungerHolidays.
