About 685,000 people in Oklahoma use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also called SNAP, to purchase groceries.
As the federal government shutdown stretches on, SNAP benefits will be halted on Saturday. Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation, and tribal nations, state agencies, nonprofits and religious organizations are preparing to help an influx of people find food during the lapse.
For SNAP shoppers, benefits from October will roll over into November. But the new benefits will cease Nov.1.
Double Up Oklahoma, an incentive program encouraging SNAP participants to buy fruits and vegetables, can only be spent up to 60 days after being earned. Shoppers can use their Double Up dollars next month if they were earned in September or October.
If families experience financial changes, including the loss of benefits, furloughed employee status or working without pay, free or reduced meals are available for public school students.
Tribal nations in the state have also been forming an emergency response. Different resources are available depending on the nation.
There are multiple food pantries across the state in both rural and urban areas. Below is a list of locations accepting donations or distributing food. Certain places may have eligibility requirements.
Statewide resources:
- Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma pantry locator
- Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma food locator
- United Way of Central Oklahoma Emergency Food Drive
- Salvation Army Services website
- Food Finder website
- Be a Neighbor website
Central Oklahoma:
- The Urban Mission: 3737 N. Portland, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Skyline Urban Ministry Food & Resource Center: 500 SE 15th St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Baptist Mission Center: 2125 Exchange Ave., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Core of Knowledge Literacy and Learning Center Community Food Drive
- Tinker Air Food Pantry: 6001 Arnold St., Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
- Mid-Del Food Pantry: 322 N. Midwest Blvd., Midwest City, Oklahoma
- Food and Shelter Inc.: 201 Reed Ave., Norman, Oklahoma
- Red Dirt Collective Emergency Food Fundraiser
- Mission Norman: 2525 E. Lindsey St., Norman, Oklahoma
- OU Campus: OU Food Pantry, 331 Cate Center Drive, Norman, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Smoke BBQ Food Drive & Meal Pass-Out on Saturday
- Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Community Food Drive: 105365 S. Highway 102 McLoud, Oklahoma
North-central Oklahoma
- Tonkawa Fish & Loaves Food Pantry: 410 E. Grand, Tonkawa, Oklahoma
- God's Food Bank: 402 W. Vilas, Guthrie, Oklahoma
- Our Daily Bread Food Pantry: 701 E. 12th Ave., Stillwater Oklahoma
- First United Methodist Church: 400 W. Seventh Ave., Stillwater, Oklahoma
- Salvation Army Corps Community Center: 1101 S. Lowry St., Stillwater Oklahoma
- OSU campus - Pete's Pantry and Pete's Eats: Student Union, Basement Room 042, Stillwater, Oklahoma
- OSU campus - Our Daily Bread Mobile Market: Family Resource Center, 719 N. Walnut St. Stillwater, Oklahoma
- Langston Community Food Pantry
Northwestern Oklahoma
- Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Food Pantry: 230 Black Kettle Blvd., Concho, Oklahoma
- ATS Counseling donation drive: 1625 W. Garriott Suite F, Enid, Oklahoma
- Fishes & Loaves: 701 E. Main Ave. Enid, OK
- The Hope Center: 810 Santa Fe St. Woodward, OK,
- Loaves and fishes: 310 SE, E. First St., Guymon, Oklahoma
- Cimarron Regional Food Pantry: 319 E. Main, Boise City, Oklahoma
- Alva Wesleyan Food Bank: 818 Lane St., Alva, Oklahoma
- Connections Food & Resource Center: 122 S. Eighth Street, Weatherford, Oklahoma
- Cherokee Oklahoma Food Pantry for Alfalfa County Residents: 206 S. Grand Ave., Cherokee, Oklahoma
Southwestern Oklahoma
- Caddo Nation of Oklahoma food resource list
- City of Chickasha food assistance resource list
- Comanche Nation Food Distribution Center: 584 NW Bingo Rd., Building 1200, Lawton, Oklahoma
- M28 Ministries: 2001 SW D Ave., Lawton, Oklahoma
- Center for Creative Living: 3501 Elsie Hamm Dr., Lawton, Oklahoma
- Hungry Hearts Feeding Ministries: 605 SW 11th St., Lawton, Oklahoma
- Lawton Food Bank: 1819 SW Sheridan Road, Lawton, OK, United States, Oklahoma
- Southwest Oklahoma Community Action Group: 900 S. Carver Road, Altus, Oklahoma
- Fletcher Food Pantry: Fletcher, Oklahoma
Northeastern Oklahoma
- Osage Nation list of food resources
- City of Tahlequah list of food resources
- Food on the Move: Food On The Move P.O. Box 1626, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Iron Gate Tulsa: 501 W. Archer St., Tulsa, OK
- Tulsa Indian Methodist Church: 1901 N. College Ave, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- The Fuel Pantry at Tulsa Community College
- People's Community Center, 428099 E. 270 Road, Chelsea, Oklahoma
- Food Pantry of Grove, 637040 E. 290 Road, Grove, Oklahoma
- Ottawa County Salvation Army Service Center, 1915 N. Miami, Oklahoma
- Ministerial Alliance of Locust Grove, OK, Inc. Food Pantry: 11 E. Main St. Locust Grove, Oklahoma
Southeastern and South-central Oklahoma
- Food Relief for SNAP Enrolled Muscogee Citizens: 801 Kingsberry Road Holdenville, Oklahoma
- First Baptist Community Food Bank, 208 NE B St., Antlers, Oklahoma
- Big Five Community Services Emergency Food Pantry locations
- INCA Community Services county office locations
- Bethel Baptist Church of Wister: 305 Wann St. Wister, Oklahoma
- Atoka/Coal Food Storehouse: P.O. Box 1023, Atoka, Oklahoma,
- Food & Resource Center: 801 Hailey St. SW, Ardmore, Oklahoma
- Samaritans of Pauls Valley: P.O. Box 332 N. Ash Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
