United Way of Central Oklahoma celebrates the community’s support during its recent Emergency Food Drive, which ran from October 24 to November 14. Thanks to the generosity of individuals, businesses and community partners, more than 8,000 nonperishable items were collected to replenish food pantries at Partner Agencies during a time of need.

The initiative was launched in response to a sudden rise in food insecurity, due to the reduction of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. UWCO’s Partner Agencies reported a surge in demand for food assistance, prompting this urgent call to action, which the community answered in abundance.

Donors brought food to locations throughout Oklahoma, Logan and Canadian counties, and the items were inventoried and immediately brought to the Partner Agencies to distribute to those in need.

Along with food items, monetary donations were also made. BancFirst became a lead corporate partner, offering drop-off sites across the metro and matching monetary donations.

UWCO remains committed to the mission of connecting people and resources to improve the well-being of those in our community, and the success of the Emergency Food Drive is a testament to what can be achieved when neighbors unite for a common cause.

Although the food drive has ended, the need persists. Community members can still make a monetary donation by texting “25fooddrive” to 41444 or visiting unitedwayokc.org.

Thank you to the following companies, Partner Agencies and UWCO Affinity Groups, and to the more than 70 individual donors who generously contributed:

To learn more about UWCO and opportunities to support the annual fundraising campaign, visit unitedwayokc.org.