STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 54th Legislature (2013)

HOUSE
RESOLUTION 1028	By:	Inman

AS INTRODUCED

A Resolution recognizing and commending the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma; encouraging Oklahoma residents to devote time to food banks; designating May 14, 2013, as Hold Out for Hunger Day; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, the current, fervent discussion of the economy is counterproductive if Oklahoma remains one of the hungriest states in the nation; and
WHEREAS, if one in four children goes to bed hungry each night, we are failing to invest in our future workforce and our future security forces; and
WHEREAS, if one-third of families seeking emergency food assistance are the working-poor, we are failing to invest in a growing, healthy Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, if 31 percent of Oklahoma’s food bank clients are forced to choose between paying for food and medicine or medical expenses, we are failing to invest in health-care-deficit reduction; and
WHEREAS, as long as hundreds of Oklahoma veterans are homeless, we are failing to invest in patriotic service; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, 17.3 percent of Oklahomans lived below the national poverty line, which was set at just $22,350 for a family of four; and
WHEREAS, half of all infants in Oklahoma are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and more than 63,000 of Oklahoma’s children are participants in the program; and
WHEREAS, currently, 9.5 percent of Oklahoma’s seniors are living in poverty, and poor health indicators within Oklahoma’s senior population, the high number of older adults who are rural dwellers, and the fact that Oklahoma is one of the leading states for grandparents raising children are additional risk factors for food insecurity within the aging population; and
WHEREAS, in October 2011, the Center for American Progress released a comprehensive report on Hunger in America, whose research determined that, nationwide in 2010, hunger cost the U.S. at least $167.5 billion – a 33-percent increase just since 2007 – due to hunger-induced illnesses, poor educational outcomes and undermined lifetime earnings, and the cost of charity to feed millions of needy families; and
WHEREAS, government-supported food assistance programs are an intermediate response to hunger, not a long-term solution, but these programs are vital to the stability of thousands of working poor families in Oklahoma; and
WHEREAS, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, which together provide food to more than 1,400 programs and schools, continue to struggle to meet increasing demands for emergency food assistance; and
WHEREAS, food and shelter are deemed basic human necessities for survival; and
WHEREAS, our public policies should reflect our strong state values that respect families, seniors, children and veterans; and
WHEREAS, to honor those values, citizens of this state should pledge that all of our families deserve a seat at our table and that no one’s plate should ever be empty; and
WHEREAS, people in Oklahoma are encouraged to forego one meal on this day and donate the money they would have spent on their missed meal to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma or the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 54TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma House of Representatives recognizes and commends the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma for their commitment to feed the hungry in our state and engage our communities in ending hunger.
THAT all residents of Oklahoma are encouraged to devote some time to local food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, community gardens or other related efforts that promote food security in communities across the state.
THAT May 14, 2013, be designated as “Hold Out for Hunger Day” to encourage individuals (young and old) to skip one meal on this day to recognize the plight of hunger in Oklahoma, and contribute the savings from that meal to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma or the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

54-1-8042	SD	05/07/13