By Thalia Henry, Lawton MacArthur High School
As certain effects of the pandemic start to subside, people around the nation are still facing financial burden and food insecurity. Despite this, local food pantries are continuing to try and aid those in need, including the OU Food Pantry and another called Food and Shelter in Norman.
In Oklahoma, Norman’s poverty rate has been on a constant incline over the past four years, with 43% (55,040) of the population being below the SNAP threshold, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. To combat this, both food pantries in Norman are operating year round.
OU Food Pantry Executive Director Matt Marks said more students struggle with food insecurity than the average person may think.
“A lot of people think that everyone on a college campus is doing all right, and that’s not the case.”
Due to the growing number of those in need, Marks said at times the food pantry has been unable to provide all needed items, or had to limit the number of people they can serve.
With Norman being the state’s third largest city, the poverty rate is 18.72% as of 2023.
Another local pantry combatting the effects of poverty is Food and Shelter. Its operations are open 3:30-5:30 Monday-Friday, and allow each family to come in once a week.
Not only is Food and Shelter extending its services past the normal expectancy, but they are also opening a new food and resource center called The Share Center. This will be a larger facility that will allow for larger quantities of food to be ordered and distributed, along with a shelter for the homeless.
Christy Blair, the associate director of The Share Center, points out that there is a steady rise of food insecurity in Norman over the past couple of months.
Blair said in January the pantry served 209 visitors, while in June that number has climbed to 276.
As the pandemic has wound down, so has government aid. This in turn has placed a larger expectation and dependency on nonprofits such as food pantries in Norman.
Moving forward, the most effective way individuals can help with food insecurity in low income communities is to donate. Whether it is food or money, anything can and will make a difference.
To learn more about the OU Food Pantry, visit ou.edu/foodpantry. To learn more about Food and Shelter, visit foodandshelterinc.org.
