Everyday in eastern Oklahoma, families must decide between paying rent and buying groceries. To help address the needs of 1 in 7 Oklahomans that are food insecure, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma (CFBEO) added 50,000 sq. ft. to their existing 78,000 sq. ft. facility, which will more than double their distribution capacity. The Food Bank provides on-site feeding programs, emergency shelters, emergency food pantries, children and senior feeding programs, veterans’ outreach initiatives and disaster relief food programs.

The expansion increases CFBEO’s capacity to 52 million pounds of food annually, up from 20 million pounds, which is the equivalent of 45 million meals per year. The expansion includes a food preparation kitchen which will increase prepared meal distribution to 8,000 meals per day. The Food Bank works with over 350 partner agencies, including churches, social services agencies, programs for senior citizens, tribal governments and other nonprofits, with more than 380 direct feeding sites in its 24-county service area. As these agencies identify and support food-insecure individuals and families, the CFBEO has invested in strengthening and improving their partner’s infrastructure, transportation, and storage capacity. Together, the CFBEO and partner agencies work to expand critical programs to serve families in food deserts across the region.

Oklahoma ranks in the top ten states for rates of food insecurity. Reducing food insecurity among low-income people helps reduce mental health problems, improves school performance among children, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases – such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The capacity of the existing facility was exceeded in 2014, a function of eastern Oklahoma’s steadily increasing incidence of food insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the project by over a year and caused dramatic increases in the cost of construction. The NMTC subsidy allowed the CFBEO to bridge the gap in their fundraising while not reducing programming to cover the increased construction costs. The $26.5 million project was financed by a capital campaign with NMTC allocation from Heartland Renaissance Fund, Hampton Roads Ventures and Capital One, which also served as the tax credit investor.