The Oklahoma City Council has moved to address the state’s food insecurity by placing sales tax renewal propositions on the November 18 ballot. This follows an interim study led by State Representatives Annie Menz of Norman, Ellen Pogemiller of Oklahoma City, and John Waldron of Tulsa, which revealed that 64% of Oklahoma families qualify for free or reduced lunches and one in four children in the state are food insecure. Oklahoma currently ranks 46th in the nation for food insecurity.
According to the Oklahoma House of Representatives release, during the study, attended by representatives from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Mission: Readiness, and the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, officials identified several contributing factors, including financial challenges faced by schools in maintaining lunch programs despite available federal funding. Pogemiller noted that expanding access to programs such as SNAP, school meals, and summer feeding can improve health outcomes and community well-being.
The study also highlighted a national concern, showing that 77% of youth across the country would not meet the physical requirements for military service, linking childhood malnutrition to broader national readiness issues…