Libraries Ending Hunger

Make finding food resources easier in your community by sharing the Oklahoma Food Resources menu.

Here’s how it works:

Ways to share this important information with your community:

• Place Oklahoma Food Resources posters in high-traffic areas
• Mention on social media
• Download, print, and/or share this letter-sized flyer in black & white or color
• Tell friends, family, and patrons about Oklahoma Food Resources by sharing: hfok.org/food-library.

To request Oklahoma Food Resources promotional material, click here and select “Library” under the By Audience menu.

In partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Hunger Free Oklahoma offers a toll-free hotline where people can get help applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Calls take about 20 minutes. Assistance is available in multiple languages.

Here’s how it works:

HFO SNAP Hotline from Hunger Free Oklahoma.

Ways to share this important information with your community:

• Share SNAP bookmarks and rack cards
• Post social media content on your website and social media pages: English graphic and Spanish graphic
• Share SNAP flyers with patrons, partners, staff, and volunteers
• Tell friends, family, and patrons about SNAP by sharing hungerfreeok.org/groceries

See Easy Ways to Share SNAP for more suggestions and social media prompts.

Request SNAP promotional material here.

Ready to take the next step? See Expand Services section to learn more about Hunger Free Oklahoma’s virtual training to offer SNAP application assistance at your library.

In partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Hunger Free Oklahoma offers a mapping tool to help families locate free summer meals for children and teens ages 18 years and younger.

By visiting www.Meals4KidsOK.org immediately prior to and during summer months, caregivers can quickly and easily find meal site information like the nearest location, serving times, and special instructions. This tool is the most up-to-date child and teen meal site locator in the state.

Here’s how it works:

Meals4KidsOKorg Meal Map Demonstration from Hunger Free Oklahoma

Ways to share this important information with your community:

• Place Food For Thought OK posters in high-traffic areas
• Share Food For Thought OK bookmarks
• Use sample social media material and additional resources on your website and social media pages
• Tell friends, families, and patrons that summer meals are open to all children and teens and finding a site is easy with Meals4KidsOK.org

For more ideas, Food For Thought OK Resources offers downloadable PDFs, social media graphics, and more.

To request printed Food For Thought OK promotional material, click here.

If you are interested in serving snacks or meals in your area see Expand Services section to learn more.

1. Sharing the food resource information found at the top of this page in-house and among local contacts.
2. Providing programming for local meal sites.
3. Working with schools, tribal nations, and food banks to offer on-site meals* after school and in the summer.
4. Building Hunger Free Communities and advocating for year-round meal coordination.
5. Offering Bridges to Grocery Assistance.

• Civic Organizations (friends of libraries, historical societies, rotary clubs)
• County Organizations (county health departments, extension offices, local Master Gardeners)
• Emergency Food System (food banks, food pantries)
• Faith-Based (churches, ministerial alliances, youth programs)
• Local Business Groups (banks, chambers of commerce, convenience stores, grocers, restaurants)
• Municipalities (city park and recreation departments)
• Public Schools (child nutrition departments, summer school programs)
• Tribal Nations

• Food (summer and afterschool meal sponsorships, food donations/drives)
• Promotion (advertising, social media, PSA, marketing, prizes)
• Programming (performers, volunteers, activity leaders, demonstrations)
• Space and storage (freezer and refrigeration, dry-good storage)
• Supplies (craft material, bags, bookmarks, posters)
• Transportation (buses, vans, car seats)

SNAP is proven to improve food security but it is underutilized in Oklahoma partly due to lack of awareness, stigma, and challenges around applying. Libraries can help with all three. Libraries are a trusted source of information and provide a safe, convenient, judgment-free zone.

In addition to sharing information and telling people about the toll-free SNAP Application Assistance Hotline, library staff and other community partners are hosting SNAP outreach events and getting trained to assist patrons with SNAP applications.

Hunger Free Oklahoma, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, offers free virtual trainings on helping others complete the SNAP application process. Trainings are approved for ODL-CEUs. For more information, or to request training, click here.

Do you assist with SNAP applications? See the Stay Connected section below to share your experiences and tips.

In Oklahoma, around 60% of school-aged children qualify for free and reduced meals at school, yet only around 6% are able to access out-of-school meals like summer and afterschool snacks and suppers. This is partly due to lack of awareness, access, and availability. Many summer meal programs only operate during summer school or June. Some counties only have one site. Others have none. Oklahoma libraries are filling the gap.

Libraries make great sites for feeding children.

To learn more about connecting with a summer or afterschool meals sponsor, or serving meals and snacks to children 18 and under in your community, click here.

A message to libraries from the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction: