Chickasaw Nation: Bringing Holiday Cheer to Families

MARIETTA, Okla. – The Chickasaw Nation and Feed the Children partnered again this year to bring holiday care packages to hundreds of Love County families Dec. 12 during No Hunger Holidays.

The holiday care packages were distributed to an estimated 800 Marietta-area families during a drive-thru event conducted at the Love County Fairgrounds.

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The packages provided children and families with much-needed food and essentials, including a five-day supply of family meal kits designed to feed a family of four each day; a 15-pound box of daily essentials such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, five pairs of socks and other personal care items as well as books and toys.

In addition, boxed meals from the Chickasaw Nation Impa’chi program were provided to children who attended the event.

The Love County event was one of several No Hunger Holidays events conducted nationwide by Feed the Children in November and December.

This is the ninth year the Chickasaw Nation and Feed the Children have partnered to provide resources to families across Oklahoma during the holiday season through No Hunger Holidays.

Marietta was hit by a tornado last spring and the city’s only grocery store, along with several businesses and medical facilities, were destroyed.

“They lost their grocery store, and they are still without one,” Joy Standridge, Chickasaw Nation Director of Child Nutrition Services, said. “This community has had a hard time recovering (from the storm’s destruction) and No Hunger Holidays is one of the ways the Chickasaw Nation can bless families in this area.”

Previous No Hunger Holiday events took place in Ada, Ardmore, Kingston, Madill, Newcastle, Pauls Valley, Sulphur and Tishomingo.

“The Chickasaw Nation’s collaboration with Feed the Children helps carry out our mission, to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people, and extend that mission to our neighbors,” Standridge said. “We hope offering these gifts to our Chickasaw families and neighbors will brighten their holiday season and we are pleased to once again work with Feed the Children to help serve Oklahoma families.”

Oklahoma currently ranks in the top five hungriest states in the country, according to a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report.

In rural Oklahoma, 15.5% of the households are food insecure, Standridge said.

The No Hunger Holidays campaign aims to supply food and essentials to children and families during the holidays, as well as bring awareness to the important issue of childhood hunger.

“We are grateful for a long-standing partnership with the Chickasaw Nation,” Catherine White, Feed the Children Corporate Partnership Manager, said. “We are an Oklahoma-founded nonprofit and getting to conduct these resource rally events in our own backyard, here in Marietta, really means a lot to us.”

Feed the Children has planned No Hunger Holidays events in multiple communities across Oklahoma and around the U.S. as part of its campaign to transform hunger into hope during this season. The nonprofit has a goal of providing 10 million meals to families through this campaign.

“It is only through partnership that we can reach these families during the holiday season,” said Travis Arnold, president and CEO of Feed the Children. “No child should go without, and Feed the Children is thankful for our partnerships that can help ease the burden many families are facing. If you are fortunate enough to experience joy and generosity around your own holiday table, you can make a tremendous difference when you give from your heart.”

During the Marietta event, about 50 volunteers donned Santa hats and warm winter clothes and worked to unload the large Feed the Children tractor trailer, greet participants, load packages and direct vehicles. Most of the volunteers are Chickasaw Nation employees who volunteer at the No Hunger Holidays event each year.

For more information about nutrition programs and services the Chickasaw Nation offers its citizens and members of the public, contact Chickasaw Nation Nutrition Services at (580) 436-7255 or visit Chickasaw.net.

Feed the Children, one of the nation’s leading anti-hunger organizations, was established in 1979. It is headquartered in Oklahoma City. The organization provides food, education initiatives, essentials and disaster response as it helps children and their families become independent and self-reliant. Feed the Children currently works in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and in 10 countries around the world.

Visit FeedtheChildren.org/NoHungerHolidays to learn more about the No Hunger Holidays campaign.

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