The need is real and it’s only getting worse.

Danica Kramer sees it every month, every week, every day.

And it’s getting tougher for the Kingfisher County Food Bank as a result.

“We have stretched the funds as far as we can,” said Kramer the director of the county food bank, which operates out of the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene.

“It’s getting to a point where we’re really struggling to make it work.”

•••

It’s tough to pinpoint from month to month how many families receive assistance from the food bank.

“Last month we provided for 106 families,” Kramer said Thursday during a talk with the Kingfisher Lions Club. “But it fluctuates. I’ve already taken on 12 new families this month and it always grows through the holiday season.”

On average, though, the food bank distributes about 1,200 boxes of food to families each year.

And it’s not the only program in town.

Kingfisher Public Schools provides through its Jacket Pantry.

Frontline Ministries also provides food for families twice a month with its own food bank.

“It’s getting rough,” said Debbie Burpo, pastor at Frontline. “And the demand is getting higher.”

Inflation is up. The cost of goods has increased. The dollar is getting squeezed more and more.

And then there’s the government shutdown, which is now approaching a month long.

The United States Department of Agriculture announced earlier in October that there will not be funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps provide food assistance to children and low-income families.

A message on the front page of the USDA’s

How You

Can Help

Kingfisher County Food Bank

• Food and monetary donations are always accepted. The Kingfisher County Food Bank is located at the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene at 414 Hill Drive.

• You can also sponsor a food box. A family of four can be fed for $65. You can provide two boxes to feed a family of five or more for $115.

• Monetary donations can be mailed to (and check can be made out to) Kingfisher County Food Bank, P.O. Box 92, Kingfisher, OK 73750

• Contact Danica Kramer, director, at 405-368-4764 Frontline Ministries Food Bank

• Food and monetary donations are always accepted. The church is located at 118 W. Erwin Ave.

• Monetary donations can be mailed to Frontline Ministries at the same address and designated for the food bank.

• Shop at His House Thrift Store (west of the church). Proceeds at the thrift store help fund the church’s outreach ministries, including the food bank.

KPS Jacket Pantry

• The school is holding a food drive this week (Nov. 3-7) to help keep the shelves stocked for families.

• Monetary donations can be made. Make checks payable to Jacket Pantry and deliver or mail to the central office (KPS, 602 W. Chisholm Drive, Kingfisher, OK 73750).

website says, in part, “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 1.”

SNAP helps nearly 42 million Americans purchase food each month.

In Oklahoma, that number is more than 684,000.

Many are in Kingfisher County.

Governor Kevin Stitt announced last Wednesday that the state wouldn’t be stepping in to fill the void and encouraged Oklahomans to help their neighbors.

That help comes largely from food banks.

And so the long list of people needing assistance from local food banks is only expected to get longer.

“ They’re hurting,” Kramer said. “They’re really worried about what’s going to happen.”

•••

Those who rely on the food banks do so for a variety of reasons.

“Everyone’s situation is so different,” Kramer told Kingfisher Lions.

There are single mothers. There are full families. There are the elderly trying to survive on what little Social Security and SNAP provide them…and it’s not enough.

There are families with major medical issues.

“There are people and families having hardships of all kinds,” Kramer said.

She mentioned one family with a young daughter on dialysis three to four times a week while awaiting a kidney transplant.

“They have to be with her when she goes to dialysis. They can’t work every day,” Kramer said. “They’re struggling.”

Other families have a large amount of debt or are behind on bills.

“If they’re getting assistance from us, that’s more money they can put toward their debt or their bills and just try to get ahead,” Kramer said.

And she’s there to try to help.

Kramer has potential customers fill out an application.

“I see how much income they’re bringing in and I get a feel of expenses and determine if they qualify to receive the assistance,” she said.

“And a majority who do come in need it.”

Then Kramer sets up times for families to retrieve their food boxes from the food bank’s room on the east side of the church.

“We may hand out once or twice a week. If there are a bunch of families, we have to split it up,” Kramer said.

And Kramer works with families who can’t make it at the allotted times.

“I’m pretty flexible,” she said. “I will meet them up there when it’s best for them. I try to make myself available when I can.”

The food bank accepts food donations.

“Every can counts,” she said.

But what’s needed most is money.

Kramer uses donated funds to purchase a majority of the food that’s distributed.

She used to buy the groceries at United, but has since shifted her local shopping to 4T’s Family Market in Hennessey.

“They’ve been wonderful,” Kramer said. “They’re a wonderful family to work with.”

Although 4T’s works with Kramer to keep the costs as low as possible, grocery prices in general have gone up.

Kramer has had to make some changes.

“We’ve had to cut back on the food in the boxes,” she said.

Instead of spaghetti noodles and sauce, now she provides sloppy joe mix.

Instead of cereal, it’s a cheaper packet of pancake batter.

Kramer has to make every dollar count and those dollars are dwindling.

“Our funds are really low,” she said. “We have enough funds right now to feed through November.

“We really need help.”

•••

The Frontline Food Bank is open the second and fourth Wednesdays at the church.

On Wednesday, the church distributed 150 boxes of food before running out.

“We had to turn people away,” she said. “It’s a terrible situation to have someone wait in line for three or four hours and we have to tell them we don’t have anything left for them.”

Although the church does ask those who receive food to sign a form, Burpo said there are no income requirements.

The only true requirement is that they live in Kingfisher County.

Frontline funds its food bank - and several of its other outreach ministries - through the His House Thrift Store which sits west of the church.

It’s open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday.

Food donations are accepted.

The church also accepts monetary donations that can be earmarked specifically for the food bank.

“Cash donations to the church work best,” she said.

The church purchases a large portion of its food from the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, which allows it to buy in bulk at cheaper costs.

•••

Kingfisher Public Schools recently sent out a message to all parents and guardians of students.

“We realize there is much concern about the food stamp program changes beginning Nov. 1 or loss of income from the government shutdown,” the message read.

It reminded parents that Jacket Pantry is open to any family with a KPS student.

Families are eligible to visit the food pantry every two weeks.

“Please don’t hesitate to utilize this resource,” it read. Parents are encouraged to reach out to the students’ counselor to set up times to visit the pantry.

The school district is having a food drive this week (Nov. 3-7) in order to continue to stock the pantry’s shelves.

•••

There are other resources for various other needs.

The Kingfisher Ministerial Alliance and the Salvation Army (at the First United Methodist Church) provide assistance beyond food.

Several churches have outreach programs.

The food banks work with each other and the other programs to do their best to support those who need it the most.

“Everyone is working together,” Kramer said. “We’re all just trying to do what we can to help people.”

Kingfisher County Food Bank

• Contact Danica Kramer, director, at 405368-4764 to set up an appointment. The food bank is located at the Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene at 414 Hill Drive.

Frontline Ministries Food Bank

• Food boxes are provided every second and fourth Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the church, 118 W. Erwin Ave.

KPS Jacket Pantry

• The food pantry is open to families of any KPS student.

• Contact your student’s counselor to set up an appointment to receive food: - Teneille Rother, Gilmour, 405-375-4080 - Kris Schaefer, Heritage, 405-375-3018 - Lara Kostka, KUE, 405-375-6607 - Melissa Slezickey, KJH, 405-375-3755 - Paula Leffingwell and Tracy Baustert, KHS, 405-375-4191 - Libby Wood, Jacket Academy, 405-3755630