Regional Food Bank 'Well-Stocked' To Serve Those Impacted By Potential Government Shutdown

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma said it's ready to serve people who would be affected by a possible federal government shutdown.

To avoid a government shutdown, Congress must agree on funding legislation by 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Otherwise, federal services would stop or be hampered and millions of federal employees and military service members would not get paychecks until the shutdown is over.

With no federal funding agreement in sight as of Friday, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma said it was prepared to serve those impacted by the looming government shutdown.

"We are well-stocked to meet the need," said Regional Food Bank CEO Stacy Dykstra. "We have across our 53-county network lots of partners. And so all of those partners are well-positioned to embrace anyone who comes to them."

Dykstra said anyone who needs food assistance during the possible government shutdown can go online to look up pantries near them.

"You can simply go to our website, RFBO.org/GetHelp and type in your zip code, and it will show you all the places closest to your zip code that you can access food," Dykstra said.

Dykstra said people would then need to bring their ID to their chosen pantry to obtain food.

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma also served those in need during the federal government shutdown in 2018, which lasted 35 days.

"We saw lots of people that we had never seen before who needed food assistance during that time, and we were able to meet the needs," Dykstra recalled.

For those hesitant to seek help, Dykstra urged them to reconsider.

"Please reach out. You knowing about it and reaching out could then help your neighbor who also is in the same position," she said.

Visit Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's website for more information.

As for other types of food assistance, Oklahoma Human Services said SNAP recipients will still receive their October allotments. Should the possible shutdown last longer than that, Human Services said it will await guidance from its federal partners. As for the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), the Oklahoma State Department of Health said it does not expect the program to be impacted immediately.