OSU Regents approve donations to Oklahoma Regional Food Bank
Friday, September 11, 2009
(STILLWATER, OK – SEPTEMBER 11, 2009) – The OSU/A&M Board of Regents today voted to
allow perishable food products from the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products
Center (FAPC) to be donated to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
This action allows the FAPC to forgo disposing the meat and other perishable food
items through sealed bid or public auction and simply donate the surplus directly
to the nonprofit organization.
“This is a win-win situation,” said OSU President Burns Hargis, who helped establish
the Regional Food Bank and has served as the organization’s president. “The FAPC
will be able to make use of perishable food surplus in a timely manner and help meet
a need in our statewide community, which extends the teaching, research and extension
mission of the university.”
Most of the meat generated from FAPC and Animal Sciences is sold through FAPC’s Cowboy
Meats. But if these products are not sold in a timely manner they must be discarded.
“This OSU initiative will help many Oklahomans who are struggling to put food on their
table, and for that, we are extremely grateful,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director
of the Regional Food Bank. “Since the recession hit, we’ve experienced a significant
increase in demand. In July alone, we distributed 3.1 million pounds of food - the
most ever distributed in a single month in the 30 year history of the Regional Food
Bank.”
The Board’s action today also clears the way for FAPC to handle the meat processing
for individuals and businesses that may want to make a donation to the Regional Food
Bank.
The Regional Food Bank is a private nonprofit organization that acts as a link through
which the food industry and community may donate food and other goods. The products
are then distributed to more than 700 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53
central and western Oklahoma counties. For more information about the Regional Food
Bank, go to http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/.