News
Mayor's Bedlam Food Drive a Success; More Than 2,300 Pounds of Food Collected
ARCHIVED PRESS RELEASE: Published 11-27-2011
City of Tulsa Employees, One Technology Center Tenants, and
employees from neighboring buildings showed their team spirit this
month. Three large metal bins sat on the third floor of Tulsa's
City Hall for 22 days and were hauled away filled to the top. One
bin was for OSU fans to donate, another was for OU fans to donate,
and a third bin was for anyone to donate. The third bin's
sign read, "No Matter the Team, Fighting Hunger is My Dream." OSU
Cowboys fans donated the most non-perishable food. They contributed
813 pounds of items. OU Sooners fans came in a close "second" at
802 pounds, and the "Hunger Dreams" bin weighed in at 774
pounds.
Employees from Level 3 Communications, a tenant of Tulsa City
Hall, also pitched in to help. They donated 1,200 pounds of food.
Williams and Bank of Oklahoma employees donated as well. Employees
at the Engineering Building South contributed two large boxes full
of food as well. "I am aware that many City of Tulsa employees
recruited family members, friends, and neighbors to help with our
Bedlam Food Drive. For that, I am so thankful. Because of them,
hundreds of Tulsa families in need will have a nice Thanksgiving
meal," Mayor Dewey Bartlett said. The grand total of items
collected added up to 2,389 pounds of non-perishable food.
According to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, one in
five Oklahoma children is at risk of going to bed hungry every
night. This is a statistic that must be addressed. Our City of
Tulsa Bedlam Food Drive was held in conjunction with Governor Mary
Fallin's Feeding Oklahoma Food Drive to fight hunger in
our state. "When we started the City's Bedlam Food Drive, I also
encouraged other Tulsa businesses, organizations, and families to
join me in fighting hunger in our community," Bartlett said.
Prior to the close of the food drive, City employees and workers
in nearby buildings had the opportunity to have their picture
taken, posing with OU or OSU life-size cutouts of football players.
"In just three hours, we collected $52. Because the Community Food
Bank of Eastern Oklahoma can turn $1 into seven meals, we generated
364 meals," Bartlett said.
Mayor Bartlett plans to work on future efforts for food
collection. Bartlett said, "We know that the Food Bank continues to
need our support. We must let families in need know that there is
help when they need it the most."
