The ninth annual Feeding Oklahoma Drive is underway with the goal of raising enough food and funds to provide 2 million meals to families, children and seniors living with hunger in Oklahoma.

The month-long drive benefits the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and their partner agencies across the state.

To participate, visit www.feedingoklahoma.org. All donations are tax deductible.

Officials claim that Oklahoma is the fifth-hungriest state in the nation, where one in six Oklahomans face hunger every day. The majority of clients served by the Oklahoma food banks are chronically hungry children, seniors living on fixed incomes, and families struggling to make ends meet each month.

“This drive comes at a critical time of year before people start thinking about the needs of many of our hungry neighbors during the holidays,” said Eileen Bradshaw, executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.  “We are grateful to Governor Fallin for addressing the issue of hunger in our state and mobilizing friends, businesses and organizations to provide healthy food for people struggling to put enough food on the table.”