35,499 students in Tulsa do not have regular access to nutritionally adequate food. 

 

Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa  is taking innovative action to improve the health and well-being of our communities through better nutrition with the Feed our Future High School Adoption Program. This program will assist students in the Tulsa Public School System who face persistent food insecurity and hunger. Research shows that hunger delays cognitive, social and emotional development. It negatively impacts reading, language, attention, memory and problem-solving capabilities.  It also hinders students’ ability to focus and study.

 

The health benefits of proper nutrition are powerful. Healthy eating helps prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure and helps reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Healthy eating helps reduce one’s risk for developing obesity, osteoporosis, iron deficiency, and dental caries (cavities). Low-income youth are more susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, and since their diets tend to be made up of high-calorie and high-fat foods, they are also at greater risk for overweight or obesity.

 

The Feed Our Future High School Adoption Program will provide solutions by mobilizing community partners and volunteers around the issue of student food insecurity and launching a supplementary nutrition program inside the high schools to address these critical needs.  Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa will provide unique contributions to the program.