36 Bartlesville Magazine HOLIDAY 2015

The following words by Mother Teresa summarize the dedication and commitment volunteers and nonprofit workers give to support those in need all over northeast Oklahoma: “It’s not

how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”Thanks to a responsive, reliable pantry and food distribution

program, residents in Osage County benefit from agencies that provide food to the indigent. “Through our agencies, we provided food assistance for about 38,837 meals in Osage County for the first six months of the year,” said Jamie Wood, director of Mary Martha Outreach, located in Bartlesville.

Mary Martha’s partnerships serve it well thanks to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma and donations from Wal-Mart Distribution Center, who together provide about 2 million pounds of food every year, nearly half of which is dispersed through the pantry. Needy families can get fresh, frozen and packaged goods at the center in Bartlesville, but the need extends into the largest county in Oklahoma — Osage — with more than 2,300 square miles.

This year is the first MMO has kept good data on food distribution. “We are dog busy all the time,” Wood said. “In September the pantry welcomed 1,650 people during the first week.”

During the first six months of 2015, Mary Martha Outreach

provided food assistance to 122 new households in Pawhuska, Barnsdall, Hominy, Avant and Wynona when household members came directly to MMO, according to volunteer Janis Blanton. She retired from ConocoPhillips after working many years in information technology. She has been tracking agency information since January for MMO.

A large part of MMO’s mission is “agency distribution” where it provides food (usually produce) to another nonprofit organization. Agencies in Osage County come to pick up food at MMO to serve their rural communities. They include Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuska, which serves meals six days a week. Food kitchen leader Bill Bills arrives every Wednesday morning and picks up food for some 60-100 people per day. MMO provided them with 1,400 pounds of food in June, according to MMO statistics.

Another large food recipient is Osage County Nutrition in Pawhuska, which received 9,430 pounds of food in June from MMO. The agency serves more than 300 people a day. They often pick up food to freeze for later use. “It’s really a blessing to have no waiting lists for families, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without Mary Martha,” said Kyme Vincent, director of the Osage County Nutrition program.

Feeding the indigentResidents benefit from food distribution programBY CHRIS BARTON

out on the osage

Jamie Wood, left, director of Mary Martha Outreach in Bartlesville, checks a basket of food with volunteer Sue Fish.

Photo by S. Albert

Ariealla Ryan, Cody Edwards and Daniel Sweezy prepare food trays at the Osage County Nutrition Program in Pawhuska.

Photo by Jack Buzbee

Bartlesville Magazine HOLIDAY 2015 37

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Osage Nutrition also delivers food to 180 people through Senior Services — thanks to donations from the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma — which supplements the particularly needy on weekends. That is similar to a “Meals on Wheels” program that reaches food deserts in areas such as Lake Hulah and Shidler. Those people who receive weekend food live in remote areas and often cannot get out due to transportation or health issues.

The nutrition program delivered 75,000 meals in 2014 and provides food at six county locations to 400 people per day, Vincent said. Much of that was made possible through the Indian Nations Council of Governments nutrition services offered to residents older than 60 in Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties.

Faithful servants in small communitiesWhile needy areas in Barnsdall and Avant are smaller, those who

work there say they are faithful servants.On a weekday afternoon, 82-year-old Nelda Branstetter said

she’d better “start delivering food or I will be doing it until 9 p.m. … I am going to keep doing this as long as I can put one foot in front of the other.”

Branstetter is nearly at the end of her charitable career. She organized the Easter and Angel Tree fundraisers and holiday events in Barnsdall for many years, however, this year, she “just got too old.” Known as “Barnsdall’s Granny,” she’s focused on helping those in need through MMO, which she’s done for 11 years. “God keeps me healthy and keeps me working for him.”

Ida Gilkey enjoys lunch with her friend at Osage County Nutrition in Pawhuska.

Photo by Jack Buzbee

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First Baptist Church of Avant representatives pick up food from MMO once a week. In June, MMO provided First Baptist with 3,495 pounds of food, Blanton said.

J.A. and Dorothy Murrie of Avant have been helping needy folks in their area for the past 16 years. The Murries and other volunteers prepare boxes of food at the church and distribute them to impoverished families. As many as 25 families are helped by MMO in addition to the 29 families who sign-up with Osage County Nutrition. “We consider that a calling of God for us to do it,” J.A. Murrie said.

Logistics, effort in favorof wide distribution

While the need is greater in Bartlesville, serving 680 families per week, MMO had a larger vision to expand when Wal-Mart arrived with its distribution potential and resources. When MMO receives a shipment, they send an email to the 53 qualifying agencies in their database. Much of the food is perishable and must be distributed quickly. Up to eight volunteers come in each day to help with immediate distribution and conduct outreach to other agencies.

MMO distributes food and clothing to jails, churches, homeless centers, soup kitchens, food pantries, boys and girls clubs and daycare centers. Blanton has the flexibility to contact agencies such as the Boys and Girls Club, for example, if ice cream arrives and needs to be distributed quickly.

“We can get things to them in a timely manner, and we are able to have an impact greater than just MMO in Bartlesville,” Wood said. “The point is we are not trying to compete with the Salvation Army or Agape.”

“It surprised me how many elderly and disabled (people) come in,” Blanton said,

Bill Bills, left, coordinator for the soup kitchen at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuksa, helps prepare food plates for lunch.

Photo by Jack Buzbee

Volunteer Betty Stuart works in the kitchen at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuska.

Photo by Jack Buzbee

Bartlesville Magazine HOLIDAY 2015 39

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referring to when she began her work on the logistics and reach of MMO. “Many are struggling to get food with the cost of their medication. The disabled may be physically or mentally challenged.

“(MMOs) vision was to try to move food out into rural areas,” she said. “The thinking was ‘let’s go to Pawhuska or other places and work with those agencies.’ We need more volunteers, but we rely on churches or nonprofit agencies to move the food.” ♦

Chris Barton is a public relations professional in Tulsa and serves on the Osage County Tourism Oversight Committee which promotes tourism in Osage County.

Volunteer Janis Blanton assesses the food pallets brought into Mary Martha Outreach in Bartlesville.

Photo by S. Albert