I have always been food insecure.
My father worked in law enforcement through the ’80s, but after a heart attack and a stroke (sound familiar?), he died a poor man, leaving my mother with three hungry kids, lots of resentment, and little money for groceries. My teen years were held together by barely-filled peanut butter sandwiches, dollar-store pasta we called a treat, and big pots of vegetable stew with elbow macaroni – an Indigenous staple that could stretch for days.
Over the years, I became a cult food critic.
It’s a strange kind of poetry, going from scraping by on whatever I could find to sitting across white tablecloths in the tallest restaurant downtown. I’ve eaten out of dumpsters, and I’ve eaten at VAST – where a single plate can cost more than my mother spent on a week of groceries. That contrast never leaves you.
Every meal I have now, whether it’s fine dining or a gas-station burrito, I’m grateful for it.
I thought I’d outrun that part of my life. But after the three strokes I’ve survived – and with my disability already cut and my SNAP benefits sliced – the shutdown put me back on the edge.
So I started looking for where to eat.
The first place I went was Crown Heights United Methodist Church, 1021 NW 37th, where they are offering a free spaghetti dinner on Thursday nights in November. Provided without cost or regard for church affiliation, people can come and have a pasta dinner with some green beans and fruit punch. Not a glorified steak dinner, but it works…and it’s free.
Pasta is one of the best food items for inexpensive dinners that feed many, and Crown Heights brought it with the expertly cooked spaghetti and sauce, with a cookie as a well-earned treat, which at least solved my dinner problem for that night.
Honestly, even without the shutdown, I probably would’ve gone anyway. It was that good.
On the way home, I passed the free food box on N. Western – it was drastically barren – and remembered that nearby Church of the Open Arms UCC, 3131 N. Pennsylvania Ave., runs a weekly food bank and also recently sponsored the monthly frybread taco sale near my house.
Starting at 4 o’clock every Friday, the line of cars for the food bank was already winding up the street and around the corner, and the other line with pedestrians was even longer. I wasn’t aware how many people relied on it, but they seemed to accommodate everyone, and that was what mattered.
I drove through the line, and a gentleman brought a box of groceries to my car with no questions asked. There was bread, cereal, beans, and a few (frozen) cold cuts – they even had a bouquet of flowers on top, proving that even though you’re near destitute, you still need a little beauty in your life…right?
Thinking I was good for a week or two, as I was picking up my life-saving medicines from the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic – another thing I’m scared of Trump taking – I remembered that the clinic has a fully-operational food bank next door at the Native Resource & Nutrition Center that accommodates the Indigenous people of Oklahoma and their nutritional needs.
(Man… I’m suddenly worried that Stitt is going to take it too!)
Situated at 4901 W. Reno Ave., Suite 750, the center was familiar to me from being a clinic patient during both the bad and good times. All I had to do was fill out a form and, within minutes, I was actually getting all the things I needed – from fresh fruit, cans of organic food, and personal care items like toothbrushes.
Even better, I really like the way the center is set up.
Usually, food banks come with disapproving looks and volunteers acting high and mighty. Here, it’s for Natives, by Natives, and the key is choice. Looking over my cart, I felt set for the next couple of weeks – real fresh ingredients to put together real meals, not just a box of watery macaroni and cheese to survive on.
Thank you, Creator, for your many nutritional blessings!
These next couple of weeks (months?) will be tough, especially if you are food insecure or you feel food insecurity looming. Look to your houses of worship, community centers, and, specifically, your neighbors. If you think someone is hungry, they probably are – offer them a meal.
As I was concluding this article, I received an email from Taco Casa – the Texas-based restaurant with two OKC locations (13901 N. Penn and 5225 N. May) that I was set to review with Patrick this month – announcing that all kids’ meals will be free with a parent’s SNAP card until benefits are restored. No purchase necessary.
Additionally, other local restaurateurs have also stepped up and have various offerings at their spots for people in food crisis. Social media, especially Facebook, is your best bet for keeping up with all the options in your community – add your own free food resources in the comments.
Man…now that’s what I call the true Oklahoma Standard.
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
