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AgPreference, ACA presented a $2,000 check to Walters Food Pantry of Walters, Oklahoma on September 20, 2019, to help in the effort to aid those struggling with hunger. Pictured in front left to right are: Paul Metcalfe and Cecil H. Sheperson, President and CEO of AgPreference.
ALTUS (September 20, 2019)—AgPreference, ACA presented a $2,000 check donation to the Walters Community Food Pantry of Walters, Oklahoma on Wednesday to help in the effort to aid those struggling with hunger. The funds are to be used in Cotton County.
“We are proud to ‘share our successes with those in need and be good corporate citizens,” said Cecil H. Sheperson, AgPreference president and chief executive officer. “By getting involved, we can make a difference in helping with this cause and the important work that the Walters Community Food Pantry does every day.”
Hunger in Oklahoma ranks among the worst 10 states in terms of very low food security, according to the USDA, Prevalence of Household-level food insecurity and very low food security, average 2012-2014. Oklahoma is consistently among the hungriest states in the nation. 1 in 4 Oklahoma children is at risk of going to bed hungry, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2014 Report. 1 in 16 Oklahoma seniors (age 60+) struggle with hunger, according to AARP’s Food Insecurity Among Older Adults August 2015 Report. 17 percent of our statewide population is considered food insecure, leaving 652,090 Oklahomans (more than 250,000 children) unsure where they will get their next meal, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2014 Report.
AgPreference will also be making donations to help with hunger relief in Kiowa, Harmon, Greer, Jackson, and Tillman counties during the month of September.
About the Ministerial Alliance-Food Pantry, Walters, Ok
The Ministerial Alliance-Food Pantry of Walters, Oklahoma is a non-profit organization that is run by churches in Walters, Oklahoma. The food pantry currently helps feed approximately 600 people monthly. The food pantry is open once a month, every second Saturday of the month. Volunteers from the community help with the food pantry. The city of Walters has donated space so that the food pantry is able to operate. Local individuals, businesses, and civic clubs are also helping finance this community effort. All donations received help purchase food; as a result, the pantry continues to help those in need in the community. Many of the churches in the community belong to the Ministerial Alliance and everyone works together to make the food pantry possible.
About AgPreference and the Farm Credit System
AgPreference, ACA, headquartered in Altus, is a borrower-owned federally chartered financial institution with over $277 million in total assets. The association provides financing and other services to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses in southwest Oklahoma and in 32 states around the country via partnerships with other financial institutions. We are one of more of the 70 banks, associations, service corporations and special-purpose entities that make up the nationwide Farm Credit System. Collectively, the Farm Credit System has assets over $315 billion, nearly 500,000 member borrowers, and more than 12,000 employees with coverage in every county of the 50 states, plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. For more information on AgPreference, visit www.agpreference.com.