Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma Partners with Marlow Samaritans

by Cricket Holland
Ike Eisenhlor, Sandy Chatfield, DeWayne Lowe, Carolyn Lowe, and See Chatfield, all volunteer with Marlow Samaritans, assist with distribution of fresh produce that was donated by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Ike Eisenhlor, Sandy Chatfield, DeWayne Lowe, Carolyn Lowe, and See Chatfield, all volunteer with Marlow Samaritans, assist with distribution of fresh produce that was donated by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

During this Coronavirus epidemic, many families are finding themselves in situations they never dreamed they would be facing.
Loss of jobs, illnesses, schools being closed, restaurants closed to inside dining, clothing stores closed, a run on toilet paper and hand sanitizer….business as usual is no longer business as usual. Along with the virus comes rules and regulations established by local, state and national governing bodies. All trying to keep us safe while keeping this pandemic under some type of control as we await the downward curve of Corvid-19.
And then comes a bright light that covered our community this past Saturday! Thanks to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma partnering with the Marlow Samaritans, a truck loaded with fresh produce was made available to anyone in the area.
“They (RFB) called me and asked if we could give away a truck load of fresh produce,” said Carolyn Lowe, who serves as president of the organization, “and so I immediately called an emergency board meeting by phone.
“Everyone said absolutely; we can do this,” she continued.
Upon arrival of the Regional Food Bank truck at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and with the help of several volunteers, 10 pallets of fresh produce were off loaded into refrigerated trucks owned by Cable Meat Center in Marlow.
“Tom (owner of Cable Meat Center) is always willing to help us with any project that will ultimately help folks in our communities,” Mrs. Lowe said.
“We were fortunate to receive three kinds of spuds: baking, little red boilers and sweet potatoes; sweet purple and white onions, plus a green salad mix and spinach as well as limes, grapefruit, and bananas. Lots of good produce that would add to any family grocery list,” she said.
“We received permission from Superintendent George Coffman to set up and organize our distribution center in the parking lot of the gymnasium located on 9th Street.
“Making sure we were under the crowd limit, all volunteers wore masks and gloves to ensure their safety as well as the people we would be serving.
“Cars formed a single line and pulled up to our work stations and the bags of produce were placed in their vehicles without anyone having to get out of their cars. This helped protect us and them,” said Mrs. Lowe.
Within four hours all the produce had been handed out to anyone who drove through the line.
“It was definitely a lot of fast, hard work but everyone was so grateful to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for making the food items available for their families.
“We, the Marlow Samaritans, have a fantastic base group of volunteers and they were all willing to help but we wanted to remain in compliance with the number (10) working,” she added.
Partnering with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is nothing new for the Marlow Samaritans who are only one of the many food banks across the state of Oklahoma who receive food items on a bi-weekly basis.
“During this time of crisis and with the generous donations provided through the RFB, we are able to continue with the food bank program in our organization. We have 260+ families we are serving at the present time and are expecting that number to grow,” Mrs. Lowe said.
We are fortunate to live in a community that when things are going good, we celebrate and enjoy life together! If nothing else, this epidemic shows that we are strong together when things get tough too! Generosity abounds from our community and needs are being met because of the financial support given to the local organization.
The Marlow Samaritans was formed in 1981 and has served the surrounding community for almost 40 years. In speaking with many of the volunteers, all were in complete agreement in saying, “There is no place we had rather live and serve than Marlow, OK!! Thank you for your continued support in helping us help others.”