KOTV Partnership Raising Money & Awareness For Childhood Hunger

Throughout KOTV's 70 years in Tulsa, community service has taken many forms. Nearly a decade ago, Griffin Communications joined forces with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to raise awareness and money for the Food for Kids Program.

"We're really trying to reach children wherever they are," says Greg Raskin with the Food Bank.

About one in four children is at risk of going hungry, and that's why Food for Kids was started. Every week, 10,000 backpacks of food are passed out to children in need.

"When we're hungry and we don't have a lot of food at the house we can eat some of the backpack club food," said 10-year-old Stevie.

The hope was to see what a big difference the extra attention could bring. Today, Food for Kids continues to expand. The backpacks that were just available in Tulsa County, are now in 19 counties. At the News On 6 booth at the Tulsa State Fair, our "Kiss a Pig" contest raised almost $23,000 for the Food Bank.

"All of these programs have developed, really, since our affiliation with KOTV and Griffin Communications, now the radio group," says Raskin. "Just making the public more aware of the need of children in Oklahoma and some of the services the food bank provides."

Besides the extra attention through news coverage, station employees have volunteered more than 6,300 hours to help pack food. For KOTV, it's about more than publicity. It's about helping Oklahoma's Own.

"All of these efforts are just making sure that children don't hungry," Raskin says.