Oklahoma Human Services awarded a $190,000 grant to a church in Barnsdall to help combat food insecurity.
The grant funds will help the Lighthouse Family Worship Center increase its food storage and delivery capacity.
“This is not about buying a bunch of food and handing it out,” said 10th District Rep. Judd Strom, clarifying that the money is intended as a long-term investment.
Strom said the Oklahoma Legislature created the grant program in 2023. Nearly 170 organizations applied for more than $40 million. The Lighthouse Family Worship Center received 100 percent of its requested funds.
Co-pastor Kathy Gott said Lighthouse has applied for funds to purchase a van to pick up food from the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in Tulsa and deliver meals to shut-ins and those without transportation. The church has also applied for funds to build a 2,400-square-foot food storage building.
“It will be a food storage facility,” God said.
The Lighthouse Family Worship Center is a fair-sized church, but only a small portion has room for food, she said.
“It still doesn’t seem real, but it is real; the money is in the bank,” God said.
“We’re super excited,” Gott said, explaining that Lighthouse submitted the grant application several months ago – long before Barnsdall, which has a population of about 1,000, was hit by two tornadoes in the spring of 2024.
On April 1, the city was hit by a tornado that reportedly destroyed two to three homes and perhaps another half-dozen buildings. On May 6, however, an EF-4 tornado destroyed much of the east end of the city.
“We believe God is just going to build Barnsdall back better, and we are excited to be a part of that,” God said.
Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelley called the grant project “great.” Kelley is working to keep Barnsdall together despite adversity.
Strom said in an Aug. 7 news release that Oklahoma Human Services also awarded grants to three Bartlesville organizations to help combat food insecurity. The Salvation Army in Bartlesville received a $102,000 grant, while Churches United for Community Concern received $48,055 and Agape Mission of Bartlesville received $4,620.68.
Oklahoma Human Services estimates that more than 500,000 residents in the state currently experience food insecurity. Nearly 200,000 of those residents are children. Oklahoma has a population of about 4 million people.
