City employees collect 414 pounds of food for Broken Arrow Neighbors

Source: City of Broken Arrow

City of Broken Arrow employees collected 414 pounds of food for Broken Arrow Neighbors in a month-long food drive.

To put that into perspective, that is about nine-tenths as heavy as the heart of a blue whale! It’s half the weight of a horse and for all you football fans, it's about two Baker Mayfields!

The Employee Events Steering Committee initiated the drive as another way to benefit the people of Broken Arrow. It is one of two community outreaches City employees have participated in this holiday season.

"The generosity of the City of Broken Arrow family is simply unbelievable!" City Manager Michael Spurgeon said. "I could not be prouder of how much our team gives back to the community and BA Neighbors is such an incredible organization, it is a privilege to help with their mission."

Broken Arrow Neighbors Executive Director Megan Quickle and her staff were very appreciative of the effort.

“As a community-based organization, we rely on donations from the community like that of the City of Broken Arrow to serve more than 11,000 families in Broken Arrow and Coweta,” Quickle said. “We serve people with dignity and compassion, and the City’s employees helped us serve over 414 pounds of food to citizens in need."

This is the first year for the employee-led food drive. It was a competition between the departments, with the Streets and Stormwater Department winning by a large margin.

“It was a fun contest between departments that benefits our neighbors in need, which is especially important during this time of year,” said Employee Event Committee Chair Galea Albano. “It shows that small acts of kindness really add up to make a big difference.”

Quickle says the need for food in the organization is most significant in January through March, but that hunger doesn’t stop.

“People are hungry all year long,” she said.