Battling hunger - one pork dish at a time!

Fighting back against hunger in Oklahoma

"Fighting hunger...feeding hope," is the motto of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The food bank takes fighting hunger seriously and is the largest private hunger-relief organization in the state, according to their website. In addition, during their past fiscal year, The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma provided 42.2 million pounds of food to more than 800 partners who fed more than 90,000 people each week.

Why is this so important? Oklahoma is among the top five states facing hunger issues in the nation. Almost 700,000 people in Oklahoma wake up and wonder where their next meal will come from.

The people of okPORK have seen this and chosen to get involved.

The evening of August 2, the okPORK Board of Directors, staff, friends and families gathered at the food bank for an evening of volunteer work. They took advantage of a volunteer program called Rock 'n Box.

Rock 'n Box is planned each Thursday night. Each of the four sessions during the month a integrate a different "rocking" element. Some weeks a DJ is present and some weeks it is karaoke.

For the okPORK group, it was a DJ who played every type of music. There was some up-tempo rap and some golden oldies played. People were dancing and singing along to the music for the entirety of the volunteer session from 6-9 p.m. The music seemed to make the work go faster.

"It didn't feel like we worked as long as we did," Brett Ramsey, an okPORK ex-officio Board member, said. "We had fun with the music and time simply flew by."

The okPORK group members worked hard and they managed to fill 183 cases of frozen carrots. Each case of carrots weiged 32 pounds and the total weight was 5,856 pounds. When averaged out, and weighing a meal at 1.3 pounds each, the okPORK volunteer group helped to provide more than 4,500 meals to hungry people in Oklahoma.

This trip, however, is not the first or the last of its kind for okPORK and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. You are invited to be a part of it next time, and every time. How much more can okPORK do with your help?

okPORK Rock 'n Box

Get ready for some versatile and delicious pork

Chili rub slow cooker pulled pork

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (butt), or sirloin roast
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil, or other neutral-flavored oil
1/2 cup chicken broth

Cooking Directions

Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with foil and place the pork in the pan. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, salt, and cayenne. Rub the mixture over all sides of the meat, pressing it to adhere (if the meat is tied together with twine or netting, just rub the seasoning right over it). Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork and brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker.

Add the broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Add the broth to the slow cooker, cover, and cook until the pork is very tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Use two forks to shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Moisten/season with cooking juices to taste

Makes 8 to 10 servings

About Oklahoma Pork Council

The Oklahoma Pork Council, a producer organization consisting of Oklahoma pork producers, represents the interests of all pork producers. Partially funded by federally collected Pork Checkoff dollars, OPC promotes pork and pork products, funds research, and educates consumers and producers about the pork industry. For more information about this or any other programs of the Oklahoma Pork Council visit www.okpork.org or call 1.405.232.3781.