FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- Starting Monday (April 2) Arvest Banks across the area will start taking in donations to help fight food insecurity in the area.
KFSM has partnered with the bank for the 1 Million Meals event.
For the past seven years the bank has held this event, they have raised 11.2 million meals.
Karen Gray the vice president of marketing and public relations said they want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to eat.
“Twelve percent of American households are food insecure," Gray said. "Arkansas is number five in the nation and Oklahoma is number eight in the nation. That’s not a list you want to be on.”
For two months you can drop off donations at any Arvest Bank or use their new Arvest Go app launching April 9.
Gray explained they are looking for food items like pop-top soup or jars of peanut butter.
Anything that is easy to prepare.
If you don't feel like donating food, Gray said they will take monetary donations.
She said even just a dollar will help those in need.
“One dollar equals five meals to someone that’s food deprived," Gray said.
Whatever you donate will stay in the community you donated in.
Gray said food donated in Fayetteville stays in Fayetteville and donations made in Fort Smith stay in Fort Smith.
They donations will go to local homeless shelters and schools.
They have seen a trend where donations seem to drop off around the summer time and Gray said they want to fill that gap.
“The problem is during the summer months, school kids are not getting fed in school so they need to have more food in the food banks in the schools to take care of these children who are not getting fed," Gray said.
Each year, Gray said they have exceeded their goal of one million meals.
This year though, they hope to break two million.
The event ends June 2.