About 100 Tulsa families received free meal boxes last week through the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma’s Beyond Bars program, which works directly with girls whose parents are incarcerated.
The program has a 10-year partnership with Food on the Move, a Tulsa organization that combats hunger through distributing healthy food.
Ramal Brown, development ambassador with Food on the Move, said each meal kit includes a ham, sides and dessert. The annual giveaway allows them to address food insecurity by curating the experience of families uniting over a meal they prepare together.
“This helps generationally, families know that they’re cared for and loved, and for the grandmothers and the grandbabies to really partner together and work together to help provide something for the family,” he said. “And it’s a good conversation starter as well, as you’re sitting and eating your meal, it’s just something that bonds people.”
Sheryl Lewis said she’s found a supportive community through the Girls Scouts’ program. In 2019, she became the guardian for two girls after their mother was incarcerated.
Lewis said Beyond Bars has been crucial in helping them feel supported, especially around the holidays.
“They learn that they are enough. What happened to their mom is her issue, not their issue,” she said. “They grew a lot being with the Girl Scouts.”
Shannon Luper is the program’s director. Each week, she takes the scouts to one of the women’s Oklahoma Department of Corrections facilities. This Christmas, they will be treated to a holiday celebration with their mothers.
Luper said this is also a chance to let kids be kids.
“Forty percent of our children are being raised by grandparents, and those children have to step into the role of a parent,” she said. “Whether it’s learning, teaching the grandparent how to maneuver doctor’s appointments, teaching the grandparent how to maneuver school … they may not get to be the kid that they want to be.”
That’s something Lewis has had to deal with firsthand. Her stepdaughters, as she refers to them, are 13 and 16 but she says she keeps reminding them: “You guys are kids. You don’t have to be in charge.”
Lewis said her main focus is juggling court costs to get full custody and complete an adoption. For now, though, they’ll enjoy cooking their Christmas meal together.
