"This is for your short-term emergency use," he said.

He said studying the issue of hunger is good as long as any changes made statewide come with well-managed programs. No matter the good intentions of food pantry programs, he said, if it is not well managed, then people who do not qualify will take advantage of free food.

Bivens said he would like to see more people use food stamps and eat school meals, especially breakfast.

He also wants to collect better hunger and food access statistics.

Finding money to provide more food to the hungry is another concern. He said a U.S. Department of Agriculture program provides commodities to Oklahomans, but since commodity prices like corn have increased, the amount of food provided to communities has decreased. The decline is about 33 million pounds of food over the past five years, Bivens said.

When people are on a tight budget, the "one thing they limit from their diet are fresh fruit and vegetables. They're expensive and they have a short shelf life. In rural areas, sometimes they don't have access to it," he said.

That is why Bivens, along with Jim Horne, president of The Kerr Center For Sustainable Agriculture in Poteau, want more community gardens.

"We see the schools as a real ripe opportunity" to create gardens, Horne said. This may help "get kids used to where their food comes from."

Jaclyn Houghton is CNHI News Service Oklahoma reporter.