News Release
Dec. 14, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OKC Thunder and Lightning Partner to Fight Poverty
OKLAHOMA CITY — This year, The Oklahoma City Lightning are partnering up with fellow local sports team OKC Thunder for this year’s Holiday Assist Food and Toy Drive in order fight the city’s poverty rates. Starting December 7th, players, coaches and representatives of each Oklahoma City team will volunteer to help the cause alongside other OKC residents at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Oklahoma City Metropolitan area is home to over 1.25 million people. Out of that population, 14.7 percent of them, or about 183,000 people, live under the poverty line. The locals of OKC are several thousands of dollars below the national average for median household income. OKC want to bring together those who can help and those who need help to improve Oklahoma City as a whole.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been holding their Holiday Assist Drive for 11 years and The Lightning are excited to become part of an OKC tradition.
Starting December 7th and running until the 20th volunteers alongside members of each OKC organization will be working the food and toy drive and accepting donations at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Donations can also be brought to the Sonic Superdome, though there is no event at that location. Following the 20th, members of each OKC organization will go around Oklahoma City’s most impoverished areas and give out food and toys for Christmas.
With high poverty rates across the city, the Lightning have decided to take a stand even as a new franchise, believing “these people are our foundation, our city. The Oklahoma City Lightning are nothing without Oklahoma City.”
The Oklahoma City Lightning is a football team celebrating its debut year in the SCOM Fantasy Classic League. OKCL are working on ways to build Oklahoma City and impact the poverty issues in the city.