Sports Editor Rodney Haltom is a large man with a heart almost as large as he is.
Hungry people throughout the county where he has covered sports for over 15 years have not gone unnoticed by the man whose compassion for people is deep-seated in his inherent nature.
“A lot of people do not realize that McIntosh County ranks fourth in poverty in Oklahoma,” he said recently after delivering enough food to Under One Roof to feed 100 families. “Some kids only get to eat at school. Not every kid, but it’s more prominent than what people think.
“Being close to the athletic program, we decided to use this platform to gather the generous families in Mc-Intosh County to help other families in our great community,” Haltom said.
Haltom is sports editor for both the Indian Journal and Mc-Intosh County Democrat, which gives him a pretty close connection to folks across the county.
Not shy about striking up conversations, he said over the years he learned the depth of the hunger issue.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last couple of years because we had a couple of incidents where kids basically stopped going to school. Their parents were having hard times and having difficulties being able to put food on the table.
“Rent in Eufaula is sky high. Housing is not very affordable. It’s not just Eufaula and Checotah. It’s everybody that lives in the county.
“I talk to everybody and anybody. I’ve been here since 1972 and consider myself a native Eufaulan. When you know as many people as I do, you know the hard times. You know people who are successful and people not so successful. But one thing the successful and unsuccessful have in common is they like to eat.”
In 2024, he decided to act on his instincts.
Haltom set up collection points at his offices in Checotah and Eufaula.
“I had a great response,” he said. “People from all over made donations, not just local but also from out of town.”
For the first effort, the response to Haltom’s Huddle Food Drive did exceedingly well.
Those who could, dropped off food. Those who couldn’t, dropped off money.
“I went out and did a bunch of shopping for food,” he said. “It was a really good turnout. I had a pickup bed full of food.”
Last week he dropped off the food at Under One Roof in Eufaula, where it will be distributed to anyone who is in need. Food also went to the Methodist Mission in Checotah.
He plans to make this an annual event.
“I hope it gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “People don’t realize the number of kids, and families in general, that this food is going to help fill up some bellies and provide a happy, healthy dinner.
“This will make a big impact on a lot of families.”
