Riverwind Casino employees participate in Feeding Oklahoma Drive

Riverwind Casino employees brought their competitive spirits and generous hearts for Governor Fallin's seventh annual Feeding Oklahoma Drive, which benefited the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. The event kicked off 1 October and ended 31 October.

Riverwind officials said employees donated more than 14,260 pounds of food this year, enough to provide meals to hundreds of Oklahomans struggling with hunger. The large donation included shelf-stable items, such as canned fruits and vegetables, protein items, pastas and cereals.

During the last week of the drive, participating staff were given the option of donating money in place of food, which counted towards the groups' final donation total. Every dollar donated provided the equivalent of six pounds of food.

Riverwind officials said this year's food drive was different than years past.

Jack Parkinson, the casino's general manager, explained how they turned the annual event into a friendly competition involving pies.

"We divided participating employees into eight teams," said Parkinson. "The four teams with the largest number of donations could throw pies in the faces of the leaders of the four teams with the least donations. The competition made it fun and it encouraged everyone to get into the giving spirit."

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is one of Riverwind's community partners. Besides donating food and money, casino employees volunteer their time helping the Regional Food Bank. Over the last three years, Riverwind employees volunteered a total of 251 hours packing food at the Regional Food Bank.