Two guiding principles for all Oklahoma pig farmers are providing nutritious food and giving back to our communities. Recently, those two activities converged, and the kids at OU Children’s Hospital received the benefit.

okPORK was asked to add to the festivities at Okie Tonk Café in Moore during the OU versus Texas football game. So, Events and Outreach Coordinator Lloyd Hawkins fired up the smoker and prepared smoked pork loin for sandwiches. Hawkins and okPORK staff handed out the pork sandwiches to hungry football fans for free and accepted donations which would go toward the OU Children’s Hospital Volunteers.

“Handing out pork sandwiches is our favorite activity,” Hawkins said. “especially this fall when we weren’t able to have a state fair.”

Generous pork lovers donated more than $600 dollars during the event at Okie Tonk Café. okPORK staff also contributed bringing donations to $1,000. The okPORK board of directors then agreed to match those funds so $2,000 was available to go to OU Children’s Hospital.

“We are very thankful to those faithful pork lovers out there and their donations that made this partnership possible,” said Hawkins.

After talking to Belinda Anderson, OU Children’s Hospital Volunteer Manager, okPORK decided to purchase pink piggy Wubbanub pacifiers to go to babies in the neonatal intensive care unit and cardiac care unit. The donations and matching funds allowed okPORK to purchase 256 Wubbanubs.

“Having access to the adorable Pig WubbaNubs is so beneficial to our sweet babies,” said Megan Bien, child life specialist at OU Children’s Hospital. “Not only does it bring normalization to their hospitalization, it also provides such positive coping! We are so appreciative of okPORK for this donation.”