Two Movements of Hope, 25 Miles Apart: Convoy of Hope Serves Oklahoma at Community Events

It has been a busy year for Convoy of Hope’s Community Events. So far, we’ve served more than 166,000 Guests of Honor across over one hundred distribution sites, with more than 13.3 million pounds of product distributed. Thousands more Guests of Honor were impacted at two major events in September — although just 25 miles apart, these towns were served according to their unique needs.
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
It was a sunny early fall day, and two towns in Oklahoma were hosting Community Events. One town — Bartlesville, Oklahoma — saw over 50 churches and organizations work together to bring a day of hope to life. Over 10 percent of the town showed up to the event, with thousands of people in attendance.


As guests walked in, they were met with a community that cares for them. Over 1,000 volunteers packed hundreds of grocery bags, so when Guests of Honor arrived, they received lunch and groceries, including Plum Organic Super Smoothies and Gardens in a Bag, to take home. An entire awning was dedicated to haircuts and family portraits.
Kids received new backpacks and brand new pairs of shoes. Some children walked around with balloons tied to their arms, pops of color floating over the crowd. And in one corner, a petting zoo brought smiles to families’ faces as goats, rabbits, and pigs enjoyed their own meal of grass.
Convoy’s Jason Bachman said there was a peace over the area throughout the event.
“With so many volunteers, there were no lines; people were served well. It showed just how much the community cares,” he added.
Pawhuska, Oklahoma
A few towns over in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, volunteers and Convoy team members experienced a wave of generosity from the community.
Before the event started, volunteers packed bags between huge shipments of supplies from Convoy, preparing hundreds of groceries for Guests of Honor. As they arrived, guests were met with a meal, haircuts, health services, and more. The Kids Zone featured games of ping-pong and inflatable bounce houses.
Members of Convoy’s Supply Chain had the chance to serve Pawhuska residents — they helped fit kids for a new pair of shoes and handed out groceries.

Pawhuska pastor Jamie Kelly shared what this partnership has meant to him and his church. “In our town, like many towns, there is a lot of food insecurity. … Partnering with Convoy of Hope has made it so much better, so much more of an impact than we would have had on our own.”
It’s not only unifying for Guests of Honor, he said, but for other community leaders.
“Our church and other churches in the community have come together and serve together. … Convoy’s been a huge help through this process, giving us wisdom, helping us to coordinate, figure out logistics. It’s truly a beautiful thing.”
Community Events To Come
Our Community Events team will be collaborating more with partners next year in events called Hope Encounters — which will involve training and planning sessions with Convoy team members, but leave the execution of the events to each community.

Jason is excited to see these types of events take off as leaders learn they have the ability to serve their communities in this way. He loves to see partners go from apprehensive at the beginning of a planning call to excited and ready to get started by the end.
“They realize, ‘Oh, this is actually really doable!’ We’ve seen time and time again that this is making good leaders into better leaders.”
To get involved in our Community Events, visit convoy.org/initiatives/community-events.