One church gives DHS access to classroom, other purchased storage building 

PUSHMATAHA – Serving families in need can look different depending on each individual church’s resources.  

Two churches in Pushmataha County not only meet local needs on CarePortal, but also provide the local Oklahoma Human Services offices with storage options.  

Antlers Church of Christ provides an unused educational classroom to the OKDHS office so case workers can store items that are immediately needed after removal, like clothes or supplies. 

“There’s no sense in us just having a bunch of empty rooms if we can help someone in the community,” Pastor Brent Franks said. “So, I thought that would be a good use of our building.”  

Antlers Church of Christ enrolled on CarePortal during the initial launch in October of 2022. It was during a meeting with the 111Project and OKDHS that Franks learned of the need for storage – so Franks offered them the classroom.  

“They came and looked at the classrooms, and they picked out one that was closest to the outside door,” he said.  

A lock was placed on the classroom door and a key to the outside door was given to the OKDHS office. 

Hall Freewill Baptist Church purchased a storage building to house commonly requested CarePortal items.  

“We have it probably 75% full right now of items that we have gotten – just waiting for someone to request it through the portal,” Pastor Wes Haddox said.  

Haddox said the church had discussed purchasing a storage building for their tables and chairs. After enrolling on CarePortal during the initial launch, they started receiving donated items and needed a place to put them.  

“We don’t need a very big one for our tables and chairs and stuff; So, we might as well get one a little bit bigger that we can utilize with the 111Project,” he said.  

After several months of meeting needs, Haddox said they’ve learned what items will be commonly requested by DHS – like car seats and beds. When items are donated or on sale and purchased, they’ll be stored until DHS needs them, Haddox said.  

Haddox said his personal calling is to help kids, which lead him to become a 6th-12th grade math teacher and coach. CarePortal got his attention because it provides an opportunity to help foster kids directly, he said.  

“Now in order to help the kids, sometimes you’re helping the parents, which there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. 

Regional Manager Jonathan Cox said he’s excited about what’s going on in Pushmataha County, not only because these two churches have storage facilities specifically for CarePortal requests, but because they see the need and the importance of it and it’s not stopping with them.  

“They’re really close in their community and the more they talk to each other the more that churches start to set aside space for CarePortal needs – it’s becoming more of how their community works and how it operates and that excites me,” Cox said. “It’s not about us, about 111Project or CarePortal, it’s about getting these kids help and the church gets to step into that. The more you see the church stepping into that sphere, the more you see unity amongst the body of Christ, the more kids you’ll see served, and the closer these families will get because they’re supported by a community that loves them.”   

Cox said these churches had a desire to help more people and were creative about how they could do that, and they took charge.   

“It’s really cool to see that heart and unity among them,” he said.   

Pushmataha County has 27 children in care as of Aug. 8, according to numbers released monthly by OKDHS.    

“We’ll never run out of needs,” Franks said. 

Any churches or individuals interested in learning more or getting involved can visit 111project.org.