Hugo and Antlers Churches Provide Food and Hope

HUGO & ANTLERS, OKLA. – The towns of Hugo and Antlers, with a combined population of approximately 5,000 people, have a dedicated Adventist presence reaching out to the cities’ underserved. The Antlers church has 40 members and the Hugo church has 20 members. 

Since May 2024, a food outreach program has benefited Hugo citizens in one of Oklahoma’s poorest counties, Choctaw. Ron Greenthaller, Christine Owens, Barbara and Danny Dillishaw and Anthony Dente, along with a couple of community members, work out of the Hugo church parking lot on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. The food is donated by the state and local grocers, and church members put together one box for each family, distributing 20 to 25 boxes to local residents, primarily retirees and veterans, during a typical week.

The week of Thanksgiving, the food outreach group partnered with Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Department of Health to share 26 turkey dinners (including side dishes), a complete meal for four to six people. The church also sponsored a Thanksgiving feast that helped many in the community, including a family with five children, one income and financial hardships. The family reported that the meal was a blessing. After the community feast, the remainder of the food was donated to the Hugo fire and police departments.

During the holidays, Antlers church members gave gift baskets with snacks, fruit, tracts and handmade cards made by the children’s Sabbath Schools to Antlers’ organizations like the police, fire and EMS departments; the sheriff’s department; the county jail; Choctaw Nation Community Center; and Antlers Public Library.

By Caroline Fisher