Skyline Urban Ministry celebrates 50 years of service
4/3/2024
Volunteer opportunities include the Food Resource Center, the Mobile Food Pantry, the garden program, vision services, and more. Photo courtesy Skyline Urban Ministry.
Skyline celebrates 50 years of service to the Oklahoma City community this year. Incorporated in 1974, Skyline has a long history of meeting needs within the metro. In 1964, the United Methodist Conference launched a pilot program to advance downtown focus and support of urban city centers.
Skyline’s founder and first director, Reverend MacKenzie Thompson, outlined the original focus of Skyline’s service to the community by saying, “Skyline seeks to relate any youth in this particular downtown scope of life to Christian young adulthood and to help youth ‘through the complicated process of putting away childish things and becoming an adult.’”
Rev. Thompson’s commitment to making a difference in the Oklahoma City community has carried along throughout Skyline’s storied history.
In 1973, Skyline launched a program that is now the Food Resource Center, entitled “Cup-Board.” As Skyline’s services expanded, the programmatic focus shifted to respond to ever-changing community needs.
In 1979, Skyline provided food support to more than 13,000 Oklahomans.
While serving the Oklahoma City community, the team at Skyline learned of the importance of bridging resource gaps in food, community relationships, and healthcare.
The Skyline Eye Clinic was established in 1989 and provides free eye exams and glasses for more than 1300 Oklahomans each year.
Food support has been a large part of Skyline’s service to the community throughout its storied history. In 2014, we built the current 6500-square-foot Food Resource Center to enable all of Skyline’s programs to operate under one roof.
Skyline Today
Fast forwarding to today, Skyline’s Food Resource Center, Mobile Pantry, and Garden program serve more than 26,000 households accounting for nearly 60,000 service deliveries each year. To put the broad reach into perspective, Skyline provides enough service deliveries to fill the Paycom Center more than three times.
Need within the Oklahoma City community is growing and we are fortunate to partner with incredible churches, volunteers, and donors who help meet community needs every day. We would love to find a place for you or your ministry group to volunteer in any of our programs.
We also want to extend a formal invitation to join our fundraising luncheon 11:45 to 1 p.m., Thursday, May 9. We would love to have you join us to learn how partnerships and support from our donors ensure that we continue meeting community needs. Visit our website for more details.