Poverty and Hunger an Issue For Putnam City West Football Program

Oklahoma City-  We often take for granted some of the simpler things in life. Food, water, good nutrition.  Putnam City West a football program once an elite power in Oklahoma and former state champion in Oklahoma now faces bigger problems then their weekly game plan for the upcoming team.  They face issues such as hunger, malnutrition, limited water supply, lack of good equipment, health and even survival.

How bad is it? 85-90% of PC West students are on free or reduced lunches.  The malnutrition is so bad that the Patriots suffered a staggering 19 broken bones during their 2009 season. The teams shares a single water hose during practice and with 72 players on the team that means many of the players simply do not get enough hydration, some of the players just don't even bother trying to get water during breaks. Head Coach John Jensen has started a food pantry in the program to help combat the hunger on the team that is stocked solely on donations. But that is not enough. Lack of nutrition and proper hydration is not the only issue.

Equipment for Putnam City West pales in comparison to other High School programs around the U.S. Some of the players are wearing cleats that over 5 years old that are left behind by previous players.  Forced to keep up with the competition PC West has been forced to upgrade their media equipment sending them into debt and even still are years behind other programs when it comes to media equipment, something that is not very common in for a 6A High School.

Putnam City West open their 2010 campaign in Choctaw Oklahoma against Choctaw High School. They will not only show up, but they will give it their all. “I tell alumni this stuff all the time, these kids fight for the blue and gold every bit as hard as they did, but these kids do it hungry, without transportation, often times without a lot of parental support at the house and without the right equipment,” head coach John Jensen said. These young men go out every week and give it their all, often times while they're hungry, and not properly hydrated. Having not won a single game since 2007, Putnam City West is in dire need of help.  They don't need help winning, they need help surviving. 

-Jefferson D. Powell