12:10: Keshonna Davis

When the wind chill advisory expired at noon Dec. 23 and some community warming centers were shutting their doors, Keshonna Davis had already begun navigating between phone calls and text messages to help find transportation and shelter for those in need. 

“Daytime’s not a problem,” the cofounder and interim director of Hungry Hearts Feeding Ministry said. “It’s harder getting people a place to stay all night.”

The Lawton-based organization helps people battle food insecurity and provides a safe place where guests can enjoy peace of mind. Launched by Davis’ mother, the organization provides free meals, groceries and personal hygiene products for those who need help. 

“On average, we feed about 200 people a day. It’s a blessing and a curse,” Davis said. “I love that we can help that many people, but I hate that there are that many people who are dealing with food insecurity.”

Davis said although the vast majority of Hungry Hearts’ guests struggle with food insecurity regularly, “There are some [guests] who come in just because they’re by themselves and are just lonely. So being able to come in and have lunch with other people, they enjoy that socialization.”

Davis was born in Germany, where her father, retired Sgt. 1st Class Ezra Davis, was stationed. The family returned to the U.S. when she was a baby, and she has lived in Lawton the majority of her life. 

Davis’ mother, Adriene, a former cafeteria manager for Lawton Public Schools, saw those affected by food scarcity.
“I saw several families struggling to make ends meet,” Adriene Davis told Southwest Ledger in 2021. 

That prompted her to helped launch a districtwide feeding program for students which allowed students to take care packages home. After retiring from LPS, she continued her calling and began serving meals at churches throughout the community. 

“It just expanded from there,” she added.
Knowing her mother’s heart, Keshonna Davis was not surprised when she received a call from her mother.

“It started with Thanksgiving dinner,” Davis said. “Mom called and said, ‘I need you to make me some flyers, and we need some turkeys.’ 

“Turkeys? With an s?” she asked.

Supporting her mother’s calling, a few days later Davis received a report that all went well, and her mother wanted to continue to serve the community.

“She would serve lunch one day a week at a church,” Davis said. “Then she began running their food pantry and giving out groceries. That expanded into feeding twice a week.”

From there, Hungry Hearts has become a staple in the Lawton community. 

“I am just so proud of this organization and this community,” Davis said. “The level of love and support that we get is just so phenomenal. It’s just humbling to see how much people truly care.

In a world filled with so much ugliness, it’s always a great reminder there are some really good people out there.”

As a caretaker for a family member when she was younger, Davis gravitated to the nursing field.

Upon graduating from Eisenhower High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in human ecology from Cameron University and a nursing degree from Western Oklahoma State College. 

Working her way through college, Davis tutored students, worked in fast food and was a nursing assistant at Lawton’s McMahon-Tomlinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center as well as Comanche County Memorial Hospital. 

She became a licensed practical nurse and later a registered nurse at CCMH. She has practiced at CCMH for the past seven years and was recently nominated for the hospital’s Heroes in Action award.

Taking a hiatus from her position on the Hungry Hearts board, Davis has filled in as the organization’s interim executive director until a new one is named.

Davis also lends her support as a consultant for All About Understanding, a grassroots organization focusing on preparedness and guidance for today’s youth.
“They teach life skills and mentor the youth,” Davis said. 

Run by two educators who work alongside the mentees, “they really have a unique outlook on what it takes to reach the youth. They’re not just on the outside looking in; they’re right there with them. I really love what they do.”

All About Understanding creates “refreshing, enriching ideas and programs that uplift the minds and spirits of young thinkers while building their self-confidence in the fact that anything is achievable,” the AAU website states. The organization offers educational classes, seminars, lectures and workshops for youths, young adults and college students, including life skills and problem solving, personal health, legal issues and money management, according to the website.

“It’s all about teaching kids the best way in life,” Davis said. “Learning real-life skills and situations, it’s not a surprise when they (kids) grow up and need to know how to manage their own money and things like that. 

“They had a two-day event with BancFirst a few weeks ago, and youths learned about financial literacy. Cameron University came out and shared information about scholarships, and several business owners talked to them about their life experiences. It was a really eye-opening event.”

Returning her focus to the imminent weather and helping those in need stay warm, Davis said, “Even if we (Hungry Hearts) were only to stay open tonight, it’s what are they going to do after tonight. And tomorrow’s Christmas Eve. I’m making arrangements now. We’re opening at 1.”

In her spare time, Davis is a homebody with wanderlust who loves to read, listen to music and play pool.

“I will sit in the house and play music and read a book over anything,” she said. “I also shoot pool in my dad’s pool league, and I love to travel – and it’s an extra good trip if I get to go for a concert or a comedy show. If I can combine going to a new place with a concert, that’s an ultimate trip.”

In her community, Davis would like to see better promotion of resources.
“We have some phenomenal resources around here, but sometimes finding funding is the worst issue,” she said. “We all know money doesn’t grow on trees, but when there’s the ability to do so much good, and you realize that it’s hindered by the value of a dollar, it’s so hard to watch.”