Other Options ED named OKC Pride Parade Grand Marshal

by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

Oklahoma City community leader Mary Arbuckle, Other Options/Friends Food Pantry, Inc. Executive Director, has been named as Grand Marshal of the 2015 OKC Pride Parade.

Arbuckle has a rich history of service work in the LGBT community and across the state of Oklahoma. She has been the Executive Director of Other Options, Inc. (includes Friends Food Pantry) from 2009-2015, served as Interim Director from 2008-2009, on the Board of Directors 1989-2008 as the Fundraising Coordinator and was an HIV/AIDS Test Counselor and HIV/AIDS Educator in the earliest days of the disease.

She is also active in many other organizations both as a board member and volunteer.

“Authentic goodness is shown in actions, more than words,” Arbuckle said in a statement to The Gayly. “Genuine goodness is something drawn from the heart and the soul of a person.”

The purpose of Other Options, Inc. is to provide food, resources, services, and education to at-risk individuals and families with a focus on those affected by HIV and AIDS. The mission statement is focused on non-discriminating, compassionate care to those in need.

“When my mother, Averil ‘Cookie’ Arbuckle, Founder of Other Options, Inc. passed in April of 2010, I was more determined to make sure that Other Options would continue,” said Arbuckle. “I feel my work at Other Options is nothing less then what comes from my heart and I hope that I show that every day when I walk through the doors at Other Options.”

Mary lives in Oklahoma City with her wife, Lina Henneman and their many dogs, cats and horses.

For more information about Other Options, Inc. and Friends Food Pantry, visit www.otheroptionsokc.org.

The Gayly – June 15, 2015 @ 7:10am.