OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Governor Kevin Stitt signed a proclamation Tuesday morning, officially declaring November as “Family Month” in Oklahoma. 

“Families are really the bedrock of our communities,” said Gov. Stitt. “When we lift up families in Oklahoma, we’re going to see a shift in the direction of our state.”

According to the Governor, studies show less than 5% of households with married parents face poverty, so he’s troubled by other research that shows the number of married men between ages 25 and 35 has dropped almost half since 2005. 

“Families working together are lifting themselves out of poverty,” said Gov. Stitt. 

The governor’s Family Month Campaign includes a partnership with the Oklahoma Restaurant Association to promote family meal sharing. 

“All the restaurants that are joining us, through their social feeds, will be putting out different discounts, family packages, discounts on food for your kids for free, or a percentage off,” said James Leewright, the CEO of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association. 

Oklahoma State Parks will have opportunities for families to get into nature together. 

“No entry fees and no parking fees at six of our state parks the weekends before and after Thanksgiving,” said Shelley Zumwalt, with the Oklahoma Department of Tourism.

Those parks include Thunderbird, Quartz, Robbers Cave, Murray, Wister and Sequoyah. 

The state’s also working with various nonprofits to encourage families to serve their community together. 

“We bring fathers together to be able to help to cultivate that community to create those positive parenting cycles,” said Marquess Dennis, the CEO of Birthright Living Legacy. 

Governor Stitt said the state also launched two websites aimed at helping families: oklahoma.gov/life and beaneighbor.ok.gov/s/.