Customers at the Spirit Lake Nation Food Distribution Program in 2016. (Photo credit: Don Hamilton for USDA)
With food shortages lasting for months affecting indigenous food assistance programs, U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota called on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to address the situation quickly and thoroughly.
“These shortages represent a gross failure of program management and the USDA must resolve this issue immediately,” Cramer said in a statement to Buffalo’s Fire. “Participating families need to be assured that their food will arrive on time.”
Earlier this year, a U.S. Department of Agriculture warehouse consolidation disrupted nationwide distribution, leaving many staple food programs — vital for children and the elderly — without essential foods such as meat, cheese, frozen vegetables and fruit juice.
Six senators from both parties, including Hoeven and Cramer, wrote in an Aug. 23 letter that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture is alleviating ongoing supply problems, “more needs to be done.”
“This letter is about getting answers, resolving the issues … and urging that tribes be properly consulted on the future administration of this program,” Hoeven said in a statement to Buffalo’s Fire.
Mary Greene-Trottier, director of the Spirit Lake Nation Food Distribution Program at Fort Totten, said the resources already mobilized by Secretary Vilsack are “tremendous.”
“I am glad that congressional leaders are heeding the call for urgency, and I commend them for that,” she said.
In their letter, the senators, along with food program leaders, called for long-term guardrails and strategies to “prevent a situation like this in the future.”
When the U.S. Department of Agriculture switched to a single distribution and warehousing provider in April, the number of late, incomplete or missing deliveries skyrocketed. Missouri-based contractor Paris Brothers lacked the staff and infrastructure needed to ensure a smooth transition.
Many staple food programs that were accustomed to monthly replenishment ran into difficulties or ran out of supplies because delivery trucks arrived weeks later than scheduled.
Program leaders are working hard to establish a line of communication to ensure supplies arrive. They have pivoted to multiple food suppliers and funding sources to ensure clients can take home the essentials they need.
Lawmakers stressed that these food shortages are especially severe during the summer months, when many families rely on staple food programs rather than school meals. Food distribution programs are critical to counteracting the “summer slide,” in which students’ educational attainment declines without consistent resources.
In early August, supplies increased but needed to be improved to make up for the significant backlog. After more than three months of ongoing shortages, the USDA authorized the use of separate funds for food distribution programs and allocated $11 million to purchase food and restock supplies.
Food banks, retailers and tribal leaders are constantly reaching out to tribes’ food assistance programs, offering resources and support. This “shows that they care,” Greene-Trottier said.
Greene-Trottier noted that it is unfortunate that attention is being focused on a negative experience within food distribution programs, which are important hubs for the community. “I really hope this shines a light on the important work that we do,” Greene-Trottier said.
More than 50,000 participants in food distribution programs on reservations rely on the monthly food supply rather than the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which can be difficult to access on reservations. In 2023, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program served nearly 700 million low-income seniors.
Greene-Trottier will travel to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 12 to participate in a consultation between tribal leaders and government officials. She hopes the discussion will produce strategies for long-term solutions.
This article was originally published by Buffalo’s Fire, a digital news site of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit media organization led by Indigenous people and founded by Indigenous women based in Bismarck.
