Cherokee Nation is declaring a food emergency, making millions of dollars in emergency funding available for some Oklahoma families losing their food stamps in the coming days.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner declared a state of emergency Tuesday because of growing food insecurity during the ongoing government shutdown, according to a news release.
Speaking at the tribe’s annual Elder Summit Wednesday, Hoskin called this a “man-made crisis” in Washington, D.C., adding, “In the meantime, we gotta try to clean up their mess.”
Last week, states learned federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, would be suspended Nov. 1 if the shutdown continued. Any existing dollars already in SNAP accounts will roll over, according to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
More than 600,000 Oklahomans rely on food assistance, according to the state agency. Last year, an average of more than 116,000 Tulsa County residents received food stamps each month.
“Our government is operating fully, our books are balanced and we have strategic reserves,” Warner said in the release. “Our resources are not unlimited, but we cannot and will not stand by while people suffer. So, we are taking action.”
The tribe’s declaration makes more than $6.75 million in relief funding available. SNAP recipients also have the option to begin using the tribe’s federally funded Food Distribution Program instead, which has months of reserves available at eight sites across the reservation.
- $4.5 million will go directly to Cherokee Nation citizens who receive around $185 in SNAP benefits per person each month. They must also live within the reservation or surrounding counties.
- $1.25 million will go to food banks and other nonprofits within the reservation and surrounding areas.
- $255,000 will go to the tribe’s Community and Cultural Outreach-participating nonprofit organizations within the reservation to support local food security programs.
Tribal officials are reaching out to area nonprofits that provide food assistance to develop an online application for eligible citizens to access these funds. Applications are expected to be available by Nov. 3.
While tribes are preparing to help fill the gaps, Chief Hoskin says the state could be doing more.
“The state of Oklahoma ought to do something about it,” Hoskin said Wednesday. “They ought to join the rest of us. And we’re asking Gov. (Kevin) Stitt, my goodness, take some of that surplus and help people out.”
Cherokee Nation citizens are encouraged to update their Gadugi Portal profiles and visit Cherokee Nation Human Services office to learn more about switching to the Food Distribution Program.
If the shutdown continues past the middle of November, the tribe is also prepared to dole out $750,000 for recipients of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, a federal program for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Erika Rankin, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Department of Health, told the Flyer earlier this week WIC is still operating as usual in Oklahoma.
“We have worked internally to identify all funding sources available to keep the program operating as long as possible, should that be needed,” Rankin said.
The Flyer has been monitoring updates to SNAP benefits, reporting on resources in the community and sharing testimonies by Tulsans like you. Find all of our coverage here.
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