THIS. HE JOINS US NOW LIVE DAKOTA. YEAH, YOU CAN SEE THE LIST OF TRIBES BEHIND ME. THEY’RE PART OF A FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT’S EXPERIENCING DELAYS IN FOOD SHIPMENTS. AND TONIGHT, ACROSS INDIAN COUNTRY, THEY’RE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEIR SHELVES FULL OF FOOD. THE HELP PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, THE FOOD ON THEIR TABLES. EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHANGED THE WAY THEY OPERATED THE FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS. INSTEAD OF HAVING MULTIPLE SHIPMENT CENTERS, THEY CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY’S NATIVE POPULATION. YOU KNOW,. ONE TRIBE IN THE EASTERN PART. THEY DIDN’T HAVE NO MEAT, NO PROTEINS TO GIVE OUT THAT KIND OF REALLY HURTS THE KIOWA TRIBE SAYS THEIR LAST SHIPMENT FROM THE USDA WAS A MONTH LATE. THIS IS A NORMAL HAUL THAT TRIBAL MEMBERS CAN GET FROM THE KIOWAS, VALUED AT $150, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT DELAYED SHIPMENT, THEY’VE HAD TO TELL SOME PEOPLE THAT THEY DON’T HAVE CERTAIN ITEMS AND THEY WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE. WE JUST DON’T KNOW IF WE’RE GOING TO GET THE TRUCK WHEN WE’RE SUPPOSED TO. AND IF WE DON’T GET THAT, THEN BY THE LOOKS OF OUR BACK WAREHOUSE, WHICH IS KIND OF THE OVERSTOCK THAT WE DON’T PUT OUT ON OUR SHELVES, WE’LL PROBABLY RUN OUT A PROGRAM LIKE THIS IS DESIGNED FOR TRIBAL CITIZENS WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO. MAKE ENDS MEET. AND THE KIOWAS HERE AREN’T THE ONLY ONES. HERE ARE ALL THE TRIBES WHO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM HERE IN OUR STATE. THE COMANCHE NATION SAYS THEIR JULY SHIPMENT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME IN ON THE 12TH IN ALMOST TWO WEEKS LATER, IT IS STILL NOT THERE. AND THE CHEYENNE AND ARAPAHO TRIBES SAY THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO. RECEIVE A SHIPMENT FRIDAY. BUT WORRY IT COULD BE DELAYED. THE USDA SAYS THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM, AND IN A STATEMENT, THEY SAY THEY’RE AWARE OF UNACCEPTABLE DISRUPTIONS TO FOOD DELIVERIES THROUGHOUT THE NATION DUE TO DELAYS AT A WAREHOUSE CONTRACTED. THEY GO ON TO SAY THESE DELAYS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, AND THEY’RE WORKING WITH THE CONTRACTED WAREHOUSE TO FIX IT. AND THEY SAY THEY KNOW IT IMPACTS DAILY LIVES AND THAT NO ONE IN THIS COUNTRY, FROM CHILD TO ELDER, SHOULD EVER HAVE TO QUESTION THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD RESOURCES. NOW, THIS DOESN’T JUST IMPACT THIS PROGRAM, BUT IT ALSO IMPACTS THE COMMODITY. SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM, WHICH NOT ONLY THE TRIBES USE, BUT THE REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF OKLAHOMA AND THEY SAY THEY’RE ALSO SEEING THOSE DELAYS, BUT THAT IT ISN’T SLOWING THEM DOWN AND DISTRIBUTING OUT TO PEOPLE. NOW, AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS, WE’
Oklahoma tribes wondering how to feed their people after food shipments delayed
Across Indian Country and at the Kiowa Tribe, they are struggling to keep shelves full after the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the way they operate a food distribution program to reservations.
![KOCO logo]()
Updated: 6:24 PM CDT Jul 25, 2024
Across Indian Country and at the Kiowa Tribe, they are struggling to keep shelves full after the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the way they operate a food distribution program to reservations.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here."We help provide the food on their tables,” said Kyle Autaubo, director of Kiowa Tribe Food Distribution.Earlier this year, the USDA changed the way the program operates. Instead of having multiple shipment centers, they consolidated into one for the entire country’s native population.“One tribe in the Eastern part (of Oklahoma), they didn’t have (any) meat. No proteins to give out. That kind of really hurts,” said Autaubo. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppThey said their last shipment from USDA was a month late.A normal haul that tribal members can get from the Kiowa Tribe is valued at $150. But because of that delayed shipment, they’ve had to tell some people that they don’t have certain items and they worry about the future."We just don't know if we're going to get the truck when we're supposed to,” said Autaubo. "If we don't get that, by the looks of our back warehouse which is the overstock that we don't put out on our shelves, we'll probably run out."The program is designed for tribal citizens who are struggling to make ends meet, and the Kiowa Tribe isn’t the only population affected.The Comanche Nation said their July shipment was supposed to come in on July 12, and almost two weeks later, it’s still not there.The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes said they’re supposed to receive a shipment on Friday but worry it could be delayed.The USDA said this is a nationwide problem and, in a statement, they said they are, “aware of unacceptable disruptions to food deliveries throughout the nation due to delays at a warehouse contracted.”The agency also said that these delays should never have happened and that they’re working with the contracted warehouse to fix the issue. They also said they’re aware of how it impacts daily lives, adding, “No one in this country, from child to elder, should ever have to question the availability of food resources."The situation doesn’t just impact this program, but also the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which is not just used by the tribes, but also the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.They said they have seen the delays, but it isn’t slowing down their distributions.Top HeadlinesWhat we know about the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening CeremonySouthwest Airlines is getting rid of open seating, ending a 50-year traditionOklahoma City residents wake up confused after crash causes large power outageOklahoma school districts respond to Ryan Walter’s classroom Bible demandAn 18-year-old and a juvenile face felony charges in Shawnee cattle killing
CARNEGIE, Okla. — Across Indian Country and at the Kiowa Tribe, they are struggling to keep shelves full after the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed the way they operate a food distribution program to reservations.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
"We help provide the food on their tables,” said Kyle Autaubo, director of Kiowa Tribe Food Distribution.
Earlier this year, the USDA changed the way the program operates. Instead of having multiple shipment centers, they consolidated into one for the entire country’s native population.
“One tribe in the Eastern part (of Oklahoma), they didn’t have (any) meat. No proteins to give out. That kind of really hurts,” said Autaubo.
>> Download the KOCO 5 App
They said their last shipment from USDA was a month late.
A normal haul that tribal members can get from the Kiowa Tribe is valued at $150. But because of that delayed shipment, they’ve had to tell some people that they don’t have certain items and they worry about the future.
"We just don't know if we're going to get the truck when we're supposed to,” said Autaubo. "If we don't get that, by the looks of our back warehouse which is the overstock that we don't put out on our shelves, we'll probably run out."
The program is designed for tribal citizens who are struggling to make ends meet, and the Kiowa Tribe isn’t the only population affected.
The Comanche Nation said their July shipment was supposed to come in on July 12, and almost two weeks later, it’s still not there.
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes said they’re supposed to receive a shipment on Friday but worry it could be delayed.
The USDA said this is a nationwide problem and, in a statement, they said they are, “aware of unacceptable disruptions to food deliveries throughout the nation due to delays at a warehouse contracted.”
The agency also said that these delays should never have happened and that they’re working with the contracted warehouse to fix the issue. They also said they’re aware of how it impacts daily lives, adding, “No one in this country, from child to elder, should ever have to question the availability of food resources."
The situation doesn’t just impact this program, but also the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which is not just used by the tribes, but also the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
They said they have seen the delays, but it isn’t slowing down their distributions.
Top Headlines
