By Melissa Olson/MPR News
Native Americans will be among hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans whose food assistance will be halted as long as Congress remains in a stalemate over passing a federal spending bill.
Red Lake Nation is one of three tribal nations in Minnesota who administers SNAP benefits, according to the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Oshkimaajitah-dah, the tribe’s human service agency, administers the federal food support program to income-eligible households on Red Lake Nation tribal lands.
The loss of food support could mean households will have to choose between paying their rent and utilities or buying food.
“You have income that you have where, typically, you would pay your rent out of, or you would pay your utilities out of. Now, they have to look at stretching it out. Now they have to pay for food out of that money because of the loss of food support,” Tracey Kingbird, the agency’s assistant executive director, said.
More than 3,300 Red Lake Nation band members, including children and elderly adults, receive support through SNAP, according to the data collected by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and White Earth Nation also administer SNAP to members of their respective nations, according to the state.
Alternative option to SNAP
Thousands more Native American families receive SNAP benefits through their local county governments.
Members of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, a tribal nation in north central Minnesota, apply for assistance across four northern counties — Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca and Cass counties.
In November, Gov. Tim Walz announced $4 million in emergency aid will be distributed to local food shelves, including tribal nations.
Claire Chase leads Leech Lake Band’s agricultural department, which oversees the tribe’s SNAP education, food distribution and food sovereignty programs.
Chase says band members on remote parts of the Leech Lake Reservation can travel as long as 45 minutes one-way to a big box grocery store in Bemidji or Grand Rapids.
“We see this as just deepening this long-term crisis for food security in our community,” Chase said.
Longer-than-average travel times to grocery stores is the reason the U.S. Department of Agriculture created the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation Program, or FDPIR, more than a half-century ago to fulfill a much older treaty-based obligation.
Chase says band members eligible for SNAP can apply for food aid through the tribe’s FDPIR program, but she says they cannot participate in both programs. Leaders from tribal governments across the state and beyond say they have received the same guidance from the USDA concerning FDPIR programs.
Chase says it’s up to people to decide if they want to apply to Leech Lake Band’s FDPIR program, emphasizing that it’s not mandatory. She cautioned that it would mean that band members would have to withdraw from receiving SNAP benefits.
‘Leaning into our sovereignty’
Chase says her agency has some money set aside to assist with purchasing food to distribute to local community centers to help offset the loss of SNAP benefits. Chase says she is working with each of Leech Lake Band’s dozen community centers to determine what kind of support each community wants.
“We’re really kind of leaning into our sovereignty and the knowledge of those communities,” Chase said.
The Bois Forte Reservation Tribal Council posted information to the band’s website telling Bois Forte Band tribal members that the tribe’s FDPIR and food shelf programs are not affected.
A post to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s social media accounts let band members know extra food will be available through the tribe’s food shelf starting early November.
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe posted a notice on the tribe’s social media page Monday.
“As we continue to navigate the federal government shutdown, our commitment to the well-being of our Tribal Community remains constant,” read the statement from the Fond du Lac Band. “We are working to ensure that no individual or household is left without support.”
The Fond du Lac Band provided a list of food resources for families living in St. Louis and Carleton counties.
Urban Native American communities organize
The Division of Indian Work, along with a dozen Native-led nonprofit organizations, are pitching in to help distribute food to address food insecurity during the shutdown. The Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors met Tuesday at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The coalition plans to publish a list of resources for those seeking food support in the coming days.
The Twin Cities metro area is home to tribally diverse urban Native communities numbering over 50,000 people, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2017-2021.
Food insecurity in Native American households has also long been an issue in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Division of Indian Work, a multi-service nonprofit in Minneapolis, has been running a food shelf since 1952, dating back to the organization’s founding as a church-based organization. Today, the independent nonprofit food shelf serves an estimated 8,000 people annually.
“Any change at all is going to have a huge impact and taking away a basic necessity like food for families and particularly young people, our elders — the impact is daunting,” Louise Matson, executive director of the Division of Indian Work, said.
The organization’s food shelf is open Monday through Friday. Matson said the organization has plans to increase the number of times people can visit the food shelf and the amount of healthy food that is available.
“We also work really hard with partners to bring fresh produce and also culturally-based food, like bison or wild rice. Things like that are maybe a little pricey. We try to offer those as much as possible,” Matson said.
Matson said that she’s proud of the way Native communities have historically come together in challenging moments.
“One thing I think we do really well in the Twin Cities is support one another; and people will step up for community, and they will step up for the young people, and they will step up for the elders.”
