Food deliveries to low-income native households across the country have been disrupted due to “supply chain issues” and “national warehouse delays” according to federal officials.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making $11 million available to tribes to restock their pantries, including three in Idaho.
Food programs run by the Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock tribes are eligible for nearly $185,000 due to the delays.
Representatives from the Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock tribes didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) initiative began directly offering food to low-income Native Americans in the 1970s. It serves more than 80,000 individuals each month, according to USDA, which oversees the program.
Federal officials said the program curbed the need for many tribal members to travel far distances to get nutritious food at stores accepting food stamp benefits.
Eligible items include canned vegetables and fruit, along with frozen meats, dairy and grains.
But the USDA said disruptions have been ongoing for months.
That’s after the agency switched to a single contractor to warehouse and ship food across the country.
“The program serves some of the most vulnerable people in our country, and recipients have reported bare shelves, having received expired food items, and inconsistent food deliveries for over four months,” a bipartisan group of federal legislators wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack late last month.
That group includes Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson (R), who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
“It is the federal government’s responsibility to uphold its trust and treaty obligations to Tribes, and this situation must be resolved immediately,” they wrote.
The letter asks USDA to hand over documents and answer questions about the problems by Sept. 9.
Kansas City, Mo company Paris Brothers, Inc. took over as the sole contractor to warehouse and ship food involved with the FDPIR in April.
Paris Brothers told the Associated Press it is “actively addressing” the issues.
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