North Dakota Tribes Finding Food

(Photo courtesy of Great Plains Food Bank via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Spirit Lake Nation and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have enacted emergency plans as they prepare for interruptions to federal nutrition and fuel programs.

“These are things that were thrown on us knowing damn well that we are going into our winter months,” Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Chair Jamie Azure said during a Thursday morning tribal council meeting. “This is a literal life and death situation for a lot of people.”

Tribal governments are tapping into their own resources to help their communities weather the shutdown, which started Oct. 1 after Congress failed to adopt a budget.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa on Thursday announced it will deploy over $1 million to help fill in some of the service gaps. That includes $500,000 for food vouchers, $500,000 in fuel assistance, $40,000 to a community soup kitchen, $50,000 for a senior meal program, $100,000 for a school backpack nutrition program and $40,000 for meals at Turtle Mountain College, the tribal council said.