Tribal leaders from across the country met with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discuss the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

Representatives from the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe said the federal government has treaty obligations to provide food for their members. They said income guidelines weren't spelled out in the treaties and can't be used to disqualify people from receiving food.

The director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma said money was needed for nutrition education. A Navajo Nation representative said increases in funding aren't helping people at the reservation level.

Get the Story:
Tribes, USDA talk about food distribution programs (The Rapid City Journal 7/29)

Relevant Links:
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, USDA - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/fdpir

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