{"id":206351,"date":"2025-08-25T00:01:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T05:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=206351"},"modified":"2025-08-25T13:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T18:44:26","slug":"chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-provides-food-for-our-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/08\/25\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-provides-food-for-our-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Hoskin: Cherokee Nation provides food for our future"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/01\/25\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-provides-food-for-our-future\/chuckhoskin-50\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-206357\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" data-attachment-id=\"206357\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/08\/25\/chuck-hoskin-cherokee-nation-provides-food-for-our-future\/chuckhoskin-50\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25\/chuckhoskin.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1365\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Chuck Hoskin Jr.\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Chuck Hoskin Jr.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Chuck Hoskin Jr. serves as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Photo: &lt;a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/posts\/pfbid034KPebicfRMdCm721bs5Fgp4LYbxfNSWSLx8JMio4tQiKikhmK5M6VVRUAgBS9JFdl&gt;Cherokee Nation&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25\/chuckhoskin.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25\/chuckhoskin.jpg\" alt=\"Chuck Hoskin Jr.\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-206357\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Chuck Hoskin Jr. serves as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Photo: <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCherokeeNation\/posts\/pfbid034KPebicfRMdCm721bs5Fgp4LYbxfNSWSLx8JMio4tQiKikhmK5M6VVRUAgBS9JFdl>Cherokee Nation<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Cherokee Nation Proves Summer EBT Works<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, August 25, 2025<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Cherokee Nation<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source-links\"><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/www.cherokee.org\/\">cherokee.org<\/A><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCherokee Nation stepped forward again this summer to meet a need too great to ignore: feeding hungry children.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDuring agrarian times, communities faced \u201chunger season\u201d between planting and the harvest when food supplies would run low. Across Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation Reservation, too many families face a modern hunger season each summer when school cafeterias are closed.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCherokee Nation \u2014 along with neighboring tribes like Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation and Muscogee Nation \u2014 shows that tribal governments in Oklahoma are leading the way when it comes to creating lasting solutions. Through the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, the results from this summer are undeniable.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCherokee Nation alone served nearly 50,000 students this summer. We served every eligible low-income child. Cherokee Nation invested $1.8 million from our budget and delivered $6 million in federal EBT funds for all eligible Oklahoma kids across our 7,000-square-mile reservation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchiefhoskin%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0SqDdjTnCoH6D4ahX9RLWd62wKUKnZeTfK4Ekspx5xTT7FG4zdtbRw3kn3kj1v6zLl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"474\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThese funds not only helped feed Cherokee children but lifted entire communities. As a <a href=\"https:\/\/frac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Summer-EBT-in-Indian-Country-Report.pdf\">study conducted by the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative<\/a> clearly confirms, tribally administered Summer EBT significantly improves food security and ensures children have consistent access to healthy food during the summer months.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe funds made a difference for family budgets and local economies in northeast Oklahoma. We have heard years of hand wringing over inflation by politicians, particularly during election season. This rhetoric often seems to be all talk and no action. In contrast, Cherokee Nation actually did something about the impact of inflation. We delivered $6 million in grocery store spending power to families hit hardest by skyrocketing grocery prices. These low-income households spent those dollars locally, supporting their hometown economies.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCherokee Nation\u2019s commitment to food sovereignty and addressing hunger contrasts with the state of Oklahoma\u2019s repeated refusal to participate in Summer EBT. While the state continues to decline federal resources that could feed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children during the summer months, Cherokee Nation has embraced the responsibility. It is a choice we would make time and time again to ensure that our citizens, especially our youth, do not go hungry. Oklahoma\u2019s decision is not only bad economics, it is unconscionable given the hunger issues in this state.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThis is a guiding principle for us and an obligation to provide for our people on our own terms. It is rooted in our value of Gadugi, working together for the greater good, and our sovereign right of self-determination.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nState elected leaders declined their duties, and Cherokee Nation continues to step up when they retreat. We will feed all children in need in northeast Oklahoma &#8212; Native and non-Native alike.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchiefhoskin%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0365inHcoVJVioRz8j79gaCqsUstZYTXmvwCVbd71C5WdBrfab5V8AKqvfVTkMjnFxl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"620\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThis effort is not a political stunt. We live in one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.feedthechildren.org\/our-work\/stories\/the-ten-states-facing-the-most-hunger\/\">10 hungriest states in the country<\/a>. It is a moral responsibility. Oklahoma\u2019s refusal to participate is a moral failure, but one that the state can reverse next year if Governor Kevin Stitt will sign up for the program.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJust because it was an easy moral decision does not mean it was easy to implement. I want to personally thank our staff who worked tirelessly to enroll families, process benefits, and provide support.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to the national hunger report, 82% of families receiving Summer EBT through tribes reported they had enough fruits and vegetables, compared with just 57% among non-participants. Well-nourished students have improved educational outcomes, adding long-term value to our investment beyond the initial value of turning federal dollars into meals. It turns out that providing resources to low-income families and empowering them to address their food needs actually works.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTribal governments should not have to do this alone. The USDA systems are designed for states, not tribes. Despite the barriers, we proved Summer EBT works in Indian Country. With the right support, we can reach even more families.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFor Cherokee Nation, this critical work is about more than numbers. It\u2019s about the dignity of parents who no longer have to worry about the best way to stretch groceries to the end of the week. It\u2019s about our youth being able to enjoy their summer and return to school well-nourished and ready to succeed. It\u2019s about honoring our responsibility as Cherokees to care for our most vulnerable citizens. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFeeding children is not just a good political policy &#8212; it is the right thing to do.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<HR><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-md-3\">\r\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23\/chuckhoskinavatar.jpg\" alt=\"Chuck Hoskin Jr\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" class=\"rounded-circle\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-md-9\"><EM><A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChuckHoskin_Jr\">Chuck Hoskin Jr.<\/A> \r\nis the 18th elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian \r\ntribe in the United States. He is only the second elected Principal Chief of the \r\nCherokee Nation from Vinita, the first being Thomas Buffington, who served from \r\n1899-1903. Prior to being elected Principal Chief, Hoskin served as the tribe\u2019s \r\nSecretary of State. He also formerly served as a member of the Council of the \r\nCherokee Nation, representing District 11 for six years.<\/EM><\/div><\/div><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Across Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation Reservation, too many families face a modern hunger season each summer when school cafeterias are closed.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":206357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,9],"tags":[77,76,40,560,127,193,220,102],"class_list":["post-206351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-health","category-opinion","tag-cherokee","tag-chuck-hoskin","tag-food","tag-kevin-stitt","tag-oklahoma","tag-self-determination","tag-sovereignty","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/25\/chuckhoskin.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-RGf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206351"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206359,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206351\/revisions\/206359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}