North Dakota counties most harmed by SNAP cuts are those on reservations

Some of the families picking up food have been going without Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, better known as SNAP, since Nov. 1, when the government didn’t renew funding due to the shutdown, the longest one in history.

Volunteer Kory Annis, an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, waved to people in their cars picking up food. Carrying boxes of pasta, he approached the passenger windows, greeted people and asked how their kids were doing. Annis raises his four kids in Bismarck and said that he knew most of the people seeking food. Their kids go to school together.

It’s tough for families to afford groceries to feed their families, he told Buffalo’s Fire, even with SNAP. The cost of staple groceries — such as milk, eggs, beef and poultry — is rising. The USDA predicts food prices will rise 3% this year. In the last five years, they’ve increased nearly 30%.

Annis called the food assistance “a blessing.”

Later that night, the government shutdown ended. But that doesn’t mean relief for all Native SNAP recipients.

The SNAP saga and what it means for tribal residents

Before President Trump signed the spending bill that ended the government shutdown, federal courts and the Trump administration played tug-of-war with the frozen SNAP funds. On Thursday, Nov. 6, a federal judge in Rhode Island issued a ruling for the administration to fully fund SNAP by the following day. The administration promptly appealed the ruling and ordered the USDA to withhold funds. The shutdown ended before the Supreme Court could rule on the matter.

Some North Dakota residents received partial benefits earlier this month after the Nov. 6 ruling, but many did not. With the government reopened, SNAP recipients can expect benefits by Monday at the latest, said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins during an appearance on CNN.

Nearly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, most of whom are families with children. And in

North Dakota, according to the Center for American Progress, the counties that need the food assistance program the most are on reservations.

Residents in Sioux, Benson and Rolette counties receive SNAP benefits at a higher rate than any other county in the state — 31.8, 26.2 and 29.2%, respectively. Sioux County is entirely within the boundaries of the Standing Rock Reservation. The Spirit Lake Reservation is primarily located in Benson County, and the Turtle Mountain Reservation is primarily located in Rolette County.

These numbers are elevated partially because poverty levels are higher on reservations. About a quarter of Spirit Lake residents and MHA residents and about 40% of Standing Rock residents and Turtle Mountain residents live below the poverty line.

On top of having higher percentages of SNAP recipients, all of these counties are considered rural with limited access to grocery stores.

Community response ‘empowering families’

In response to the pause in SNAP benefits, tribes, Native organizations and food banks have stepped in. The Standing Rock Reservation approved the early harvest of 10 buffalo to distribute to its residents in partnership with Wozu Inc., a Native community-focused organization on the reservation, said Nicole Donaghy, Hunkpapa Lakota and the executive affairs director for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

“We’re working to exhaust as many resources as we can so our residents don’t face undue hardship,” she said. “We’re not here to panic. We’re here to be prepared.”

Nationally, reports have shown that the pausing of SNAP benefits will disproportionately affect tribal communities. Nearly one in four Native Americans receive some form of federal food assistance, whether it’s SNAP or the Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), according to a report by the Seeds of Native Health.

The Great Plains Food Bank, the only food bank serving North Dakota, has also partnered with all five tribes in the state. On Oct. 30, two days before SNAP funding ran out, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong announced that he directed $915,000 in contingency funds to the food bank, enough money for nearly 2 million meals.

Mel Ell, Great Plains Food Bank community impact manager, said the bank spent the money within 48 hours to stock the shelves of food pantries across the state. In a typical month, the food bank provides 1 million pounds of food for the state, she said, but so far this month, it has provided 1.5 million pounds to keep up with the raised demand.

“No truck goes out without being filled to the brim,” she said, mentioning that two semitrailers were sent to each reservation this month.

At the Sacred Pipe Resource Center on Wednesday, dozens of families received food from the Great Plains Food Bank and United Tribes Technical College’s agriculture club, which donated ground buffalo.

A volunteer from the club, Tonah Fishinghawk, enrolled citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana, loaded up cars with bags of carrots.

Fishinghawk has six kids. She said her family relied on SNAP when she was growing up. The poverty rate on her reservation is 41%.

“I’ve gone to houses where their pantries are empty,” she said. “And I’d tell them, ‘How are you going to feed your kids?’”

Seeing food insecurity in her community and experiencing it firsthand, Fishinghawk has dedicated her life to tribal food sovereignty. She started the Generations for Hope food bank to serve families on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

“We all deserve to eat. We deserve to feed our kids,” she said. “There’s nothing more empowering than feeding your family.”

The end of the government shutdown doesn’t mean food insecurity goes away. Food distribution will continue in earnest through November. Ell from the Great Plains Food Bank said the bank’s goal is to distribute 2 million pounds of food this month. She said she encourages people to continue giving by donating money or food to their local food pantries.