Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Blackfeet Food Distribution feeding furloughed workers, those working without pay

Faced with a partial federal government shutdown, Blackfeet Food Distribution Director Roy Crawford had two major issues to confront – supplies and manpower. “I’ve been in talks with the USDA regional people and the national board of the USDA, and they said to stay open as long as possible,” he said. “The Tribe’s been in talks about emergency funding from the Federal Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) so hopefully we’re part of that emergency funding. It all comes down to what funding we have available and left over from the first quarter, but everyone is in the same situation.”

When news of the shutdown arrived, folks being served by the Blackfeet Food Distribution Program began showing up in far greater numbers. Normally they serve around 665 people in a month, but as of Jan. 11, 351 folks had already been served, emptying the shelves and refrigerators. “Our product is low,” Crawford said. “The state semi’s going to be here on [Wednesday], Jan. 16, so I asked for an additional 13,000 pounds which I’ll be going down on Monday to get.”

http://www.cutbankpioneerpress.com/glacier_reporter/news/article_9385ff20-191d-11e9-8134-e7fc37303770.html

 

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