Oklahoma’s largest food provider seeing delays after USDA program change

While Oklahoma tribes are struggling to feed those in need due to a change in a program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state’s largest food provider is also feeling the squeeze.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.The USDA consolidated its warehouse for two programs, impacting not only Oklahoma tribes but the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “We’ve been experiencing it since early Summer,” said Cathey Nestlen, the director of communications for the food bank.Like local tribes, the food bank has seen delays in food shipments from the USDA.”Our July delivery was really pushing the envelope,” Nestlen said.>> Download the KOCO 5 appThe food bank uses the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, provided by the USDA. The program is for seniors over the age of 60, and they have 36 sites across a 53-county service area that the commodities go to.While there have been delays, Nestlen said they’re still getting food out to those areas.”We have not yet had a delay to our own distribution, but they’ve been really pushing as far as how delayed the deliveries are coming,” she said.The USDA’s warehouse consolidation has directly impacted tribes across the state, including the Kiowa Tribe.”We just don’t know if we’re going to get the truck when we’re supposed to,” said Kyle Autaubo, the director of Kiowa Tribe Food Distribution. “If we don’t get that, by the looks of our back warehouse, which is the overstock that we don’t put out on our shelves, we’ll probably run out.”The food bank on Friday said they’re reaching out to tribes to help. “There is no household that should struggle for having enough food for their family,” Nestlen said.The USDA said this is a nationwide problem and, in a statement, they said they are “aware of unacceptable disruptions to food deliveries throughout the nation due to delays at a warehouse contracted.””The delays have been a concern for us. We are hopeful the USDA is working hard to rectify the situation and that we can get back to where we were at in the spring where the deliveries were coming on a regular basis,” Nestlen said.Because of the delays, the officials with the food bank said they are having to work around and really plan when to get food out to the urban and rural communities across the state.The USDA said they are working with the contracted warehouse to fix the problem.Top Headlines2 Oklahomans found alive after going missing while scuba diving off Texas coast, family saysMonday broke the record for the hottest day ever on EarthOklahoma dispensaries react to new medical marijuana rulesOklahoma tribes wondering how to feed their people after food shipments delayedArson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics