Cherokee Nation celebrated the opening of its eighth food distribution center in Vinita on Friday.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new Vinita Food Distribution Center and Career Services Satellite office.
The facility is 6,000 square feet and was built with the tribe's Respond, Recover, and Rebuild ARPA funds during COVID-19.
This building will house several offices, a teaching kitchen, and a grocery store component that will provide Native American families with healthy food each month.
“When Cherokee Nation first started its food distribution program with the USDA they were located in just a few of our areas in the Cherokee Nation reservation and in Vinita families would have to drive long distances or pick up food from a ‘tailgate site’ with limited options.” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “This investment is one that we can all be proud of. This new Vinita food distribution center is an essential step in ensuring that Cherokee Nation is meeting the basic healthy food needs for tribal citizens and members of federally recognized tribes.”
Cherokee Nation started its first food distribution program in 1984.
The program is funded through the USDA and provides eligible people of federally recognized tribes residing within the Cherokee Nation Reservation with fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, and traditional foods in a grocery store-type setting.
“The food distribution program is such a blessing to Cherokee Nation citizens and other tribal citizens who are experiencing food insecurity,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “This new facility can mean everything to a family, and it is so great that we will be able to extend that blessing to tribal citizens living in the Vinita area.”
This opening brought the total number of Cherokee Nation Food Distribution Centers across the reservation to eight.
"Working together with Human Services we are opening new one-stop shops throughout the 14-county reservation, including in Vinita," said Executive Director of Career Services Diane Kelley. "This collaboration has allowed us to bring services to the northern area of the Cherokee Nation and we appreciate the support from our Administration and Council to get this location in full swing."
The latest food distribution center opened in 2014 in Collinsville. Other locations include Jay, Nowata, Salina, Sallisaw, Stilwell, and Tahlequah.
The facility was made possible by the tribe investing $25 million in 2020 from the CARES Act. One of the focuses of the investment was to help tribal citizens experiencing food insecurities.
“The opening of our Vinita Distribution Center means that more tribal families can now have access to fully stocked shelves and wider food selections to put on their dinner tables. That is how we continue on the path of creating a healthier Cherokee Nation,” Deputy Speaker of the Council Victoria Vazquez said.
In the 2022 fiscal year, more than 36,000 Native American households, including more than 68,000 individuals shopped at the Cherokee Nation food distribution centers.
The newest Vinita location has operated curbside services since June of this year but numbers are expected to increase with the building now open.
This new building will also house a Career Services satellite office so clients don't have to travel to Tahlequah.
The new Career Services office will better accommodate clients in Craig County and surrounding areas.
Cherokee Nation Career Services include different types of training, alternative education classes, youth employment, the Coming Home Re-Entry Program, Talking Leaves Job Corps admission and placement, the dislocated workers program, the Tribal Employment Rights Office, and more.
More information on the Cherokee Nation Food Distribution program and eligibility can be found by calling 1-800-865-4462. For information on Career Services, call 918-453-5555.