Native American leaders from all over the state got together with groups like the Food Bank to talk about how to help Native Americans who are having trouble getting food.
There were panel talks with dozens of people who talked about how they can all work together to make sure people don’t go hungry.
Like the three sisters soup, corn, and other traditional Native American foods, the food brought people together.
“By bringing them together to share what they’re doing, there’s a great opportunity to build that coalition,” said Ford.
Mark Ford is the head of tribal partnerships for Feeding America. He is in charge of their two food banks in Oklahoma. At the event on Thursday, people learned how groups feed their members, such as by growing and processing their food and getting to know food banks.
“Tribes are saying we want to take responsibility by growing our food, getting traditional foods, and eating them again,” Ford said.
DeSpain Pyet grew up on land owned by the Osage Nation. He now works as a private chef in Los Angeles and was the main speaker. It was her Native American and Mexican food that made her the first winner of Gordon Ramsey’s show Next Level Chef.
“There weren’t enough people in the culinary world who looked like me or came from the same background as me,” she said. “There were also not enough people whose foods had real stories behind them.”
Ford said that Native Americans have been worried about food for many generations. One in four Native Americans don’t have enough food, he said.
“Our laws put tribes on reservations when we colonized,” he said. “It stopped them from growing their own food, hunting, and fishing.”
“There are a lot of tribal nations that don’t have enough food or are in food deserts, and we’re trying to help them in any way we can,” DeSpain said.
Feeding America said that a lot of good work is already being done. Now, groups need help getting rid of unnecessary rules and getting more money. They want to hold more events like this in the future.
To keep doing its job of feeding Oklahomans, the Food Bank is always looking for workers or donations.
Source: Tribal Leaders Unite With Food Bank to Tackle Food Insecurity Among Native Americans
