The Muscogee Nation is signing up for a federal program to help families pay for groceries in the summer after Gov. Kevin Stitt rejected the assistance statewide last month.
The decision greatly expands the number of Oklahoma children who will be eligible for the aid, which is meant to make sure students don’t go hungry while school is out for the summer. Tribal officials estimated 106,000 children living within the Muscogee Nation reservation — which includes much of Tulsa — will now qualify for the benefits, regardless of whether or not they belong to a tribal nation.
Muscogee leaders went into “lightning speed” in recent weeks to figure out a way to offer the federal assistance, said Katura Bunner, who directs the tribe’s Women, Infants and Children program.
“All of our efforts have been under a sense of urgency to make this happen for our families in eastern Oklahoma,” she said.
Families whose children qualify for free or reduced lunches can receive up to $120 per child to pay for food, divided into three $40 payments in June, July and August. The money is dispersed onto debit-style cards that can be used to cover groceries.