NOWATA, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and other Cherokee Nation leaders and staff gathered in Nowata May 14 to celebrate the grand opening of the expanded Nowata Food Distribution and Senior Nutrition Site.
The new upgrades and expansion of the facilities are an investment $2.8 million from the Cherokee Nation.
“These improvements to the Nowata Food Distribution Store and Senior Nutrition Site have been a long time coming. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that we need to expand, because that means that these facilities are being utilized by Cherokees in this community and surrounding communities,” Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “I’m proud that we are here to unveil these exciting upgrades and the growth that we as a Nation continue to make.”
The Nowata facility houses tribe’s senior nutrition site and food distribution store, which initially started operating in 2012. The new expansion to the building include a 1,500 square foot warehouse, a 400 square foot conference room, a 500 square foot dining expansion for the senior nutrition program and a 1,500 square foot freezer/cooler.
“These two programs are very imperative to the Cherokee Nation and the community of Nowata. Both of these programs support food security for families and seniors across the reservation, so it’s an absolute blessing to see these updates to this building. Through this expansion, we will better serve and support our citizens,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said.
The Cherokee Nation’s Senior Nutrition Program provides seniors across the Cherokee Nation Reservation with weekly meals and an opportunity to fellowship with others. The Nowata Senior Nutrition Program site serves an average of more than 700 seniors monthly and more than 8,400 annually through in-person meals and home-delivered meals.
Cherokee Nation’s Nowata Food Distribution Program, which operates in the same facility as the Senior Nutrition Program, serves eligible families with nutritious foods, operating in a grocery store environment that allows participants to shop in a comfortable and familiar setting.
“We opened our first original site here 13 years ago and now, just 13 years later we are serving 771 individuals, and I am just so pleased with that,” District 11 Councilor Kendra McGeady said. “I think that the importance of having food sovereignty and the ability to meet your nutritional needs matter in so many ways. Also, this serves as a hub for fellowship and community, and I think that all those things play into the health and wellness of our citizens.”
The Nowata Food Distribution facility serves more than 400 homes.
“Through these programs, we are able to help the families that have food issues and provide some good, healthy food for all of them,” District 12 Councilor Dora Patzkowski said. “I am grateful to Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner for these programs and now being able to expand them as well and make the facilities easier for the employees to maneuver through.”
To learn more about the Cherokee Nation’s Senior Nutrition Program, click here. For more information about Cherokee Nation’s Food Distribution Program, click here.