ADA, OK – The Chickasaw Nation has partnered with Amazon Business to expand and enhance the “Packed Promise” program for its citizens.
“The Chickasaw Nation Packed Promise program continues to grow and meet the nutritional needs of Chickasaw children throughout our treaty territory by offering shelf-stable meal delivery to increase food access, food security and diet quality,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby during his 2024 State of the Nation Address.
Launched in 2015, the Packed Promise program is an innovative supplemental nutrition benefit service that increases food access, food security and diet quality for Chickasaw children.
Children’s development, health and well-being depend on access to a safe and secure source of food. In Oklahoma, 25.6 percent of children are food insecure, meaning they either go hungry or do not receive the minimal nutritional amounts set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In rural Oklahoma, 15.5 percent of the households are food insecure, said Joy Standridge, Chickasaw Nation Director of Nutrition Services. “In the Chickasaw Nation and the State of Oklahoma, we have a high rate of food insecurity,” said Standridge. “There is a high rate of hunger. In children, it’s often as many as one in four.”
Food insecurity often results in poor nutrition. Poor nutrition stemming from not having access to wholesome, nutritious foods to maintain properly balanced diets including fresh fruits and vegetables can profoundly affect an individual’s whole life. “To ensure our children reach their full potential, we must work together,” said Standridge.
Packed Promise is a home delivery food service. Families approved for the program gain the ability to shop online through Amazon Business every month. Families receive an allowance per child per month to use through Amazon.
Also, an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card is mailed for each child in the household to buy fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables at WIC-participating grocery stores or at Chickasaw Nation-participating farmers markets. The EBT card is reloaded every month the child is participating.
Packed Promise started in 2015 as a federal demonstration grant from the USDA Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act to End Childhood Hunger. Chickasaw Nation was one of five awardees and one of two tribes awarded nationally.
Upon conclusion of the federal grant, in 2019, Chickasaw Nation invested tribal dollars into the Packed Promise program.
To offer more options for participants, Packed Promise launched online shopping services through a partnership with Amazon Business this year. Eligible families make their own food selections from the Chickasaw Nation online store available through Amazon Business.
The partnership also helped alleviate the challenges of serving rural clients, said Standridge. “Packed Promise was designed to overcome common barriers of living in a food desert such as lack of transportation, long distances to food sources and lack of grocery stores. As a change in the traditional model of a central distribution center, the home delivery portion creates an experience similar to online grocery shopping where families choose nutrient dense, shelf-stable food items they prefer from a food ordering website.”
A greater selection of items, 275, faster delivery times and the ability to order food as needed are all positive aspects of the new partnership.
“Packed Promise clients are thrilled with the variety of products and the ease of shopping online,” said Standridge. “Many have commented on the speed of delivery. Clients had not previously experienced two-day and in some cases same-day delivery of food.”
A father recently called Packed Promise staff to express appreciation for the program and said it not only helps out financially, but it has also changed some of his family’s eating habits such as eating more beans, tomatoes and other vegetables they do not normally choose to buy. He said it has provided healthier options for his family.
The children also get involved by selecting the items to order and clients can now order and request items to be added that meets their dietary needs, Standridge said.
To be eligible, children must be ages 4-18, students in pre-K through 12th grade, and qualify for free or reduced-cost school meals. Benefits are available to Chickasaw citizens living within the Chickasaw Nation boundaries and in Atoka, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Hughes, Pittsburg, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties.
This year, Packed Promise served an average of nearly 1,900 school-aged Chickasaw children each month.