Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - Decembert 23, 2024 - Hundreds of families in a Manitoba Cree Nation will be without food hampers this holiday season due to a funding request being denied.

The food, including items like potatoes, milk, butter, buns, gravy, and cranberry sauce, was originally ordered to fill hampers for 200 families from Tataskweyak Cree Nation.

However, the company hired to source and package the hampers said leadership from the northern Manitoba First Nation contacted them on Dec. 13, saying they had to cancel the order.

The hampers were cancelled after groceries had already been purchased, leaving an Inuk-owned company out $20,000.

Indigenous Services Canada, responsible for administering Jordan's Principle, said the First Nation's request didn't meet the criteria to grant funding under the program.

The company chose to donate the food to Siloam Mission in Winnipeg, where the food was delivered Wednesday.

The hampers will help provide meals for people on Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day.

First Nations leaders have decried a backlog in Jordan's Principle funding, which has led to "alarming service denials and delays" in funding for essential services.