Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall today announced he has instructed the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take every possible action to assure that needy Indians benefit from the expanded distribution of surplus food ordered January 21 by President Kennedy.
The Secretary pointed out that the program is aimed at helping all underprivileged Americans, and stressed that a number of Indian reservations are among the hardest-hit economic areas of the Nation.
Secretary Udall said the Indian Bureau is working with the United States Department of Agriculture as well as with State and local agencies responsible for distributing surplus foods. He said all field offices of the Bureau have been instructed to cooperate in this effort.
Because of the remote locations of many reservations, and their lack of year round employment, American Indians are among the groups least protected against economic suffering, Secretary Udall said.
He pledged that new efforts, in addition to those now under way, will be made to insure that Indians benefit from those national programs designed to benefit underprivileged citizens.
