Organizers open 17th elder nutrition site in North Tulsa

Organizers said they opened an elder nutrition site at the North Tulsa Community Center — the 17th site serving Cherokee Nation citizens across the reservation — to provide daily hot meals and social activities for elders.

The event was introduced by a presenter from the North Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization, who said the center will host the program and celebrated the first gatherings with local elders. “Today, we are here in North Tulsa, America,” the presenter said, identifying the North Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization as a host of the celebration.

Program staff described the expansion as part of ongoing outreach across the reservation. One speaker listed recent and upcoming locations that will host sites, including Dewey and Stilwell and noting plans for Catoosa, Salina and Tahlepool. “This is our 17th site throughout the reservation,” program staff said, describing activities such as hot meals, games and arts and crafts aimed at encouraging social connection and healthier daily living.

Speakers credited local volunteers for making the program possible. A staff member thanked community organizers and volunteers, saying resources and the elder nutrition center arrived because community members were “ready to organize and ready to work for you for no pay.”

Speakers described the program's origins at the Cherokee Center and said a directive from tribal leadership moved the plan from a limited schedule to daily service: “when the chief said we were gonna have the elder nutrition program at the North Tulsa Community Center, and we were gonna do it every day, well, that was a blessing,” a presenter said.

Program staff also emphasized elder needs the center aims to address, noting that some elders on the reservation appear to be eating only one meal a day and that the site provides a reliable meal and a place to talk and participate in activities. “Some some elders that we're finding across the reservation, they're only eating 1 meal a day,” program staff said.

Organizers said they plan to continue expanding into more communities and to use the sites to give elders regular access to meals and social programming. The event was framed as both a celebration with elders and a step in a broader outreach effort across the reservation.

No votes or formal actions were recorded during the remarks; speakers described program goals and plans rather than taking legislative or board actions.