Choctaw Fresh Produce receives USDA grant
Belvin Willis always buys pounds of vegetables from Choctaw Fresh Produce for members of his church, the elderly, and his family.
Willis said he makes these purchases a part of his routine and has done so for over three years.
“Every time Choctaw Fresh Produce starts selling their products, I go out there and buy some,” Willis said. “I buy a bunch of collard greens, turnips, radishes, green tomatoes, and pretty much anything else they offer.”
Willis said there is never a set amount of produce he buys, and it always depends on the day.
“I just love produce, and when I buy it, I start thinking about the elderly and my community," he said. "I just want to help by giving it away to them."
In August 2020, Choctaw Fresh Produce stepped up to help the community during the pandemic by delivering over 4,000 pounds of organic produce to quarantined Tribal members and are now part of several Tribal communities receiving a $3.5 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians received a $450,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation in December 2020 to help fund Choctaw Fresh Produce. Since then, Choctaw Fresh Produce has expanded and can now be more flexible with their food options with the new grant they received from the USDA in November 2021.
The USDA launched the project in October 2021 to give tribal communities that operate the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) greater control over their food choices.
Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services at the USDA, said the department is fully committed to supporting the restoration of indigenous food, empowering agricultural economies, and improving indigenous health through traditional foods.
“This FDPIR demonstration project is an important part of that effort,” Dean said. “We are embracing this opportunity to make long-term enhancements to FDPIR by learning more about the nutritional needs and preferences of tribal communities.”
Since the grant gives Choctaw Fresh Produce more control over their food choices, they can broaden their produce sales to reach more customers. They primarily sell their products to the Pearl River Resort.
“A partnership evolved between our office, the Tribal Food Distribution Program, and Tribal Community Services to provide healthy, organic vegetables to recipients each season,” said Tomika Bell from Choctaw Fresh Produce.
Bell said Choctaw Fresh Produce aims to support families who are low-income and struggling.
“We make the products ourselves,” Bell said. “We take care of the planting and harvesting. For this grant, we partnered with the Food Distribution Program and provided them with our harvest. It made it much easier to reach more people and supply many more families who receive food from the FDPIR.”
The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service funded other tribal communities along with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians: The Oneida Nation / Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from Wisconsin, The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians from Michigan, The Lumni Nation from Washington State, The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) from Alaska, and the Chickasaw Nation from Oklahoma.
Project implementation began in October 2021 with some contracts expected to last up to three years. Tribes proposed to purchase a variety of products including meats, fish, grains, and fresh produce.
105 tribal nations and three state agencies administer the FDPIR and provide benefits and nutrition education services to approximately 278 federally recognized tribes across the United States. In Fiscal Year 2020, the program served approximately 75,000 individuals per month.