Tribe receives $450K grant from Kellogg Foundation

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist the Tribe in building a community that is food-secure with equitable access to fresh and healthy foods. The grant will be used to fund the efforts of Choctaw Fresh Produce, the Tribe’s certified organic farm.

Tomika Bell, Local Food Coordinator for Choctaw Fresh Produce, states, “We are very grateful to receive this financial support from the Kellogg Foundation. Our organic farm was started in 2012, and it has grown to include farms in four of our Tribal communities. This grant will help us continue to provide jobs as well as nutritious food for our members.”

 The grant will be disseminated over three years, and will be used in the following ways:

• Partial funding for salaries of 10 employees (nine of whom are tribal members)

• Funding an updated business plan for Choctaw Fresh Produce

• Funding construction of an equipment storage facility

 “The Kellogg Foundation is focused on ensuring children thrive, and we are excited to support Choctaw Fresh Produce and the Tribe’s mission of becoming a more self-sufficient and healthy community,” says Rhea Williams-Bishop, director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs for the Kellogg Foundation.