Band tackles food insecurity

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa was featured this week in an announcement aimed at curbing food insecurity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service said Wednesday it signed a cooperative agreement with the Fond du Lac Band under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. The Band will purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

Using LFPA funds, the Band will establish the Aandanjigewin Local Foods Purchasing Agreement program to purchase food products directly from up to 100 local food producers and harvesters.

The purchased food will be shared and distributed to 500 Fond du Lac households, a USDA news release said.

The Band aims to reduce food insecurity, create economic opportunity, revitalize traditional foodways, advocate for tribal sovereignty, expand understanding of treaty rights within the ceded territories, and foster a decolonized local food system within the Fond du Lac community, the news release said.

“USDA is excited to partner with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt.