Purchase and distribute local food targeting purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

Local food purchase assistance plus program will provide access to traditional eastern bend of cherokee indians foods for the community who are drastically underserved due to limited income opportunities, purchasing power due to geographic scope, and loss of access for traditional native foods. The program will provide opportunity for growers to expand their businesses to meet demand, while encouraging the development of new growers and food business entrepreneurs to finally become economically viable thus sustaining the investment of the local food purchase assistance plus funds for future generations through youth involvement and revitalizing traditional cherokee and appalachian foodways. Eastern bend of cherokee indians cooperative extension plans to work closely with growers, producers, and value-added food business owners to ensure food safety and client needs are met, as well as the capacity for these businesses is expanded and relationships with the aggregators are cultivated. They also have experience and established working relationships with each of the aggregators they will be contracting and have provided the list of preferred farmers they are encouraging them to purchase from. Their distribution plan is targeting the enrolled tribal members including youth. Much of their distribution will be bags delivered directly to the institutions by planning to work with the cherokee boys club, their bus service agency for cherokee central schools, so school aged children can receive their weekend snack bag when they exit the bus friday afterschool. Additionally, they will offer monthly or seasonal client choice distributions. Quarterly performance reports will be submitted to capture the number of producers, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, distribution sites, and underserved locations as well as funds expended for each category. Annual reports will provide percentages of new marketing opportunities and purchases distributed beyond current food distribution networks. They plan to serve approximately 500 households at each market and increase the public presence and marketability for each farmer. By having the community purchase some of the food themselves, they hope to create a sustainable market that will continue in the coming years after the local food purchase assistance plus grant. By supporting new sales opportunities for direct-to-consumer contact, they will be striving towards their fourth objective, growing growers. The recipient does not plan to subaward funds.