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

The native village of paimiut, elects to utilize the allocated funds from the local food purchase assistance cooperative agreement program plus (lfpa plus) to purchase produce grown on the yukon kuskokwim delta from meyer's farm in bethel, alaska. TIM and lisa meyers will provide weekly boxes of produce via a subscription service, with shipping included, to the native village of paimiut tribal enrollees in three rural alaska villages that they primarily reside in. The native village of paimiut will also purchase a whole fully processed reindeer once a year for paimiut households as well as additional fully processed reindeer for tribal elders and families in other areas to offset the loss of critical salmon subsistence harvest. Fully processed meaning the farm will butcher the reindeer and process and package the meat into portions that can be cooked and consumed. The people of native village of paimiut come from salmon culture, and the salmon crash has placed undue financial hardship on our families. The purpose is to purchase from small producers in our region, to be more cost effective as the cost of living in rural alaska is exorbitant. Distributing locally produced reindeer meat (one annual shipment) and fresh produce on a monthly basis to enrolled native village of paimiut tribal members. The distribution of foods through the native village of paimiut mayurpik (YUP'IK for "storehouse') will reinforce the cultural value of sharing food and taking care of one another. Traditional food sharing happens with other species, but the loss of fish has been a huge blow to our communities and made our vulnerable households more insecure financially and with access to nutritious food. 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. The produce boxes will be purchased from meyer's farm at 9101 ptarmigan, bethel, alaska 99559. The meyer's farm is a small-scale rural producer using sustainable farming practices with no pesticides or herbicides and utilizing local resources. TIM and lisa meyer have owned and operated the farm since 2002. TIM utilizes things like mycorrhizae on his root stock to grow larger, healthier and more robust vegetables and fruit. He is constantly learning and incorporates innovative farming practices and storage. TIM takes on interns from local rural communities and villages to teach them how to farm. He does things like show them how to mix in the rich sphagnum moss found on the tundra, shells, etc. With soil and locally made compost to create a nutrient rich topsoil and growing medium.