Relatives feeding relatives is an initiative to promote traditional foodways, increase access to healthy foods, and invest in the local food economy for the sicangu oyate (rosebud sioux tribe)

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe received a $929,600 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service under the Pandemic Relief Activities: Local Food Purchase Agreements with States, Tribes, and Local Governments program (CFDA 10.182). The purpose of this award is to purchase and distribute local foods, with a focus on procuring from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers within the Sicangu Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) community and surrounding area. The program aims to promote traditional foodways, increase access to healthy foods, and invest in the local food economy. The Rosebud Economic Development Corporation will serve as the sub-recipient to implement the program, which expects to benefit 100 families through a food box program and approximately 500 families per month through a monthly bison distribution program. Quarterly and annual performance reports will track key metrics such as the number of producers, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, distribution sites, and funds expended.

The program aggregates locally produced and wild harvested foods, with procurement led by the rosebud sioux tribe's economic development arm - rosebud economic development corporation (REDCO). The purpose of this agreement is to purchase and distribute local food targeting purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The relatives feeding relatives program intends to purchase from local producers, including farmers, ranchers, and wild harvesters within the sicangu oyate (rosebud sioux tribe) community and the surrounding area. The program also aims to promote traditional foodways by purchasing bison from regional tribal partners. The recipients of the program will target vulnerable groups within the sicangu oyate, including elders, multi-generational homes, and families with young children. Based on our preliminary planning, we anticipate sourcing foods from roughly 20 producers. The recipients of the program will target vulnerable groups within the sicangu oyate, including elders, multi-generational homes, and families with young children. We also plan to purchase traditional foods that are wild harvested. These foods are not typically sold at market, so we will be creating a new opportunity for individuals who harvest those foods and medicines. All of the individuals we purchase these foods from will be lakota, and therefore qualify as socially disadvantaged. The program expects to benefit 100 families through the food box program and approximately 500 families per month through the monthly buffalo distribution program. 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. Based on our preliminary planning, we anticipate sourcing foods from roughly 20 producers. We have identified 10 producers with whom we have existing relationships and anticipate being able to integrate their goods into the relatives feeding relatives program without issue. Nine of the 10 identified producers are native american and qualify as socially disadvantaged. The recipient plans to subaward funds to rosebud economic development corporation.