Awarded Grants

Bay Mills Community College will create a Youth Farm Stand program which will engage youth in culturally relevant, sustainable agricultural practices while teaching entrepreneurial skills. Michigan State University Extension will partner in our efforts through the provision of training and technical assistance as developers of the Youth Farm Stand program model. The Youth Farm Stand will provide reasonably priced fresh produce to tribal members living in a designated food desert. A portion of the proceeds from the Farm Stand will be remitted to youth as a method of retaining participants and teaching money management skills.

The ultimate purpose of this project is to increase access to affordable, locally grown vegetables on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by creating an active gardening club. The current garden at the Boys and Girls Club will undergo an expansion and supply a weekly farmers market in Pine Ridge and create a traveling farmers market. Workshops on gardening will be held to develop personal gardens that can provide fresh produce to the farmers markets, and promote healthy living and healthy food choices.

The ultimate purpose of Choctaw Fresh Produce is to take control of its food systems by expanding a community garden. The garden provides fresh vegetables to the casino and the expansion will create a surplus of vegetables that will be used to establish a mobile farmers market. The project will increase access to fresh produce on the reservation, create jobs, and stimulate economic development.