Indigenous food sovereignty programs help meet demand during the federal shutdown
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The uncertainty created by a partial loss of SNAP benefits due to the federal shutdown has brought the need for healthy food access into sharper focus for Twin Cities Native communities.
The Trump administration announced Monday that it will partially fund SNAP after two judges ruled last week that the administration is required to keep the program funded.
Last year, the Division of Indian Work saw more than 8,000 visits to its food shelf.
Shanah Regguinti is the director of programs for the multi-service nonprofit. He supervises the staff at the food shelf. He says the number of people seeking food support from the organization has increased over the past six months.
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“There's insecurity about the future. Anytime there's nervousness, we see a huge uptick. So, every day it's been really busy here for several months now.”
Regguinti motions to a commercial refrigerator. Behind the sliding glass doors are rows of blueberries, strawberries, pineapples and salad greens ready to be given to those seeking food support.
“We feel pretty blessed about that,” Regguinti said.
The refrigerator, which was donated last year, has helped staff provide healthy food.
Jory Potter staffs the Division of Indian Work’s food shelf. As Potter prepares food boxes, he often hears about people’s dietary concerns.
"We don’t serve junk food,” said Potter. “We pay attention to the people that have diabetes and stuff, and with Native Americans having high blood pressure.”
Food insecurity issues are not new to Native communities. The Division of Indian Work started as a food shelf in the early 1950s to help Native families who had arrived from rural reservation communities as a part of a federal jobs relocation program.
For decades, Native communities have received food from the American government through food distribution programs. Those foods were often canned, non-perishable and highly processed.
Organizations like Division of Indian Work collaborate with other Native organizations working on issues of food sovereignty — a movement led by food chefs, growers and organizers who aim to reintroduce Indigenous foods into community diets.
The Division of Indian Work and other Native-led organizations in the metro area have learned that food sovereignty programs are uniquely situated to meet increased demand for food during the federal shutdown.
A dozen or so Native organizations met in late October to discuss what they could do to help distribute food to those most in need.
One of those organizations at the table was North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, or NATIFS.
Linda Black Elk, director of education for NATIFS, says the organization learned important lessons when serving meals during the Covid-19 pandemic. One lesson is that while it may be challenging to source Indigenous ingredients, distributing healthy food is important to helping people cope with crises.
"Although a lot of these processed foods and foods that are high in salt and sodium and sugar feed people and they fill our bellies, they actually contribute to a lot of the anxiety and depression that people are already feeling around food crises like the one that we are potentially going to see now,” Black Elk said.
One of the organizations growing food is Dream of Wild Health, a nonprofit that runs a 30-acre farm 20 miles north of St. Paul, in Hugo. The organization distributes between 20,000 and 27,000 pounds of food annually to families in the Twin Cities.
Executive Director Neely Snyder says the farm will distribute fresh food from this year's harvest. The organization will also continue to educate people on how they might reclaim a connection to traditional foods.
“Just sharing different recipes that people can incorporate some of these things into their diet. [We’re] not saying you have to just eat healthy foods to be healthy,” said Snyder. “It’s just starting to incorporate some of these traditional foods, or ancestral foods, back into your diet.”
Back at the Division of Indian Work’s food shelf, Jory Potter says there’s another important ingredient that goes a long way in helping people: respect.
“I look forward to coming here just to help out. You know, just to meet people off the streets. It's just for people to come here and be comfortable,” Potter said.
Regguinti added that the food shelf is set to increase the number of hours it's open Monday through Friday, and the number of times people can visit.
