Arlee Community Development Corporation receives $10K grant
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News from the ACDC
ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation (ACDC) recently received a $10,000 grant from the First Nations Development Institute of Longmont, Colorado. This award will support the efforts of the Arlee Food Resource Center for Strengthening Health and Food Security through Traditional Foods and Processes.
This project provides next steps in strengthening our Indigenous food systems and community health. This will be accomplished through food gathering, preparation and preservation workshops led by cultural practitioners and Elders, after two generations of lost food processes due to the impacts of residential and boarding schools in our Native community. The Reservation Era restricted access to Native foods and introduced non-Native rations and later commodities with interrupted traditional food systems contributing to today’s health issues and disparities. Food Sovereignty Committee Chair Shelly Fyant said, “The opportunities to gather, prepare and preserve foods is one step closer to achieving food security in our community. As evidenced by the pandemic and now inflation, access to healthy foods is an issue. Thank you to First Nations Development Institute for providing this opportunity to Native communities here on the Flathead Reservation.”
The Arlee Food Resources Center (AFRC) is relatively new to the community of Arlee. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arlee CDC took over the food pantry administration from a local church and engaged additional community volunteers to meet the needs of the community. The AFRC distributed food boxes weekly as a drive-up option out of the Community Development Corporation building in Arlee. In Sept. 2021, the ARFC pivoted to a self-select model. In an effort to better serve the customers, the staff is incorporating more local, health, and now Native foods. Staff can be reached at 406-726-5550 or at info@arleecdc.org.
