FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PROJECT

Some of the work we want to celebrate in the past year is the project partnered with Sisters Seed to Table to deliver over 350 Fresh Harvest Kits, we were able to continue to support the Warm Springs recreation Children’s Learning Garden and are building a greenhouse this spring. Fruit trees were planted around the community last summer to increase access to fruit and learn more about what we can sustain here. We are working on a farm incubator project, to provide resources, learning opportunities, and best practices to generate local Tribal farmers.

The past year, food access has increased due to many programs in the Warm Springs community, with more fresh produce becoming accessible, and more opportunities for traditional food learning in the form of food pantries, giveaways and classes. We plan on growing these successes by adding more classes, another greenhouse, a speaker event, more trips and activities around food with our youth summer program, and increasing relationships with local farmers. We are looking to work on a traditional foods project for our community members as well, with short films, children’s books, and resources for Tribal folks wanting to learn more about first foods.

A’W (IT’S TIME NOW)

WSCAT is here to be community centered and led. We have begun laying groundwork for a larger private sector tribal economy, more food access, healinginformed development and third place development, through various projects:

• Partnering with Oregon Agricultural Trust, HDFFA, and Tribal Council and committees to pursue a large scale food co-op and commercial farming training program.

• Creating policy changes, based on the barriers we face with leasing and use of land.

• Seeking funding to construct a greenhouse for the children’s learning garden, so children can grow their food from seed and have longer seasons.

• Expanding our produce giveaway program, offering food preservation classes for community members with values based agreements for all teachers or contractors.

• Supporting individual families and community members to meet their identified needs.

OUR GOAL is to take action, while being aware of the ways white supremacy has and continues to guide our work, community, systems and priorities and try to break away from those tracks and the survival mode that has not allowed us to decolonize on a deeper level.