The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians is a Federally Recognized Tribe located on the Tuolumne Rancheria in Tuolumne, California. The Tribe is a small Federally Recognized Tribe with 485 members in which 200 reside on the Rancheria and the remaining live in surrounding communities and adjacent counties. With this funding the surrounding counties of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, Amador, and Stanislaus counties will serve all Tribal Members, their families, and lineal descendants.
Food Sovereignty is the Tribes greatest food security issue by procuring commodity. The Tribal Food Distribution Program activities connect Tribal Members and tribal communities to fresh local foods and to the farmers, ranchers and fishers that produce them. This is a new term for an ancient concept that embraces Indigenous knowledge and values in harmony with traditional Native lifeways, and has proven positive results on health, education and hunger. The term “Tribal Food Distribution Program” covers a wide range of efforts, which focuses on areas that encourage the purchase of local foods for the Tribal Food Distribution program (procurement); teach the next generation about our food heritage, health, and nutrition (education). Tribal Food Distribution Program empowers Tribal Members and Tribal families to make informed food choices (nutrition) while supporting economic development, food sovereignty and cultural revitalization.
The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians has a procurement program that will strengthen our local and regional food system and purchase foods that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to our geographic area. The tribe will purchase domestic foods from local and regional producers, and target purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers/producers. This will in turn increase the food consumption of local food and build and expand economic opportunity for local and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Procurement was established with 3 (or more) vendors, who have provided “letters of intent” to participate in the Tribal Food Distribution program throughout the life cycle of the cooperative agreement.
The Tuolumne Me-Wuk Food Distribution Program will provide food distribution and Food Sovereignty throughout the life cycle of the cooperative agreement to tribal members within the underserved counties listed above. The Tuolumne Mewuk Tribal Food Distribution Program will provide 3,500-4,000 boxes a month to Tribal Members in Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, Stanislaus, and Amador Counties throughout the life cycle of the cooperative agreement.