communities across the state. Fred.
>> Thank you. Erica. In related news, it began as an
emergency response to the pandemic. But the tribal
Elder Food Box program has grown into a vital source of
nourishment and cultural pride for Wisconsin's Native
American elders. Now, with federal funds running out,
the program's future and the health of those who depend
on it faces new uncertainty. Here and now. Reporter Aditi
Debnath has the story. >> Whenever you eat an
indigenous foods that were culturally appropriate to
who you are, it actually speaks to your DNA. It
actually speaks to who you are as an individual.
>> The tribal Elder Food Box program, launched during the
Covid 19 pandemic to address food insecurity among Native
American elders in Wisconsin's tribes.
>> Our very first distribution here, I don't
even know if it was 2021, but we distributed 400 boxes
and I think an hour and a half. And so from there, the
program just keeps growing and growing.
>> The program provides elders healthy, culturally
relevant food from producers that use sustainable
practices. indigenous producers. Now
we're up to like 40 or 50 indigenous producers.
>> Today, dozens of indigenous farmers, food
makers and processors supply food for the boxes, creating
new markets for native farmers. Initially serving
just three tribal communities, the program
quickly expanded to reach every indigenous tribe in
Wisconsin. >> We're going all the way
from the top of Wisconsin, Bayfield, all the way down
to Milwaukee and down to Madison to Ho-Chunk.
>> Tara Roberts Turner is the manager of the Wisconsin
Food Hub Cooperative, a statewide organization that
helps local farmers sell and distribute their product.
>> It's definitely more difficult.
>> This year. The loss of federal funding for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Local Food Purchase
Assistance, or LRF ARPA, sent shockwaves throughout
the country, disrupting vast networks of producers,
distributors and recipients. The Food Hub, which provided
distribution for many food bank programs under ARPA,
found its infrastructure caving in.
>> We had a lot of Bakke calls from the tribal elder
runs, so we would go all the way up to Bayfield, and then
we would pick product up all the way back. Now we're left
bringing an empty truck all the way back.
>> The funding cuts have forced logistical changes,
increased costs and left trucks empty on return
trips, straining the entire operation. The challenges
extend beyond food delivery, impacting local economies
and farmers, including indigenous farmers.
>> It's been a great partnership to really grow
together over the past couple of years.
>> Isaiah Skenandore his beef farm in Seymour,
Wisconsin. He joined the program to supply beef and
chicken directly to tribal elders.
with that program was you product would go to the end
user, and so I was able to have all of our beef and
chickens that was purchased through that program. Under
contract, get sent to the elder Box program.
>> Skenandore, a member of the Oneida Nation, uses
regenerative farming techniques like rotational
grazing, which mimics natural grazing practices
and promotes healthier soils and livestock. He says the
program's focus on fresh, sustainable food is a major
shift from the past, when federally funded food boxes
known as tribal commodities, were often filled with
processed items like canned meats and powdered milk,
which were high in preservatives. For many
native families, these foods were a lifeline, but they
also contributed to health problems that still affect
native communities today. >> When I was a kid with my
grandma, I remember going and picking up the tribal
commodities, which is right down the road here, and
you'd get the government commodities, which would be
the flour and processed And it's led to a lot of the
epidemics we have, you know, throughout Indian country.
And to come full circle now and be able to provide high
quality protein and sustainable food source to
our elders, we take a lot of it really, you know, makes
makes you pretty proud. >> Indigenous people are one
and a half times more likely to develop diabetes, and up
to three times more likely to experience heart failure.
For elders like Kathy Hughes, the food boxes make
a difference. >> And I find when I don't
have stuff like that in my refrigerator, then I'm doing
the fast food. I'm doing a lot of sandwiches and, you
know, cold cuts, that kind of stuff. Not really healthy
for you. Versus the boxes I'm cooking and I'm getting
healthy stuff when I cook. >> Beyond physical health.
The program helps foster connection. Between
indigenous people and their culture. Marlon Skenandore
is an Oneida councilman who brought the food Box program
to his tribe. >> I ran a food pantry for
six years, and in the beginning, a majority of the
people that we seen was just single elders, 65 plus,
living off Social Security. They don't have enough to
pay their bills. And so if some of the items that you
would get in here are going to be expensive items, the
things that they wouldn't be able to afford, or they
would just walk by in the grocery store. So for us to
provide this nutritious, good, wholesome food to
them, I think is vital for their longevity in life and
being a part of this community. For the past two
years, the Tribal Elder Food Box program has received
funding from the state's biennial budget for 2026.
Governor Evers has asked the state legislature to approve
$2 for the program. The end of the federal ARPA program
leaves a $1.5 million gap in the program's budget come
2026. >> We've looked at
incorporation as a as a nonprofit and starting to
look for some of the philanthropic funding out
there. There are many who want to see us succeed and
thank God they're there. >> Gary Besaw, one of the
program's founders, says the funding challenges are
daunting, but the farmers say they need help.
>> They're coming forward and saying, we were
depending on that. Is there room? Do you need product?
If you can, that's going to help keep us, keep us going.
This will keep us from from going bankrupt.
>> The fate of the tribal Elder Food Box program will
signal not just the state's commitment to its native
communities, but also its vision for local food
systems, rural economies, and the dignity of its
elders. probably pleased.
we're not smart. The old people were smart. We just
parrot them. And people might think, these guys know
what they're doing. That's because we listen. We listen
to the old people. >> Reporting from Oneida.