How we got 18,000+ lbs of food to 1,200 relatives

As we enter the winter season of reflection and giving, we are excited to share a recap of our efforts to get bison meat and fresh produce to our community members.

In late October, with the federal government shutdown looming many Sicangu families faced an uncertain situation. Based on generations of experience, when outside systems destabilize, our people feel it first. We knew that our ability to mobilize immediately could mean the difference between children and elders being nourished or left not knowing where their next meal would come from.

Thankfully, our team had the pieces in place to take those steps, as you’ll read in a reflection from our Food Sovereignty Director.

But we shouldn’t take for granted the fact that we were able to pull this off.

It has literally been a generation in the making to reach this point. Whether it was the launch of Sicangu Co in 1999, the vision of our leadership 15 years ago, our first food sovereignty grant a decade ago, or the partnerships our Wolakota Buffalo Range has worked tirelessly to establish and strengthen — each of these steps has been vital to where we are today.

While the ingenuity of our team has been essential to building our strong foundation — equally important has been having the right funding to support our growth. Efforts like our “SNAP response” demonstrate why having unrestricted funding is so important.

Here’s how those pieces came together behind the scenes:

With many families experiencing reduced food assistance, we recognized an immediate responsibility to get into the communities as quickly as possible to ensure access to traditional, culturally significant foods, as well as fresh, healthy produce.

Throughout November, our team conducted weekly buffalo meat distributions and delivered fresh produce 3 weeks out of the month, across all 20 communities.

We delivered over 12,000 pounds of buffalo meat and 6,300 pounds of fresh produce to more than 1,200 community members. On November 20, we partnered with Sacred Storm and the Wolakota Buffalo Range to support an expanded distribution effort, providing over 3,000 pounds of buffalo in a single day.

In addition to buffalo distributions, we also distributed produce sourced from Cedar Creek Gardens, who generously adjusted their schedules to join us in the communities. Their staff not only provided high-quality produce but also assisted directly with distribution efforts, ensuring families had access to fresh vegetables alongside traditional buffalo meat.

We also had the help of many of our staff members who helped load up to 50 boxes at 50–65 pounds each, every day.

We also want to lift up our deep gratitude for the Wolakota Buffalo Range, whose continued partnership strengthens every aspect of our food access work. As one of the largest Native-managed buffalo herds in the world, Wolakota plays a vital role in restoring traditional foods to our communities while stewarding the land and revitalizing cultural connections. They showed up with reliability and heart, providing us with the ethically-sourced supply to pull off the largest distributions we've ever done.

Wolakota also brought other key partners to the efforts. We’d especially like to thank World Wildlife Fund and NDN Collective who each chipped in to cover a portion of our costs.

This partnership reflects the strength of working together for the health and sovereignty of our people. This effort strengthened food security at a time when household purchasing was significantly impacted.

It also deepened community trust, demonstrating the power of collaboration across internal teams and external partners.

The shutdown reminded us how quickly external factors can destabilize food security, emphasizing the importance of responsive, community-driven systems.

We saw firsthand that when our internal ecosystem and partners come together, we can mobilize rapidly and effectively to support the Sicangu Oyate.

We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to this effort. Your dedication ensures that our relatives continue to receive the nourishment they deserve, grounded in culture, tradition, and community care.

At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, this was a truly historic effort for us. It demonstrated what we are capable in times of need, and also provided validation that we are on the right path. When we have control over our land and our food, our people can thrive.

Sovereignty is not abstract. It’s practical. It’s local. It’s Sicangu-led.
And in moments of instability, it can be lifesaving.

Your support is part of this story.

Because the truth is:
Federal systems will fail again.
Food assistance will fluctuate again.
Families will face uncertainty again.

What we decide to build—and strengthen—today determines how we’re able to respond in those moments.

As we close out the year, we’re asking you to help us continue building a food system that is responsive, regenerative, and culturally grounded.

Plus, now is a great time to make a gift, because donors who give over $40 will receive a gift to show our appreciation. We’ve once again worked with young, local artists to showcase their artwork in our annual calendar. After you donate, you’ll receive a code you can use to redeem for your gift as a small token of our appreciation.