SNAP the System: Feeding Our Relatives, Building Our Future
Access to food shouldn’t depend on politics.
Yet — due to 250 years of oppressive federal policy and the current government shutdown — that’s the reality for nearly half of families on the Rosebud Reservation.
Over 40% of households on the reservation rely on SNAP. That’s more than 2,000 households and 4,500 relatives — half of them children. According to state data, more than $1 million in food support is now at risk of disappearing under the shutdown.
At Sicangu Co, we believe no one should go hungry because of fragile systems created far from home. That’s why our Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative is working every day to build a strong local food economy — one that is regenerative, self-determined, and rooted in Lakota values.
Through our Relatives Feeding Relatives program, we aggregate and distribute locally produced foods to our community — foods grown, raised, and harvested by our own people. One of those producers is the Wolakota Buffalo Range, where we care for the largest Native-managed bison herd in the world.
As an immediate response to the SNAP crisis, we have decided to harvest an additional five buffalo to distribute to community members for free.
This emergency action will cost more than $10,000 in processing fees, staff time, and lost revenue. But it is the right thing to do to ensure that no relative goes hungry, even when the federal government fails to act.
On top of that, our team is working with tribal leadership to increase the frequency of our Relatives Feeding Relatives distributions. Additional funding would also allow us to increase the size and variety of products we offer. We are particularly interested in reviving traditional food trade with other Native Nations.
We’re calling this effort “SNAP the System” — because it’s time to break free from dependence on broken systems and invest in food sovereignty for the Sicangu Lakota Oyate.
Your donation will:
Feed families on Rosebud during this critical moment
Support local producers and strengthen our food sovereignty network
Invest in long-term solutions that make our nation less dependent on fragile government systems
Help us SNAP the System — and build a food economy that is regenerative, resilient, and self-determined.
For Community Members
We’re working closely with the Tribe and our harvesting partners to have the meat processed into hamburger, stew meat, and roasts. The meat will be distributed to all communities across the Rosebud Reservation to families receiving SNAP benefits who have an ID and SNAP card.
Follow our Facebook page or the Tribe’s page for more details about how this process will work including how families can access recipes and cooking tips.
We’d like to thank Vice President Lisa White Pipe, Council Members Shere Wright-Plank and Wayne Frederick, Treasurer Wayne Boyd, RST President Kathleen Wooden Knife, AG Operations Manager Bud Colombe, and our CEO Clay Colombe for their continued efforts and dedication to caring for our people.
We extend our deep appreciation to our Tatanka relatives for continuing to provide for us, as they always have. Their generosity reminds us of our responsibility to care for one another.
