2022 Indigenous Communities Fellowship
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & First Foods
We combat Indigenous food insecurity by providing free traditional foods and food justice education to Natives living in rural and urban spaces.
Solution Pitch
The Problem
Food insecurity has always disproportionately affected colonized peoples. During the Covid-19 pandemic, 54% of Indigenous people said they couldn't afford to eat balanced meals, 48% couldn't maintain their food stock, 37% cut down or skipped meals, and 34% ate less because they could not afford to buy new food.
The Solution
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & First Foods aims to increase Indigenous food knowledge, access, and stewardship in order to solve food insecurity in Indian country. Three branches of action comprise this solution:
The New Day for Old Ways educational series has included over two years of online classes and podcasts taught by members of diverse Indigenous communities. Classes are documented and archived for digital access. The virtual meeting space in Gather.Town allows guests to interact with these educational resources from anywhere.
Inter-Tribal Food Pantry; a mutual aid initiative that brings Indigenous food producers and Native communities closer to provide culturally-accessible food products. These partnerships have successfully provided over 7,000 lbs of food―including bison, oysters, and hominy. This program also operates the largest searchable digital database of Native producers.
Stewards program aims to re-create Indigenous agro-biospheres.
Stats
Over 7000 lbs of food have been distributed by the solution
Approximately 7000 individuals are users of the solution’s food pantries
The online element of the solution has an estimated viewership of two to three thousand people
Market Opportunity
The organization has two bases of operation– Colorado and New York. These sites represent the embodiment of attempted cultural genocide, with forced removal of many tribes leading to a loss of cultural knowledge around foraging, food access, and food preparation. It is here that Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & First Foods can make an immediate and culturally sensitive impact.
Organization Highlights
Current Partners:
Tiyopsaye Wiyan Maka - Fundraising event & awareness campaign in Colorado for 2023
Shinnecock Cultural Resource Dept - Steward's Program classes on transplanting traditional plants with youth
American Indian Academy of Denver - Native Kids trip to a buffalo ranch/historic buffalo jump
Denver Indian Center - Office space/classroom rental for the Colorado Urban Indian Community
Native BioData Consortium - Discussing future prospects to research record plant seed genome (data banking, seed storage, gene profiling & crop salvageing)
Wild Flower Gardens / Newtown Creek Alliance - Hosting larger classroom venues in NYC
New York Women's Center & Queens Public Library - Potential co-partnerships are being discussed for 2023-2024
Partnership Goals
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & First Foods seeks:
HR support with: Insurance, Benefits & Hires, Finance Structuring
Database Management
Partnering with delivery services with low carbon impact for transportation of foods.
Fundraising & Event Awareness
Generating non-for-profit revenue outside of grants.
Developing a better user interface and experience with gather.town and website.
Increasing views and amplifying engagement with content.
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Headquarters: New York City, New York
Stage: Growth
Working In: United States
Current Employees: 5
Solution Website: www.gscollective.org
Solution Team:
-
Alex Cruz Communications Manager│Grinding Stone Collective, Grinding Stone Collective
-
Brooke Rodriguez Director / Founder , Grinding Stone Collective
to Top