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First Foods Program:
The Three Branches of Change
The Grinding Stone Collective’s First Foods Program emerged in 2020 from a need to reconnect with Indigenous food culture as urban natives, as well as the imperative to combat native food insecurity in Indian country. We are an Indigenous-led program made by, and for, Indigenous people and our allies. Native knowledge of the land is the key to safeguarding our communities from the threat of food insecurity caused by climate change.
We at the Grinding Stone Collective believe preserving Indigenous ecological knowledge in first foods can only be achieved through Indigenous Food Sovereignty. We define Indigenous Food Sovereignty as the right to govern our own food systems from extraction to distribution using both ancestral & contemporary knowledge. We help facilitate this process by providing an Indigenized community-led food culture education that breaks the barriers to access that are experienced by Urban & Rural Natives. Our classes & events provide access to the tools to cultivate and prepare Indigenous foods, as well as establishing community partnerships that increase food culture acquisition. We have formed three branches of change to address the issue of indigenous food insecurity under the First Foods Program: Education, Reciprocity, and Action (ERA). You may read more below about the impact of our programs thus far.
A New Day For Old Ways
Our New Day for Old Ways educational series has included 4+ years of class development & production. We focus on Indigenous Food culture, Food Sovereignty, Food Justice, Land Back, and Climate Change through our podcast, social media, and online and in-person classes, all taught by members of our diverse Indigenous communities.
Inter-Tribal Pantry
Inter-Tribal Food Pantry & Co-op is our mutual aid initiative that brings Indigenous food producers and Native communities closer to provide culturally accessible food products. Through partnerships with indigenous producers, we’ve successfully delivered over 19,000 pounds of food―including Bison meat, grains, oysters, and produce―for free to indigenous communities.
Stewards
Our Stewards program creates climate solutions through education, indigenous agro-biosphere restoration, terraforming, and land back. We aim to distribute workshops & roundtable discussions covering the impacts of disaster relief efforts & our fight for visibility, as well as toolkits, seeds, and saplings so we can empower a new generation of Stewards.