Giving Season: Providing Food Boxes to Big Horn County
Our board member Bill Yellowtail (center) assisted with the distribution in the Mighty Few District on the Crow Reservation. Photo Courtesy of Bill Yellowtail.
Written by Jordynn Paz
Blog Post - Apsaalooke Immiio hosted and partnered with local community leaders for food box distributions across Big Horn County. We were able to provide dry food boxes to those in need in the Center Lodge, Mighty Few, and Big Horn districts. We also provided food boxes to the Busby community on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.
In mid-November, during the longest federal government shutdown in US history, Apsaalooke Immiio along with community partners came together to distribute food boxes to more than 300 homes across Big Horn County, including the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations.
The food box giveaway was in direct response to the halting of SNAP Benefits as a result of the shutdown. According to the Montana Budget & Policy Center, more than 33% of Big Horn County residents rely on SNAP assistance.
Throughout the month, Apsaalooke Immiio coordinated with tribal officials of each district on the Crow reservation to ensure each area was reached with food boxes. Additionally, JoRee LaFrance, Co-founder & Executive Director, reached out to Tionne Spang - a community leader of the Northern Cheyenne nation - to distribute boxes in Busby, MT.
“We were out there in the cold but we’re so happy we got everybody their boxes,” Tionne continued to say, “it was awesome to bring some light into [our community] right now especially since everybody is struggling with the whole government shutdown. It's not a lot but a little goes a long way.” You can view her video below that documents her food distribution journey.
The food boxes were donated by Running Strong For American Indian Youth, the nonprofit founded by Olympic gold medalist, Billy Mills. He is Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, SD and founded Running Strong to support Native youth and communities.
Executive director, JoRee LaFrance, talked about her appreciation for Running Strong for American Indian Youth stating, “I have had a long relationship with Running Strong and am so grateful for the unwavering support they have given my community. They help many organizations in so many different ways on the Crow Reservation and, for that, I will forever be appreciative of them.”
For Apsaalooke Immiio this is the first of many community outreach and support projects to ensure Apsáalooke families and communities are taken care of during difficult times. We look forward to continuing our partnerships with Running Strong, our tribal officials, and community members..
We’d like to extend our gratitude to all those who came to help us load up, distribute boxes, and get the word out, especially the Helping Hands Food Bank in Hardin, MT.
Grateful to the Apsáalooke senators who showed up for the districts and hosted distribution events especially the Big Horn, Mighty Few, and Center Lodge Districts. Photo Courtesy of Senator Charla Takes Enemy.