The Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma was recently one of the recipients of the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants, receiving $193,015 for kitchen construction and classroom gardens at the Peoria Tribe Early Childhood Development Department’s Rockdale Facility. The Peoria Tribe is excited to accept this award to provide the best nutritional options for the children enrolled in its care.
This year, the USDA’s Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants awarded a record-breaking $14.3 million to 154 projects in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. According to the USDA press release, “These investments will help 1.9 million children eat more tasty, nutritious foods in school, while supporting farmers and producers in their local and regional communities.”
The Peoria Tribe is proudly only one in eight American Indian or Alaska Native communities in the nation to be awarded this grant and only one in four to be awarded it in the state of Oklahoma. Furthermore, the Tribe received one of the most lucrative of the grants in the entire nation.
“Kids learn how to eat; it’s not programmed in them,” said USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Cindy Long. “What they’re exposed to at a young age makes a real difference. When we support children in establishing good eating habits, we’re setting them up to reach their full potential.”
Chief Harper of the Peoria Tribe reflected, “I am so proud of the work our Peoria Team does day in and day out. The continued coordination across multiple departments shows Peoria’s commitment to meet the nutritional needs of community members in our care.”
Senior Producer - Cherokee Nation Citizen
5moGreat to see!