CHOCTAW, Miss. — The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist the Tribe in building a community that is food-secure with equitable access to fresh and healthy foods. The grant will be used to fund the efforts of Choctaw Fresh Produce, the Tribe’s certified organic farm.

Tomika Bell, Local Food Coordinator for Choctaw Fresh Produce, states, “We are very grateful to receive this financial support from the Kellogg Foundation. Our organic farm was started in 2012, and it has grown to include farms in four of our Tribal communities. This grant will help us continue to provide jobs as well as nutritious food for our members.”

 The grant will be disseminated over three years, and will be used in the following ways:

• Partial funding for salaries of 10 employees (nine of whom are tribal members)

• Funding an updated business plan for Choctaw Fresh Produce

• Funding construction of an equipment storage facility

 “The Kellogg Foundation is focused on ensuring children thrive, and we are excited to support Choctaw Fresh Produce and the Tribe’s mission of becoming a more self-sufficient and healthy community,” says Rhea Williams-Bishop, director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs for the Kellogg Foundation.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation:

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

As one of the United States’ original first nations, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the only federally recognized American Indian tribe living within the State of Mississippi. With over 11,000 members, Choctaw lands cover over 35,000 acres in 10 counties. Providing permanent, full-time jobs for over 5,000 Tribal-member and non-Indian employees, the Tribe is a major contributor to the state’s economy.

###