Jennifer Vazquez, Meskwaki Local Foods Planner and Red Earth Gardens Farm manager displays some of the garden produce from the farm in this News-Herald file photo. Among some of the uses, it is supplied to the Meskwaki Bingo•Casino•Hotel food operations and also sold at a mobile food stand. News-Herald/John Speer

The Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa announces it has been awarded a five-year Sustainable Employment and Economic Development Strategies grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), an Office of the Administration for Children & Families (AFC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant, which will bring over $1.6 million in funding over the next five years, has been awarded for the purpose of enhancing the goals of “Diversifying Red Earth Gardens.” The award for budget period Sept. 30, 2015 to Sept. 29, 2016, is $331,359.00.

As part of the Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Initiative (MFSI), Red Earth Gardens is an organic produce farm located on the tribe’s settlement. Its mission is to revitalize Meskwaki’s cultural traditions tied to seasonal growing and gathering practices. As it works to integrate traditional organic and sustainable foods back into the tribal community utilizing Meskwaki values, programming at the farm is designed to be an incubator for developing future farmers and rediscovering growing practices in tune with the environment.

Red Earth Gardens features Tribally Supported Agriculture (TSA) shares, wherein customers buy a share of food from the farm before the growing season starts, support purchase of seeds and supplies and receive a box of fresh produce every week throughout the harvest season.

Each shareholder also receives a cookbook and weekly newsletter with farm updates, recipes and opportunities to volunteer and participate in other events at the farm. In addition, cooking classes using produce from the shares are offered every other week by MFSI staff.