CROW AGENCY — For thousands of residents living on the Crow Reservation, finding food, particularly healthy food, is no easy task.
To address the food desert in the reservation, several Crow nonprofits are working together to provide a food-accessibility survey to the public, targeted at Crow Agency.
Learn how four Native programs are working to address food inaccessibility on the reservation below:
The Conoco gas station in Crow Agency is a community hub, where many residents get their food. Besides the gas station, there's also two restaurants, and occasionally, food trucks and vendors will line up down Makawasha Avenue.
Nearby towns such as Lodge Grass have a grocery store. However, the food there is often more expensive than food at grocery stores in larger cities such as Billings.
"Next time you go to a gas station, look at what you have available, especially rural gas stations," said Charlene Johnson, the executive director of Plenty Doors Community Development Cooperation. "We can't just simply go to Lowe's and go pick up something, or go to Walmart, or go to Costco."
Plenty Doors is a nonprofit located in Crow Agency that aims to boost the local economy by working with other partners.
Johnson is working alongside two Crow nonprofits to tackle the food crisis.
The first nonprofit, founded in 2022 by Edwina Alden-Perez, is Spotted Tail Holistic Health. Alden-Perez launched the nonprofit after she discovered the importance of gardening and processing food locally. According to Alden-Perez, the goal of the nonprofit is to bring preventative health education to residents on the reservation.
"We have so many significant health issues, which is 1 and type 2 diabetes and hypertension," she said. "We have to travel. Many... don't have the right to travel, and they don't even have the gas money at times. So, demographic incomes really impact our food systems here."
Johnson and Alden-Perez have teamed up with doctoral candidate JoRee LaFrance, who's studying the water quality, accessibility, and energy from the Little Bighorn River.
LaFrance co-founded the nonprofit Apsaalooke Immiio, which roughly translates to "Crow is being independent." The nonprofit analyzes strategies for the Crow Reservation to be independent and reliant on its own resources.
"I am a true believer in the phrase, 'for us, by us,'" said LaFrance. "Having the approach and the strategies come from within us is really critical to us and our tribal community."
Johnson, Alden-Perez and LaFrance have worked together to create a study to further understand the community's need for food accessibility.
The survey asks questions regarding where residents get their daily meals, and what food-related resources residents would like to see on the reservation. According to the nonprofit's leaders, data and research is needed before the change can begin.
"It's really about trying to understand the needs of our community, rather than coming with an approach of saying, 'These are the answers,'" said LaFrance.
Similar to the three nonprofits, the Crow Tribe Fish and Game Commission has introduced a new initiative looking to feed Crow residents.
The Crow Bison Management Program aims to reintroduce bison back to the area as a way to bring locally sourced food to the community.
"April 1st I came on, and the herd that was sitting on the mountain was 286 head, and now we're over 400 on the mountain," said the manager of the program, Chaz Bends.
Bends told MTN that his great-great-grandfather was a part of the group that initially helped reintroduce bison decades ago.
"That's what I'm trying to do, is just provide a healthy food source for the people," said Benz.
The Crow Bison Management Program had its first free bison meat giveaway on the reservation earlier this week. According to Benz, the agency gave away over 1,000 pounds of bison meat to 120 families. He said they plan on giving away free bison meat at least once a month.
"Everybody was blown away and super appreciative," he said. "It's going to draw more people in, being that it's already processed."
Bends plans on working alongside Alden-Perez at Spotted Tail Holistic Health to create healthy, easy recipes for the bison meat.
"This is a new thing, because we've been eating processed (food), fats, and it's compromised our entire health systems," said Alden-Perez.
According to leaders with the nonprofits, food resiliency has brought the community closer together and has forced members of the Crow Tribe to be more creative.
"We're working hard. We're Apsaalooke people who are finding solutions to the problems that we have," said Johnson. "Any time you have any challenges, I think it makes you more creative, and it makes you more innovative."
