Bishop Paiute Tribe’s Muadubu Nuumu Fresh Produce Program will provide fresh healthy produce to the Bishop Paiute Tribal Elders Program and additional Tribal members from this underserved community who need food. The Tribe values its Elders as keepers of traditional and historical knowledge, language, and lifeways of the Tribe. Being removed from access to their native foods and the cost and limited availability of fresh foods, many have developed diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Previous food projects have delivered mostly niche produce, and elders, not knowing how to store or prepare the produce, unfamiliar with the flavors and how to cook it, have often thrown much away. Because of the location of the Tribe in an isolated rural tourist area between Mammoth Lake, CA and Yosemite, the high cost of living makes food security an issue. Many Tribal community members live in multi-generational homes, with Elders often raising their grandchildren, making hunger an issue.
The Program will procure fresh fruit and vegetable box subscriptions from producers, including socially disadvantaged local producers. Boxes will be delivered to the Reservation at least twice a month over a 1-year period and distributed to 200 Tribal elders over the age of 55 and 200 Tribal community members in need of food at one of two locations with home delivery to the homebound and disabled. The food boxes will include recipes for the produce and storage directions. The program is expected to alleviate hunger and increase health by lowering incidences of diabetes and cardiovascular disorder.