The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to purchase Dried Date Products for distribution to various food nutrition assistance programs. Purchases will be made under the authority of Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935, with the purpose to encourage the continued domestic consumption of these products by diverting them from the normal channels of trade and commerce. 

The purpose of Illinois project is to increase and/or expand purchases of local unprocessed products for schools to serve as a part of their federal school meal programs. The Illinois State of Board of Education (ISBE) plans to make the funds available directly to all schools currently in the National School Lunch Program, in an effort to allow for local control of utilization of these funds for allowable purchases.

The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Tribe) has made significant strides towards food sovereignty in recent years and this project will continue to expand upon those efforts. The Tribe currently creates food access for its community members through a variety of programs and services, for example the Elderly Meal Program and the Food Distribution Center, among others. These programs work on tight budgets and have limited access to high quality, local, and traditional foods.