Access to food shouldn’t depend on politics.

Yet — due to 250 years of oppressive federal policy and the current government shutdown — that’s the reality for nearly half of families on the Rosebud Reservation.

Over 40% of households on the reservation rely on SNAP. That’s more than 2,000 households and 4,500 relatives — half of them children. According to state data, more than $1 million in food support is now at risk of disappearing under the shutdown.

At Sicangu Co, we believe no one should go hungry because of fragile systems created far from home. That’s why our Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative is working every day to build a strong local food economy — one that is regenerative, self-determined, and rooted in Lakota values.

Through our Relatives Feeding Relatives program, we aggregate and distribute locally produced foods to our community — foods grown, raised, and harvested by our own people. One of those producers is the Wolakota Buffalo Range, where we care for the largest Native-managed bison herd in the world.

As an immediate response to the SNAP crisis, we have decided to harvest an additional five buffalo to distribute to community members for free.

This emergency action will cost more than $10,000 in processing fees, staff time, and lost revenue. But it is the right thing to do to ensure that no relative goes hungry, even when the federal government fails to act.

On top of that, our team is working with tribal leadership to increase the frequency of our Relatives Feeding Relatives distributions. Additional funding would also allow us to increase the size and variety of products we offer. We are particularly interested in reviving traditional food trade with other Native Nations.

We’re calling this effort “SNAP the System” — because it’s time to break free from dependence on broken systems and invest in food sovereignty for the Sicangu Lakota Oyate.

Your donation will:

Feed families on Rosebud during this critical moment
Support local producers and strengthen our food sovereignty network
Invest in long-term solutions that make our nation less dependent on fragile government systems

Help us SNAP the System — and build a food economy that is regenerative, resilient, and self-determined.

SNAP the System

By Sicangu Community Development Corporation

SNAP the System

We're building a regenerative, self-determined food system