FAST Blackfeet
FAST (Food Access and Sustainability Team) Blackfeet is a nonprofit located in Browning, Montana. The Native-led group is working to combat food insecurity in the Blackfeet Nation by improving access to food and nutritional intake for their community. They do so through the Ō´yō´•ṗ’ (We Are Eating) Food Pantry. Currently, FAST operates as a drive-through model, allowing community members to reserve pre-made boxes of food weekly, regardless of income status. In the first six months of operation, FAST served over 41,000 pounds of food throughout the community. Ō´yō´•ṗ’ On Wheels was created during the pandemic as the team recognized they would need a new model in order to adapt to the limitations presented by COVID-19. The mobile service allowed FAST to deliver food throughout the reservation, rather than just in Browning, as well as to those in quarantine.
In addition to their daily operations through the food pantry, FAST is involved in numerous other projects that serve the Blackfeet Nation including nutrition education, which is a culturally-relevant Native Food Guide formed with dietitians from Indian Health Services, Indigikitchen, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. The Growing Health Tea project is another initiative aiming to create, support, and maintain a locally-produced tea market that encourages teas traditionally used by Blackfeet people for health and wellness.
To learn more about FAST programs or to donate please visit the FAST Blackfeet website:
https://www.fastblackfeet.org/
Evidence-Based Resources:
It is estimated that almost half of all American Indian and Alaska Native people in the U.S. experience food insecurity. Many health inequities are caused and worsened by food insecurity, however there is little research to fully explain the effect of food insecurity on Native communities. For more information please visit:
https://academic.oup.com/advances/advance-article/doi/10.1093/advances/nmac008/6517305?login=true