Xa Kako Dile: is leading an innovative initiative to preserve and distribute traditional foods for tribal communities in Mendocino County, California, using freeze-drying technology. This project seeks to address and reconnect tribal communities and their cultural food ways by providing shelf-stable, nutritious products that can be shared with Tribal Elder and youth programs, community organizations, Indian Health programs, Native youth camps, healing retreats and our underserved community organizations. The goal is to create a scalable model that honors Ancestral food practices while meeting food safety standards, empowering tribal communities to control their food systems, and improving health outcomes. Xa Kako Dile’s work also supports economic development by creating new market opportunities for Indigenous food producers and offering a model for other tribal communities to replicate, advancing Indigenous food sovereignty and transforming institutional procurement. Through this planning grant, Xa Kako Dile will conduct a draft market analysis, document current food procurement practices, and build partnerships with tribal producers and other local farmers.
