Food Security

The Navajo Nation has the highest rate of food insecurity throughout the United States. This is attributed to lack of access to drinkable water, electricity, cellular service, poverty, and unemployment. The Navajo Nation spans more than 17 billion acres and for many rural families access to basic necessities is difficult. Many individuals have to drive more than one hour one way to purchase essentials and food for themselves and their families.

What WeDo

We partner with food services in the McKinley County surrounding areas
We provide mutual aid resources
We are working with New Mexico's first food and agriculture group

McKinley Access to Healthy Food

Information provided by W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant.

Food – Working with NM First’s food and agriculture group. Focus areas for NMSJEI include pre-school gardens, healthy soil, community farms, and solar. Sunshine is building a learning center. They are working collaboratively with Spirit Farm and have learned how to compost, chickens, plant, harvest, make soap, sell produce and sheep and pig meat. Many local residents purchase from Skeets Farm. We are also part of the NM First Community Town Hall Planning team, also the NM First Food, Ag, and Water Working Group. They have helped us with information for the farmers and water users.

Provided food literacy training to 10 families.
Increased participation rates by 5% by nurturing relationship building through family and healthy food-centered events.
12 Focus groups held on how to recruit more volunteers from communities we work within Gallup/McKinley
24 Outreach activities held with Indigenous Lifeways, Health Earth Summit, Strong Families, Somos Gallup, McKinley Health Council for base building for healthy food access as a health promotions community outreach and food delivery
7 Community members participated in healthy soil workshops and ancestral healthy foods.
Strengthened long-term relationships with Shima Learning Center, Work in Beauty and Skeets Farm. (How do you know?) attendance at the online webinars is well attended, we are connecting and informing our networks to assess the interest in farming, seed saving, making compost, and gardening.
10 Families have increased health food knowledge and individual life skills. . (How do you know?) Attend food and healthy soil workshops on Facebook Live with Shima Learning Center. We have been working to find the funds to expand their work with local farmers.
The farmers have monthly calls and we stay updated on the various food justice initiatives.
List priority communities/populations worked with: Navajo, Zuni, Immigrant, and unsheltered relatives in Gallup, McKinley County
40 parents and youth/children educating decision-makers on issues of importance to them