SGU Food Sovereignty Initiative Helps Six Communities Grow Fresh Produce

By: Teddie Rae Herman, SGU Media

"Ideal's community garden is thriving!" exclaimed Lexie Swalley, Sinte Gleska University's Community Liaison for the USDA Extension Program, who has been busy helping local communities start and maintain their gardens.

MISSION - Sinte Gleska University’s Food Sovereignty program, supported by the USDA Extension grant, has been hard at work since late May, helping several communities establish their own gardens this year. The SGU Greenhouse also plays a vital role in this initiative by cultivating the vegetable plants that are subsequently transplanted into the community gardens.

"It's going on four years now, that we've been doing the community gardens," said Shawn Bordeaux, SGU Institute of Tribal Lands & Community Development Director. "We have six at present, although we started with eight, but it is hard to find volunteers in the communities to help maintain the gardens."

Ideal Community members help transplant the plants grown by Sinte Gleska University's Greenhouse into their community garden. 

The six communities include Ideal, Horse Creek, Parmelee, Rosebud, St. Francis, and new Ring Thunder.

Lexie Swalley, SGU Community Liaison/USDA Extension Program, is assisting the communities along with summer interns Sebastian Del Rio and Whisper Crow Dog, who she stated helped her install the fence in Ideal's community garden. Lexie also delivered their seeds and vegetable plants and prepped their garden herself, she added. 

"Ideal’s community garden is thriving!" Lexie exclaimed.  "Rachel Andrews and Paula Antoine help maintain the community garden in Ideal, and they have different community members helping keep it together nicely. Their community is very involved," she added.

The Parmelee Community garden is thriving, thanks to the rain we've been receiving and the dedication of community members, all supported by the Sinte Gleska University USDA Extension Program. 

In Horse Creek, Dr. Pat Williams, SGU's Greenhouse Director, and Lexie prepped their garden, and summer intern Whisper Crow Dog helped transplant vegetable plants. Community members Sam Iyotte, Tavish Bartlett, and his wife Carrie Bartlett have been working on their community garden with Lexie. "They have some horse handler students helping maintain their garden and helped transplant their seeds and vegetable plants," she explained.

It is wonderful to see the Horse Creek community working together to transplant the plants grown at the Sinte Gleska University Greenhouse. This project, supported by the SGU USDA Extension Program, is a fantastic way to nurture local growth and sustainability.

"I also worked with Asa Amiotte to prep the Parmelee community garden, delivered their seeds and vegetable plants, and he has his summer youth workers helping to maintain their garden," she shared.

Raynbow Stoneman also served as an SGU Community Liaison, working alongside Dr. Williams to establish gardens in the communities of St. Francis, Rosebud, and Ring Thunder.

Angel Eagle Cloud tends to a plant within the Ring Thunder community garden that was established with help by the Sinte Gleska University USDA Extension Program, which is one of the programs under SGU's Institute of Tribal Lands & Community Development, and the SGU Greenhouse.

Inez Roether, Monica Whiting, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe's summer youth workers are doing a fantastic job maintaining the St. Francis garden. Meanwhile, Hope Reynolds, TJ Valandra, and Maleah Rose are keeping the Rosebud garden beautiful, and Angel Eagle Cloud is doing great work at the new Ring Thunder location. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication!

For more information regarding the community gardens, please contact Shawn Bordeaux at: shawn.bordeaux@sintegleska.edu or call him at (605) 856-8241.