Press Release: Gov. Evers, DATCP Announce Grants to Help Provide Healthy, Locally Sourced, and Culturally Relevant Food to Thousands of Tribal Elders and Their Families

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 06/17/2026 05:00 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers, DATCP Announce Grants to Help Provide Healthy, Locally Sourced, and Culturally Relevant Food to Thousands of Tribal Elders and Their Families
Amidst rising costs, $1.5 million in Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program grants secured by Gov. Evers in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget to support Tribal sovereignty, food security, and uplift Tribal food producers across the state  
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), today announced grant awards through the Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program to help provide healthy, high-quality, and culturally traditional food to thousands of Tribal Elders and their families across the state. Amidst rising costs from the grocery store to the gas pump due to President Trump’s reckless trade wars, tariffs, and the war in Iran, the $1.5 million in funding will ensure Wisconsin’s Tribal communities can keep nutritious food on the table, all while supporting the state’s Tribal producers, local farmers, and processors. The funding will be distributed to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force Inc., who will work with Tribal community food system leaders to distribute locally sourced food to Tribal food distribution centers. Gov. Evers secured continued funding for the Tribal Elder Food Box Program through a $3 million investment in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget. 

“Advancing Tribal food sovereignty has always been a priority for my administration, and our successful Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program has been a cornerstone of those efforts over the years,” said Gov. Evers. “Especially as we see rising costs at the grocery store checkout and attacks on federal basic needs programs like food assistance, we know that seniors and families are struggling, and far too many communities in our state are food insecure. We’ve also seen trade wars, tariffs, and a war in Iran that are wreaking havoc on our farmers and producers as well. Thanks to our dedicated state partners, we’re getting these funds out the door to increase access to nutritious foods in Tribal communities to make sure every family has food on the table, while supporting Indigenous food producers during a tough time for everyone.”

The funding was provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed into law by Gov. Evers last year, which built upon the governor’s and the Evers Administration’s efforts to support Wisconsin’s agricultural industries and increase food security across the state. In addition to the $3 million investment to continue the Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program, Gov. Evers similarly secured a $10 million investment to continue the Food Security and Wisconsin Products Grant Program, which was created by Gov. Evers in 2020 to connect local nonprofit food assistance programs, such as food pantries, with local producers to keep shelves stocked with nutritious, locally produced food.

“Due to the leadership of Governor Evers, this program is supporting Tribal communities with healthy and traditional food,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “This program supports producers and processors across the state and works to reduce food insecurity.”

A total of $1.5 million will support current efforts to purchase and distribute food to Tribal elders and support Indigenous-based food producers. In receiving these grants, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and Hunger Task Force Inc. must collaborate with and partner on food security efforts with Tribal Nations in Wisconsin. Grant funds must be used to support Tribal citizens and serve multiple Tribal Nations within the state. Purchased food must be distributed to Tribal citizens in Wisconsin at no cost. A minimum of 90 percent of the budget must be spent on food procurement, and a maximum of 10 percent of the budget may be spent on other eligible expenses to implement or evaluate the project.

More information on the Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program can be found on DATCP’s website.

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS BY THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION TO BOLSTER WISCONSIN’S FOOD SECURITY AND AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES

Last year, amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the Trump Administration delayed critical food assistance for the nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites—including nearly 270,000 kids—who depend on Wisconsin FoodShare for basic food and groceries. Gov. Evers spent weeks urging the Trump Administration to use readily available federal funding and levers to prevent millions of Americans from losing food assistance, and hours after a federal court ordered the Trump Administration to stop withholding SNAP payments to states and directed the administration to use billions of dollars in readily available federal funding to provide food assistance payments to millions of Americans, Gov. Evers announced the Evers Administration immediately moved to pay full November payments for all Wisconsin FoodShare members.     

Over the past seven years, Gov. Evers has also secured critical investments for farmers, producers, and their families, including supporting the state’s meat and dairy producers, investing in farmer mental health resources, and bolstering Wisconsin’s exports worldwide. Gov. Evers recognizes that Wisconsin’s $116 billion agricultural industry is as critical to the state economy as it is to Wisconsin’s heritage and culture, and ensuring its continued growth and success for generations to come will be critical to ensuring Wisconsin’s continued growth and success.          

In addition to $3 million to continue the Tribal Elder Community Food Box Program in the most recent 2025-27 Biennial Budget signed by Gov. Evers, this budget builds upon efforts of the Evers Administration to date to support Wisconsin’s agricultural industry and proud heritage as “America’s Dairyland,” by providing:      
  • Ongoing funding for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports (WIAE) program to continue to support farmers and producers wanting to expand into new markets and increase output and help Wisconsin navigate international markets for agriculture, forestry, and food products;   
    • Under Gov. Evers’ leadership, according to the WIAE, Wisconsin is currently ranked 11th in the nation for agricultural exports by state, up from 13th in 2021. 
  • $150 million to continue support for the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program, created by Gov. Evers in the 2023-25 biennium, ensuring the ongoing improvement of Wisconsin’s rural roads to help farmers and producers and the state’s agricultural and forestry industries move products to market safely and efficiently;   
    • $30 million of the $150 million secured for ARIP will be specifically targeted to bridge and culvert repair to help improve and repair deteriorating bridges across the state.   
  • $20 million to create a new state program designed to support dairy and agriculture resilience;     
  • $10 million investment to continue the Food Security and Wisconsin Products Grant Program; 
  • $800,000 to increase the available funding for the successful Dairy Processor Grant Program;    
  • $1 million to bolster and support the Meat Processor Grant Program;     
  • Over $2.4 million over the biennium for the Meat Inspection Program to ensure meat products are produced safely and match nutrition labels;    
  • $200,000 to support farmers and their families’ mental health;    
  • $500,000 to increase funding for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program, which helps enable producers and producer-led groups to implement nonpoint source pollution abatement strategies to improve Wisconsin’s soil and water quality;     
  • $2 million to continue the commercial Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program, which aims to protect vital soil and water resources; and    
  • An additional $1.6 million to support the cover crop insurance program, which helps assist farmers with rebates of $5 per acre of a cover crop planted for crop insurance premiums paid on those acres.   
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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