The California Valley Miwok Tribe – located at 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, CA (As listed in the Federal Register of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, BIA/DOI), a federally recognized tribe eligible to receive and distribute services from the federal government – on Monday, November 29th, concluded a food drive undertaken by the Tribe during the Thanksgiving holiday. The Tribe denied resources that it would otherwise be entitled, held a special meeting to initiate a grassroots movement to address growing and immediate concerns over transportation, housing, utility bills, and food shortages currently being suffered by its members and other Native Americans within its service area.
Members of the Tribe that reside within the Morada area were able to access the goodwill and generosity of the Morada district and its surrounding communities in initiating this effort. The many families and small businesses involved in this endeavor whom themselves have fallen on hard times in this turbulent economy, felt that they still had enough to give to the less fortunate and gave charitably.
To assist in bringing this much needed subsistence to members of the Tri-Miwok Consortium located in the Sierra foothills, Gloria Grimes, Chairperson of the Calaveras Band of Mi-Wuk Indians (whose tribe is a Tri-Miwok Consortium member and also in dire financial straits) sent her husband, Mr. Leonard Grimes to receive the collections and make deliveries of these foods possible. Local communities all working together to help one another, Native and non-Native alike, shows the indomitable spirit and charitable self-sacrifice that makes this country so great.
The Tribe would like to thank all its members that participated, Morada and its surrounding communities and small businesses and also to Chairperson Gloria Grimes and the Calaveras Band of Mi-Wuk Indians for assisting the Tribe in this holiday endeavor.
