Ronald Buckman, Tule River Tribe Food Distribution Specialist and driver sends food down the conveyer to Mark Fountain, Vice Chairman of the Calaveras Mountain Miwuk (pictured center) and Richard McDarment, Director of the Tule River Tribe USDA Food Distribution Program (pictured far right).
The California Valley Miwok Tribe – located at 10601 Escondido Place, Stockton, CA 95212 – held the final installment of this year’s USDA-sponsored food distribution on December 7th, 2009.
The Tribe was happy to see old friend and USDA food distribution director from the Tule River Tribe, Richard McDarment, whom participated in this month’s distribution. It was a very cold day, but local participants braved the cold and were very thankful for the distributions. The Tribe though currently without funding, does not have the financial resources to hire a service with the proper equipment to navigate the unplowed roads of the areas in which many of the snowed-in recipients reside within Calaveras County and so are currently holding participants’ distribution provisions in refridgerated storage at the Tribal Office in hopes that the Sierra storms may soon pass; enabling affected recipients safe access out of their homes to come and acquire their distributions.
This food program has been a major benefit to all the families that are currently being serviced; families that include members of the California Valley Miwok Tribe, the Calaveras band of Mi-wuk Indians, the Calaveras County Mountain Miwuk, the Historic Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe and The Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe – as well as the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The Tribe is thankful that the USDA has a program such as this and that the Tule River Tribe as a distribution center is making deliveries possible to federally recognized tribes so that in turn, tribes such as ours are able to provide this service to needy families within our service area.
The Tribe would like to thank the USDA, The Tule River Tribe, Richard McDarment, Ronald Buckman and all the participants whom continue to make this program so successful. We wish everyone a happy holiday season and good fortune in the coming new year.
