CSKT expands food sovereignty: gardens, elder soup program and planned USDA meat-processing facility
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Summary
Jordan Thompson described CSKT’s food sovereignty efforts — a food sovereignty center at the former Kicking Horse Job Corps site, a community garden network, partnerships with Western Montana Growers Co-op, an elder soup program delivering 200+ meals twice weekly, and a USDA-certified meat processing facility planned near Ronan aimed for spring 2026.
Jordan Thompson, acting tribal executive officer for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, told Missoula County hosts that CSKT is rebuilding local food systems after decades of reliance on outside food sources. Thompson said more than 90 percent of food consumed by many tribal families comes from outside the reservation and that the tribe has used COVID-era funding to support food-security programming.
Thompson described a food sovereignty center located at the former Kicking Horse Job Corps site that now has a commercial-grade kitchen, staff and partnerships with vocational programs and AmeriCorps. The center supports a community garden network, provides produce boxes of organic local foods, and supplies an elder soup program that delivers over 200 soups twice weekly to elders on the reservation.
On meat processing, Thompson said CSKT expects to open a USDA-certified facility near Ronan by spring 2026 (timeline described as approximate). The facility is intended to process local cattle and wild game — including meat from administrative hunts and treaty-reserved bison from Yellowstone — to make traditional protein more available through tribal food programs and local distribution.
Thompson said the tribe also partners with local growers and co-ops to get high-quality produce into schools, businesses and elder programs. He framed those efforts as part of a broader goal to restore traditional foodways, improve public health and support local economic development.
The commissioners and Thompson discussed potential internship and workforce development collaborations to connect Missoula County students with CSKT departments and business units; Thompson noted CSKT employs over 1,400 people and is a large regional employer.