November 03, 2009

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe to Receive $940,000 Grant from Shakopee Mdewakanton

Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community announces a grant for $940,000 to the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota for economic development and community infrastructure. The grant will fund three initiatives.

The majority of the grant, $790,000, will help fund a new convenience store in West Brule near the tribal justice center, tribal government offices, and the local Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as cluster housing areas. The 5,667 square foot convenience store will feature a four pump gas station and will provide much needed jobs and services for the community as a whole. Soil testing is underway, and the tribe hopes to continue construction during the winter so that the new convenience store can open in mid-2010.

“We’re pretty excited to get this. It’s a dream coming true because we never realized it could happen,” said Tribal Liaison Officer Michael Standing Soldier who has worked on the project for years.

Lakota Foods, owned and operated by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, will receive $100,000 for marketing and advertising. Lakota Foods markets popcorn and buffalo products produced on the 7,000 acre Lower Brule Farm which has raised crops since 1979. It is one of the world's largest producers of popcorn. Lakota Foods also grows kidney, pinto, navy, and soybeans; sunflowers; and wheat, milo, and alfalfa for feed.

Lakota Foods offers 13 different popcorn products, buffalo jerky, and buffalo sticks. The popcorn products include ready to eat, raw, and cheddar, butter, caramel, and honey flavored, as well as gift packages.

The remainder of the funds will be used to help replace a tribal ambulance which has reached the end of its life cycle. The SMSC will contribute $50,000 towards the new ambulance which the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe will match. The new ambulance will continue to provide services to both the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Reservations.

In April 2009 the SMSC gave the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe a donation of $60,000 to help complete the West Brule Recreational Youth Center.

The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is part of the Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires of the Dakota Nation. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, also known as the Kul Wicasa Oyate, is located along the Missouri River in central South Dakota on the Native American Scenic Byway. It is approximately 60 miles southeast of Pierre, South Dakota. Reservation population is 2,600 on a total area of 221,646 acres in Lyman and Stanley Counties. For more information go to www.lbst.org or www.lakotafoods.com.