Food Bank of Wyoming, in collaboration with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (Longmont, CO), Community Fruit Rescue (Boulder, CO), and Food Bank of the Rockies, recently led a community-driven chokecherry harvest to support Indigenous families in Wyoming. The initiative, spearheaded by Jaqueline “Jackie” White, Food Bank of Wyoming’s Tribal Relations Specialist and member of the Northern Arapahoe Tribe, successfully yielded more than 300 pounds of chokecherries. The berries were cleaned, sorted, and frozen in preparation to be distributed as jam through the Wind River Reservation’s Elder Home Food Delivery Program ahead of upcoming cultural ceremonies.
The harvest brought together dozens of volunteers, each of whom gathered berries from public parks and the private backyards and gardens of area residents who generously donated the fruit. This year’s collection marked a significant increase from the 80 pounds harvested in 2024.
“One of the harvests took place in Longmont, Colorado, which is the Arapaho homelands, and so it was incredibly significant to harvest our own traditional foods on our original homelands. It was a very special day and hard to put into words, but my heart was so happy to see all these people come together to help harvest the chokecherries,” said Jackie.
Jackie emphasizes the importance of food to the Arapaho people, with chokecherries holding deep cultural significance for many Indigenous communities. For the Arapaho people, the fruit is a sacred ceremonial item used to nourish mind, body, and spirit. Elders — honored as Knowledge Keepers — are always served first. As such, the chokecherry jam will be distributed to Shoshone and Arapaho Elders ahead of upcoming ceremonies.
“We even had an Arapaho Elder come down to speak, provide an opening prayer, and tell stories, because when you understand the history of Indigenous People, like our traditional foods, you can appreciate the significance of it that much more,” said Jackie.
This two-day harvest was made possible by the dedicated staff and volunteers of Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and Community Fruit Rescue. Chokecherries have become increasingly difficult to find and access due to overharvesting, and this growing partnership between these organizations and Food Bank of Wyoming aims to change that.
“We’re proud to work with each of these organizations to provide traditional chokecherries and chokecherry jam for our neighbors in the Wind River Reservation. The harvest is part of a larger, ongoing effort to promote food sovereignty and restore access to traditional and culturally meaningful foods,” said Food Bank of Wyoming Executive Director Danica Sveda.
