Senior Staff Attorney Kelli Case was in Cherokee, North Carolina at the end of August 2023 meeting with the Eastern Band Cherokee Nation to discuss the Farm Bill, meat processing, and all things IFAI.

She was on hand for the ribbon cutting of the new Cherokee Tribal Foods Distribution & Tribal Cannery Center.  A $5.3 million USDA grant, $4 million from the American Rescue Plan, and $1 million from the capital fund of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) supported the construction of the facility, which measures just under 8,000 square feet.  The project also rehabilitated a portion of an existing building, the former craft shop known as The Cherokees.

“The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ food and agriculture industries are expanding and flourishing,” Case said. “It is always a pleasure to be able to visit Tribes and share IFAI resources and our policy and legal expertise.”

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Photo Caption: The Cherokee Tribal Foods Distribution & Tribal Cannery Center in Cherokee, N.C. celebrates ribbon cutting on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Shown, left to right, front row – Birdtown Rep. Boyd Owle, Wolftown Rep. Andrew Oocumma, Wolftown Rep. Mike Parker, Painttown Rep. Michael Stamper, Yellowhill Rep. David Wolfe, Teen Miss Cherokee Cameron Jackson, Little Miss Cherokee Zarah Dawkins, Tribal Foods Manager Amelia Owle-Arkansas, Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed, Yellowhill Rep. T.W. Saunooke, Cherokee Co. – Snowbird Rep. Adam Wachacha; back row – USDA SERO Regional Administrator Willie Taylor, Tribal Council Vice Chairman Albert Rose, Tribal Council Chairman Richard French, and Vice Chief Alan B. Ensley. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)