SHIP stories
The Statewide Health Improvement Program
(SHIP) works to improve health through
better nutrition, increased physical activity
and decreased commercial tobacco use and
exposure.
SHIP works to help support individuals seeking
to make healthy choices. One key for Statewide
Health Improvement Program efforts is working
with communities to increase access to good
nutrition.
Bringing more fruits and
vegetables to Grand Portage
With the help of SHIP, Grand Portage Reservation has
been able to make real, sustainable improvements in
access to healthy foods through the development of a
community garden.
Grand Portage Reservation, located near the
Canadian border, is one of the more isolated locations
in the lower 48 states. Being at the end of a very long
supply route, it has been a challenge to increase access
to fresh fruits and vegetables in their community. In
fact, they have only one store selling groceries with a
very limited and expensive selection of fresh foods.
When the idea of a community garden was proposed,
it seemed farfetched. While gardening has always
been a way of life for the Ojibwe people, in Grand
Portage the growing season is short, the soil rocky, and
deer and other animals tend to eat the fruits of your
labor.
Nutrition educator Jaye Clearwater, Andy Schmidt
and Jake Carlson of Grand Portage Trustlands didn’t
see barriers, they saw an opportunity. In the summer
of 2009, with the support of tribal leadership and the
community, the community broke ground on the garden.
There was a lot of work to do, making a garden in
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/oshii
what was “a large field of with rocks with clay for soil,”
according to Jaye. Over the next weeks and months
they picked rocks, brought in horse and llama manure,
created a compost pile and built fences.
A community meeting was held announcing the project
and that a garden spot would be available to every
community member who wanted one. The first year, the
level of interest in gardening exceeded the amount
of available garden space. With the help of SHIP,
the garden has been expanded each year. Currently,
the garden has tripled in size and is used by over 25
families.
By fall, the garden yielded a harvest of tomatoes,
squash, potatoes, peas, greens, tomatoes, corn, and
more to the families and the community. The garden
has meant a “big boost to vegetables in our area,”
Jaye says.
***
SHIP is working to make the healthy choice the easy
choice in Minnesota. Find out how at
www.health.state.mn.us/ship