In the video below, Brianna Juneau reports on FAST Blackfeet, which is dedicated to improving food security, providing nutrition education, and reclaiming and building food sovereignty within the Blackfeet Nation. FAST stands for Food Access & Sustainability Team.
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Danielle Gervais is the director of FAST Blackfeet. Born and raised in Browning, Gervais experienced firsthand the challenges of limited access to nutritional food. Her upbringing in a food-insecure household fueled her passion for change.
She explained, “When I was younger, we didn’t have access to culturally relevant and nutritious foods like we do now. Something that I say often with our programs, and I hear the rest of our staff say too, is that these are programs that we needed growing up.”
Determined to address these issues, she pursued higher education at Montana State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems.
“I originally went to school to be nurse,” Gervais added. “I figured out that wasn’t for me when I couldn’t promote the use of plant medicines and holistic methods of healing. When I found my program and sat in my first class and they said, ‘We will look at how Native Americans used the land’, I knew that was my path.”
When sitting down with Danielle in her office inside FAST Blackfeet, she spoke with a smile when asked about her current work and overseeing the programs and impact that the nonprofit has had on her community.
She explained, “I really consider that like this is where I’m supposed to be, this is where all of my efforts and my nonstop talking come into hand is um, that like this next generation is cultural reclamation. This next generation, it’s gonna be absolutely cool to be able to go to a harvest, to be able to eat traditional foods, to be able to speak your language and I see those types of things happening just within my own children.”
Programs at FAST Blackfeet include a nutrition education program, cooking classes, gardening, buffalo harvests, and the need-based food pantry that operates every week – providing access to culturally relevant foods like buffalo meat.
Efforts at the organization are just a steppingstone in the community-wide endeavor of cultural revitalization.
Today, Blackfeet youth have more opportunities than ever to connect with their heritage.
Danielle lit up when asked about seeing the introduction of culture in current students and kids.
She said, “You can really tell there’s a difference happening. My kid inspires me because he comes home and tells me when the school cooked buffalo meat. He’s really excited to talk about it and he recognizes that it’s rare but also that it’s happening in school. I started him young on that kind of diet so now that’s all he knows and all he wants.”
As an organization that’s committed to enhancing food security and promoting sustainable practices on the reservation, Danielle has seen first-hand how reconnecting the community with Blackfeet traditional foods is driving a new positive impact.
“It’s important for us to be able to provide buffalo meat and wild game and foods that are traditional to the Blackfeet diet because when we’re encouraging healthy foods, it’s important to remember that our traditional diet is a healthy diet,” she said. “It has omega 3s, it’s a leaner protein, but it is also connected to who we are as people.”
Through her vision and dedication, Danielle Gervais is not only transforming food access to Browning, but inspiring others to honor Blackfeet heritage through healthy and sustainable access. The work at FAST Blackfeet serves as a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives that create lasting change.
For more information, click here to visit the FAST Blackfeet website.
