A topping-off ceremony was held on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 27 for the new building that will house the EBCI Tribal Foods Distribution Program and the EBCI Tribal Cannery. Attendees are shown standing behind the final beam for the building that was signed by all present. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Five months after ground was broken at the site, a topping-off ceremony was held for the new building that will house the EBCI (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) Tribal Foods Distribution Program and the EBCI Tribal Cannery. The ceremony, which involved attendees signing the final beam on the project, was held on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 27 on the nearly 8,000 square feet building.
The project was funded through a $5.3 million USDA grant, $4 million in ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds, and $1 million from the capital fund of the EBCI. In addition to the new building, the project will see part of an existing building, the former business known as The Cherokees, renovated.
Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed signs the beam in the Cherokee Syllabary.
“Tribal foods, what you’ve done with the limited space in the old facility that we have has been nothing short of amazing,” said Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed, who thanked Frank Dunn Sr., former Tribal Foods representative, for his work in garnering the grant funding. “It’s a huge turnaround from those of us who are old enough to remember when it was just the old USDA commods in the cardboard box with all the generic packaging. You’ve made the program something for the entire community to be proud of. And I think, probably more importantly, there’s no stigma attached to it. You guys have done just an amazing job and I think the new facility is going to be state-of-the-art.”
He added, “Once again, the Eastern Band is leading the way in Indian Country. This is food sovereignty. This is making sure that we have the resources on hand in the event of a pandemic, another shutdown, some other unforeseen circumstances that’s yet on the horizon that we’re unaware of. We can be secure in the fact that we have food security and food sovereignty.”
“It’s a big deal. I’m excited about it. I know the program, you guys have got to be excited about it. And I know the community is as well. I know those folks in our community are super excited about it to have a beautiful new facility.”
Glenn Olson, superintendent for Vannoy Construction, commented, “This is a big milestone, when you erect a building like this. The last beam to be erected means we’re done going backwards and we’re starting to move forward. Without the help of our subcontractors…they’re the magicians that made this happen this fast.”
Olson said the final beam, that was signed by all in attendance, will be treated with a clear coat to preserve the signatures and will be left unpainted for all to see.
Amelia Owle-Arkansas, Tribal Foods warehouse manager, foreground, and Painttown Rep. Dike Sneed sign the beam.
He went on to say, “We are really excited about this project because of what it’s going to be doing for the community.”
Mike Quillen, business director for EBCI Public Health and Human Services (PHHS), said, “At PHHS, our vision is seven generations of wellness with families strong in mind, body, and spirit and there’s nothing more basic than food to stay healthy. We are excited to celebrate this project milestone.”
“This new building will be a state-of-the-art building and allow the Tribe to continue to feed the people for years to come. It will allow us to have more food, a larger variety of food, and serve more people.”
Dr. Lilly Bouie, USDA Food & Nutrition Service regional director, attended the groundbreaking ceremony this May and commented at that time, “We know already that it will benefit the families here. As gaps in service are identified, possibly there are more children and families who could benefit from more food. And, with this gap in service being identified, you’re going to fill that gap through the foundation, through the services that you will continue to provide.”
