Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (Michigan, Indiana)

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Posted: March 19, 2020

Food from the Pokagon Band’s gaming enterprise is being donated to those in need throughout Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana. Photo: Four Winds Casinos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2020

THE POKAGON BAND DONATES NINE PALLETS OF FOOD FROM ITS FOUR WINDS CASINOS TO FEED THOSE IN NEED

Food will be distributed throughout Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana by Feeding America and Cultivate

DOWAGIAC, Mich. – March 19, 2020 – The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi have donated nine pallets of food totaling 7,450 pounds from its Four Winds® Casino locations. The donation will be distributed to those in need throughout Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana by Feeding America® and Cultivate. This donation follows the Pokagon Gaming Authority’s decision to close all of its Four Winds Casino locations in Michigan and Indiana on Tuesday to help prevent the spread and minimize the potential impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The food items that were part of the donation included dairy products, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, baked goods, and fresh fish.

“Given the recent closure of our casino locations and the uncertainty of the evolving Coronavirus situation, we felt compelled to donate these unused foods items as soon as possible so they could be used by community members in need,” said Matthew Wesaw, Tribal Chairman of the Pokagon Band. “We hope it will bring comfort to recipients during this challenging time.”

Frank Freedman, COO of Four Winds Casinos added, “Through the generosity of the Pokagon Band and the Pokagon Gaming Authority, the nine pallets of food have already been received by Feeding America in Benton Harbor, Mich. and Cultivate in South Bend, Ind. Four Winds Casinos is proud to support our community partners and our employees are honored to have helped organize this donation.”

Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, they provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people they serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. More information on Feeding America can be found at www.feedingamerica.org.

Cultivate is devoted to ending the cycle of hunger in the local communities of northern Indiana by providing a food rescue service. Its mission is to build a local network of food suppliers with the goal of providing wholesome meals so no one in our community goes hungry. More information on Cultivate can be found at www.cultivateculinary.com.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its more than 5,700 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011, Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013 and Four Winds South Bend in January 2018. The Pokagon Band operates a variety of businesses via Mno-Bmadsen, its non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

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