The median household income in Towaoc is about $28,000, and 48% of the population is employed. “We’re trying to think outside of the box to provide services here to our community,” Cuthair said. Until then, tribal leaders are preparing to set up a makeshift market from shipping containers, reflecting both the urgency of the problem and the tribe’s willingness to try something new to solve it.

Building a 28,000-square-foot store is likely to take several years, and the tribe is counting on community support to help bolster what promises to be a lengthy fundraising effort. (Dean Krakel, Special to The Colorado Sun)īut the improvements won’t come overnight. A shuttered market near Towaoc, where residents have nowhere within 15 miles to shop for fresh, healthy food. “The experience is going to be a lot different than what you would see in a typical Walmart or local grocery store,” Cuthair said. The plan also calls for creation of an adjacent workforce innovation center, programming such as televised cooking demonstrations, and training intended to direct people toward careers in food vending, marketing and e-commerce, said Bernadette Cuthair, planning director for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. That’s a significant barrier to improving health in a community where rates of obesity and diabetes are nearly three times higher than the rest of Colorado.Īn ambitious plan to raise $12 million to build a grocery store could improve health and potentially resolve the persistent food desert in the southwest Colorado town.

In Towaoc, capital of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, there are about 347 households and no place within 15 miles to shop for fresh, healthy food.

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