Thanksgiving will be a little extra special for some 1,200 families across the region this year thanks to the generosity of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and their Four Winds Casino operations in Michigan’s Great Southwest and Northwest Indiana.
The Pokagon Band has announced a donation of 1,200 baskets of food to those who could use a little boost across the region. Employees at Four Winds Casinos, in cooperation with several local organizations, began delivering the baskets today, including 200 baskets in South Bend distributed to families through the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. Each basket includes a turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn and a pumpkin loaf cake.
Organizations participating in the basket delivery include Feeding America of Michigan, Feeding America of Indiana, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana in South Bend, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi at Dowagiac and Decatur Human Services.
Matthew Wesaw is Chairman of the Pokagon Band. He says, “We’re deeply aware that hunger is something faced every day by individuals and families in our region. It’s particularly challenging during the holidays.” He adds, “It’s why we’re honored to work with these community agencies whose mission is to fight and eliminate hunger.”
Frank Freedman is Chief Operating Officer of the Four Winds Casinos. He says, “We are proud to sponsor this community project every year,” and adds, “Knowing many of those who benefit are our neighbors, it’s personal to us. Our staff looks forward to helping each year and this is a wonderful opportunity to help those in need.”
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 approximately 5,000 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s 10-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, with a satellite office in South Bend. In 2007, they opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. Four Winds South Bend opened earlier this year on January 16th. The Band also owns and operates a variety of business via Mno-Bmadsen, the tribe’s non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.
Four Winds New Buffalo is located at 11111 Wilson Road in New Buffalo. Four Winds Hartford is located at 68600 Red Arrow Highway in Hartford. Four Winds Dowagiac is located at 58700 M-51 South in Dowagiac. Four Winds South Bend is located at 3000 Prairie Road in South Bend.
