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Overview of SAMHSA and USDA Food 

and Mood Project

SAMHSA Regions 7 & 8

USDA-FNS Mountain Plains Region
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Federal Agency Partnership of the Food & Mood Project
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services that leads 

public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of 

the nation. SAMHSA Offices and Centers provide national leadership and assistance for quality behavioral 

health services while supporting states, territories, tribes, 

communities, and local organizations through grants 

and contract awards.

Vision

• To provide leadership and resources – programs, policies, information and data, funding, and personnel 

– advance mental and substance use disorder 

prevention, treatment, and recovery services in order 

to improve individual, community, and public health.

Mission

• SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of 

substance abuse and mental illness on America's 

communities.

Behavioral Health is 

Essential to Health

Prevention Works

Treatment Is Effective

People Recover
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USDA Food & Nutrition Service

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service partners with 

state and tribal governments to administer 15 

Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs. FNS 

serves one in four Americans during the course 

of a year. Our mission is to increase food security 

and reduce hunger by providing children and 

low-income people access to food, a healthful 

diet and nutrition education in a way that 

supports American agriculture and inspires public 

confidence. No American should have to go 

hungry. FNS also co-develops the Dietary 

Guidelines for Americans with the HHS Office of 

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

Farm Production & Conservation

Food Safety

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Natural Resources and Environment

Research, Education and Economics

Rural Development

Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs
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What Regions Do We Serve?

SAMHSA Regions 7 & 8 USDA Mountain Plains Region

Region 7: IA, KS, MO, NE

Region 8: CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY

CO, KS, MO, MT, NE, ND, SD, WY
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Including the Tribes in Combined Regions

•Ute Mountain Tribe of the Ute Mountain 

Reservation 

•Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern 

Ute Reservation

•Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian 

Reservation of Montana

•Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy's 

Reservation

•Fort Belknap Indian Community of the Fort 

Belknap Reservation of Montana

•Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck 

Indian Reservation

•Crow Tribe of Montana

•Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern 

Cheyenne Indian Reservation

•Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold 

Reservation

•Spirit Lake Tribe

•Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (North and South 

Dakota) 

•Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of 

Utah

•Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud 

Indian Reservation

•Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of 

Montana

•Northwestern Band of the Shoshone 

Nation

•Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota 

•Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South 

Dakota 

•Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower 

Brule Reservation

•Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek 

Reservation

•Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake 

Traverse Reservation

•Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo 

Reservation in Kansas

•Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

•Meskwaki Nation, Sac & Fox Tribe of the 

Mississippi in Iowa

•Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray 

Reservation

•Confederated Salish and Kootenai 

Tribes of the Flathead Reservation

•Omaha Tribe of Nebraska

•Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

•Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

•Ponca Tribe of Nebraska

•Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River 

Reservation

•Shoshone Tribe of Wind River 

Reservation

•Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the 

Cheyenne River Reservation

•Oglala Sioux Tribe

•Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa 

Indians of North Dakota

•Confederated Tribes of the Goshute 

Reservation 

•Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in 

Kansas and Nebraska

•Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah 

•Navajo Nation 

•Santee Sioux Nation
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What is the Food & Mood Project?

Goal: Promote emotional wellness and reduce the impact of mental health and 

substance use issues in the SAMHSA Regions 7 and 8, and USDA FNS 

Mountain Plains Region, K-12 population through identifying and 

implementing strategies that address the intersection between behavioral 

health and food/food insecurity/culturally appropriate foods/school 

gardens.

Vision: Promoting and protecting behavioral health through changes to 

policy, research, and funding that increase consistent access to nutritious, 

culturally appropriate food and school gardens.
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Food and Mood Planning Committee

• Traci Pole: Assistant Regional Administrator SAMHSA - Region 8

• Traci.Pole@samhsa.hhs.gov

• Kim Reynolds: Public Health Advisor, SAMHSA, Center for Mental Health Services

• Kimberly.Reynolds@samhsa.hhs.gov

• Gina O’Brian: Regional Senior/Lead Nutritionist, USDA-FNS MPRO

• Gina.OBrian@usda.gov

• Christina Dodd: Lead Program Specialist-School Nutrition Branch, USDA-FNS MPRO

• Christina.Dodd@usda.gov

• Susana Calderon: Regional Women’s Health Analyst, OASH Office of Regional Health Operations, Region 8 

• Susana.Calderon@hhs.gov

• Max Yang: SAMHSA Virtual Student Federal Service Intern

• maxyang@sas.upenn.edu

• Ankita Mohan: SAMHSA Virtual Student Federal Service Intern

• aumohan@wm.edu
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Planning Committee Role

• Established the Food & Mood project and maintains the parameters and 

scope of the project

• Advances and coordinates work with subcommittees

• Facilitates Food & Mood listserv

• Maintains Food & Mood webpage

• Organizes and hosts semi-annual Food and Mood Town Halls

• Logistics coordination for three subcommittees

• Conducts literature reviews

• Maintains SharePoint and contact lists

• Schedules meetings, take meeting minutes, polls

• Identifies speakers and agenda preparation
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Meet the three subcommittees!
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Emotional Wellness and Food Security/Equity Subcommittee

Goal

• Identify/develop/promote resources and strategies that address 

food security/equity to protect and support emotional wellness, 

as well as for mitigating the short and long-term impacts of food 

insecurity/inequity on emotional wellness/substance misuse.

Co-Chairs

• Malissa Martin — Communities in Schools of Mid-America

• Gary Henault — KS Department of Disability and Aging Services
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Emotional Wellness and Culturally Appropriate Food, & Food 

Sovereignty Subcommittee

Goal

• Identify/develop/promote resources and strategies that leverage 

access to and promote menus that reflect culturally diverse 

food/food sovereignty to protect and support emotional 

wellness, as well to help mitigate historical trauma and the short 

and long-term behavioral health impacts of lack of access to 

local/sustainable and culturally appropriate food.

Co-Chairs

• Sean Hollearn — Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board

• Shannon Udy — Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board

• Greg Donovan — Santee Sioux Nation Society of Care
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Nourishment for Emotional Wellness Subcommittee

Goal

• Identify/develop/promote resources and strategies that leverage 

food and gardening/farming as self-care/emotional wellness 

promotion, in contrast to popular culture messaging that may be 

associated with negative body image and associated mental 

illness/substance use disorders.

Co-Chairs

• Rachel Jones — Missouri Department of Mental Health

• Heather Hauswirth — Boulder County Public Health
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Food & Mood Project Accomplishments
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Food & Mood Biannual Town Halls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RIP7325Om

Q&ab_channel=SAMHSA

https://vimeo.com/622626372
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Food and Mood Webpage

https://www.samhsa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/regional-offices/food-and-mood
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Food & Mood SharePoint Site - Keeps Us Informed & 

Organized
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Five Pillars of Food & Mood

Equitable Access to 

Resources

Multi-disciplinary 

community 

engagement

Holistic and 

culturally- informed 

curriculum

Meaningful 

education and 

curriculum

An inclusive, 

normalizing public 

dialogue

An increase in the 

amount of flexible 

funding to enable 

equitable access to 

nutritious, culturallyappropriate foods 

and emotional 

wellness related 

services.

A change in the 

perspective of 

mental health at the 

community level 

that engages with 

social determinants 

of health (SDoH), 

creating 

employment 

opportunities and 

more effective 

support systems.

The implementation 

of culturally 

appropriate Food 

and Mood learning 

opportunities that 

promote food and 

emotional wellness, 

for example: 

learning in school 

gardens.

The creation of a 

Food and Mood 

toolkit that is widely 

distributed to 

increase knowledge 

of the link between 

food and emotional 

wellness.

A decrease in stigma 

behind food and 

emotional wellness 

through public 

education, national 

campaigns, and 

public dialogue.

(HueLife Food & Mood Subcommittee Co-Chair and Planning Team 

Collective Vision Workshop, September 30, 2021)
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What’s Next

• 2022 Town Halls

• Reports, white papers, literature reviews

• Subcommittee projects
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Traci Pole, MBA, MS

Assistant Regional Administrator 

Traci.Pole@samhsa.hhs.gov

Kimberly E. Reynolds, MPA, MEd 

Public Health Advisor

Kimberly.Reynolds@samhsa.hhs.gov

www.samhsa.gov

1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) ● 1-800-487-4889 (TDD)

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