A new free lunch program is starting today in Behchokǫ̀, giving residents a chance to pick up a healthy midday meal throughout the summer. The Behchokǫ̀ Healthy Lunches program is launching at the Behchokǫ̀ Wellness Office on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, and will run daily from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. through August 25.
The program is being run by the Tłı̨chǫ Government’s Department of Healing & Community Wellness. It comes at a time when many households in the Northwest Territories are facing challenges putting food on the table. In 2025, 16.4% of people in the territory lived in food-insecure homes, one of the highest rates in the country. For Indigenous Peoples living off-reserve, that number jumps to 34.7%.
The department organizes the lunches around a simple idea: “Choose it. Make it. Enjoy your own healthy lunch!” The effort is part of broader community wellness work guided by the Tłı̨chǫ concept of Hotıì ts’eeda, which focuses on bringing people together in a state of wholistic well-being and harmony.
Social Program Coordinator Dene Daniels is leading the program. Residents who want more information can reach Daniels at 1-867-392-6381 Ext. 1374.
Behchokǫ̀, the largest Indigenous community in the Northwest Territories with over 2,000 people, is about an hour’s drive northwest of Yellowknife. The new lunch program runs alongside other summer wellness activities like smoothie days and a sauna program.
The launch also follows a federal investment of over $1.75 million announced in March 2026 for community-led food projects across the territory, highlighting ongoing efforts to improve food security in northern communities.
