Native American Heritage Association

Winter is finally here on the Reservations and NAHA has been preparing for the brutally, harsh winter that is upon the Native Americans. Every year the Reservations are hit with ice storms, biting winds, below zero temperatures and blizzards so fierce they have no electricity for weeks which lead to death and illness. We have been able to give out vouchers for food and fuel so they won’t be stranded during the winter months starving and freezing, but that doesn’t mean they will be okay through the winter months. They are just thankful to be able to have something rather than nothing at all.

This month our food trucks have delivered fresh pears, meats, assorted drinks, food and various life necessity products. Also the vans that we purchased thanks to United Auto Workers should be arriving any time now.

As you all may know the holidays are rapidly approaching and we need your help to purchase Thanksgiving turkeys for the families who would otherwise go without any food at all on Thanksgiving Day. Just as you and I enjoy spending the day with our families and enjoying a nice, hot dinner, so do the Native Americans who struggle to survive day to day. Our goal is to purchase 1,500 turkeys for the families living on the Reservations so they can enjoy at least one day without having to worry if they are going to have anything to eat. The nice thing about it is they will take the bones from the turkey and make soup from it which will last them for days. So not only will they have food guaranteed for one day but they will have something to eat days after.

The parents of Native American children won’t have to tell them, “sorry kids all we have to eat is stale bread and tap water to drink,” if that for Thanksgiving dinner because caring donors like you have helped provide them a hot, nourishing meal. Any amount will help so if you could donate whatever you can afford it will be much appreciated by the families who won’t go hungry this Thanksgiving because of you. Again, Native American Heritage Association is so grateful to have such caring and generous donors like you; otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do what we do today. We would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Native American Heritage Association would like to share some wonderful news with all of our generous donors like you. Just a few weeks ago we were presented with a check from the United Auto Workers so we would be able to purchase three vans from FORD to use them as medical transportation for the reservations. This is such a blessing for the Native Americans living on the Reservations who need to go to dialysis three times a week or for a sick child or the elderly who need to get to the doctor but have no way of making it there. Now they don’t have to worry about finding a way there or getting enough gas money to go get medical attention. Not only did they present us with a check to purchase vans for medical transportation but they went to their different plants around the United States and were able to collect a truckload of clothing and toys.

There are still many harsh realities occurring on the Reservations which include:
– Over 80% unemployment;
– Not enough food to last through the end of the month;
– Ramshackle housing with little or no insulation to fend off the cold;
– No money to buy medicine or gasoline to run emergency errands; and
– Threadbare clothing that gives little protection against harsh blizzard winds.

These are just a few of the reasons why we are in dire need of your help so we can purchase Emergency Vouchers to help them get through the frigid, below freezing winter months. NAHA’s Emergency Voucher program allows cold and hungry Native American families to purchase food for their children, heat their homes during the bitterly cold winter months and care for the elders. It’s hard to keep up with the rising demand for vouchers for essentials like food, clothing and propane for heating stoves. Our Emergency Vouchers are as good as cash at grocery stores, fuel depots and other merchants and are to be used only for the greatest need of Native American families.

So I am asking for your immediate help to raise the Emergency Voucher program to the $50,000 needed to help spare reservation families horrible suffering this winter. Please donate whatever amount you can spare so that Native American families will be able to acquire food, clothing and fuel for their stoves to make it through the most dangerous time of the year for them, WINTER. NAHA wants to show our appreciation by saying THANK YOU for being the kind and generous donor you are!

I am sure everyone has felt the wrath of summer heat and the heavy rain especially the Reservations in South Dakota.They were hammered with 9 inches of rain and the flooding of the Missouri river which washed out roads and even took the lives of two people. Feeding America generously donated a truckload of water and snacks and we were able to take it to the Lower Brule Reservations which was impacted by the flooding. They were so grateful of receiving these items because it made them feel like someone does care and someone does want to help them. But that’s what we do here at Native American Heritage Association. We help them when no one else will and we wouldn’t be able to do this without caring, generous donors like you. This month we also were able to acquire a truckload of diapers of various sizes and we still are getting truckloads of Wal-Mart products that have a variety of useful items.

NAHA is sending you this letter because we need your help acquiring food that will be delivered to the hungry families on the Reservations in South Dakota. In 2010 we were delivering on average 265,335 pounds of food per month and had many requests for more assistance. It sounds like a lot of food, but we serve 90,000 people, so in 2010 it equaled out to 3 pounds per person. Because of rising fuel costs, which everyone is being affected by, and our semi’s only averaging 5.3 miles per gallon, our food distribution is being forced to cut back on deliveries.

But with astute selection and negotiation, NAHA has been able to get very good values for your contributions which is why www.charitynavigator.org rates NAHA as a four-star charity for 7 consecutive years. If you could send $15.00 now, I can get 500 pounds of food or $30.00 will get 1,000 pounds of food. It is the same food that you or I would get at our local grocery store. Please send your contribution of whatever you can afford because unfortunately 2 out of 10 Native American families are hungry right now. We need your help today and so do the families on the Reservations who are without food at this moment, so please don’t hesitate to send whatever you can afford to NAHA today so we can hurry and deliver food to these Native American families who are in need!

This Easter was a good one for the Native Americans living on the Reservations in South Dakota thanks to all the caring, generous donors like you. We were able to deliver 1,500 hams to all of the reservations. It warms my heart to know that because of caring donors like you, Native Americans were able to sit down together and enjoy a nice Easter dinner with their families and friends.

For the month of April we received more Wal-Mart loads filled with various items such as paper towels, toilet paper, soap, clothing, etc. We received our last load of Tempur Pedic mattresses which have been a blessing to the Native Americans. It’s wonderful to know that they have a nice, comfortable clean bed to sleep on instead of sleeping on the hard, cold floor. We also received a load of various children’s books, which will be great for the schools on the Reservations. We delivered clothing and food to the reservations which consisted of bread, water, potatoes, cabbage, soups, canned goods and other assorted food.

As you are aware, winter doesn’t end till the last part of May on the Reservations. This is why NAHA is pleading for your help. For the months of November through March we deposit funds with the St. Francis Energy Company, thanks to generous donors like you. We just sent what would be the final check for the bitter cold winter, but unfortunately the Native Americans are still being hammered with temperatures below freezing, ice storms and snow. The Sioux are a proud people, they don’t want to rely on others for essentials like food, clothes for their children or propane to heat their homes, until they have to face reality that they have nowhere else to turn. Native Americans have to face other harsh realities of Reservation life:

> 80% unemployment;
> Not enough food to last through the end of the month;
> Poor housing with little or no insulation;
> No heat in their homes to ward off the cold; and,
> No money to buy medicine, clothing or other basics you and I might take for granted.

So you see this is why I am asking for your help and to donate whatever amount you can afford to NAHA so we will be able to purchase more emergency vouchers for the Native Americans so they can get through the last part of this harsh winter. So please, donate today so we can get emergency vouchers out to the Native Americans immediately!!!

With warmer temperatures still about two months away, Native Americans on the Reservations in South Dakota are still struggling to stay warm. Thanks to generous donors like you, we were able to give out thousands of dollars worth of vouchers for fuel to those in desperate need of warmth in their homes. NAHA is continuing to get truck loads of items from Gifts In Kind International ranging from diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, clothing, pots, pans and dishes and then delivering them to the Reservations.

We were very fortunate to acquire truck loads of insulation and shingles that were delivered to the housing authorities, which will allow them to make desperately needed repairs to the homes of Native Americans on the Reservations. Furniture that consisted of tables, chairs, couches and bed frames were delivered to the Rosebud Dorms, senior centers and community centers. We also delivered bottled water, fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and meats to the Reservations.

I’m sure everyone is aware that Easter is about a month away, which is why NAHA is asking if you will find it in your heart to send your best possible contribution today so that Native Americans and their families will be able to sit down and enjoy a hot, nourishing meal on Easter. NAHA is hoping to provide 1,500 families with all the makings for a festive Easter dinner. The cost to make this all possible is $45,000. That’s why we need your help immediately with Easter being right around the corner. By purchasing in bulk we can provide a nutritious Easter dinner for a family of five for $30. So please, won’t you send your most generous contribution today so that Native American families will be able to enjoy a nice festive Easter dinner this year. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for generous donors like you. NAHA wants to wish you and your family a very Happy Easter!!!

This Christmas was a very exciting and enjoyable day for many Native Americans on the Reservations. NAHA delivered six tractor trailer loads of toys to Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Crow Creek and Lower Brule. This was the largest amount of toys NAHA has ever distributed to the children, which is wonderful news to hear. NAHA also delivered 1,500 turkeys with all the trimmings to the Reservations so that Native American families could enjoy a nice, hot nourishing meal for Christmas and days after. So you now see why this Christmas was that much more special and it would not have been possible if it wasn’t for kind and generous donors like you. We are still getting in loads of Tempur Pedic mattresses and have been able to acquire diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, soap and bedding which are very hard to come by.

The cold, harsh winter is still wreaking havoc on the Reservations with well below freezing temperatures, blistering winds, and snow with most day time temperatures staying in the negative degrees. So can you imagine it being that cold and not having any source of heat in your home? This is the way it is for many Native American families with children and elderly living in their homes. It’s hard to even think anyone has to suffer like this. This is why NAHA has Operation Winter Rescue so we can help out as many families as possible. NAHA funds a special voucher account at St. Francis Energy Company. Emergency vouchers are then distributed by tribal leaders to families with the greatest need and are then “cashed in” for free propane. Each voucher is worth $100.00 which isn’t enough to fill up a propane tank but at least enough to keep them warm through most of the month. I am telling you this so that you will help out a Native American family in need of a warm house to live in. NAHA wants to help out as many families as possible, but we can’t do this without your help. So please, won’t you help and send whatever amount you can afford to NAHA’s Operation Winter Rescue?

Imagine sitting down at your Thanksgiving table this year and seeing no turkey, no mashed potatoes, no corn or fresh-from-the-oven-pies … nothing but a slab of cheese and a few slices of old bread.

It wouldn’t be much a Thanksgiving dinner, would it? Hundreds of hungry Native American families on South Dakota Reservations don’t have to imagine what it’s like to go without on Thanksgiving Day. They have experienced that cruel reality many times over. One out of every four children struggles to find their next meal. That’s why I need you to help us purchase and deliver 1,500 Thanksgiving Day turkeys to families in need.

This year – with more Native American families than ever at risk of going without on a day when Americans sit down at tables overflowing with food, I am determined to match our all-time high of delivering 1,500 turkeys.  That’s why I am urging you to send the most generous Thanksgiving contribution you can manage to NAHA today.

It’s important that you respond both quickly and generously for two reasons:

Even though NAHA purchases turkeys in bulk, allowing us to stretch our dollars much farther than an individual could at a grocery store; it still takes a large sum of money to buy 1,500 turkeys.

Buying that many turkeys and getting them to families in remote  parts of Reservations served by NAHA takes several weeks.

Because Thanksgiving falls at the end of November and in the dead of brutally cold South Dakota winters, it’s a difficult time for Native American families.  Their struggles are even tougher during the winter when whipping winds cut through the paper thin walls of their homes and at the end of each month when food runs out.  That’s why I am counting on you to understand the urgent need for your support and to make your Thanksgiving contribution to NAHA a most generous one.

Just as pilgrims might not have celebrated the first Thanksgiving without the help of kind Native Americans, Sioux people on South Dakota Reservations won’t have much to celebrate or food to eat without the help of generous NAHA supporters like you.  Remember that 92% of all revenue goes towards helping the Native Americans in need. SO PLEASE ACT NOW and give Native American families a Thanksgiving to remember!

Please consider donating any tax-deductible value directoly to NAHA by clicking below?

We need your immediate help in the form of a generous donation to give more struggling families the vouchers they urgently need to make it through another bitterly cold South Dakota winter. NAHA’s Emergency Voucher program allows cold and hungry Native American families to purchase food for their children, heat their homes during the bitterly cold winter months and care for their ailing elders. I cannot keep up with the rising demand for vouchers for essential items like food, clothing and propane for heating stoves. On average, our Emergency Voucher program provides $15,000 worth of vouchers per month – an impressive accomplishment that’s made possible by the support of friends like you.

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The pressing need for NAHA vouchers is made clear by just a few of the harsh realities of reservation life:
* Over 70% unemployment;
* Not enough food to last through the end of the month;
* Ramshackle housing with little or no insulation to ward off the cold;
* No money to buy medicine or gasoline to run emergency errands; and,
* Threadbare clothing that gives little protection against biting blizzard
winds.

Such terrible conditions help explain why the normal life expectancy on the reservation is only 58 years of age, as well as why your support of our Emergency Voucher program is so urgently needed.  Our Emergency Vouchers are as good as cash at grocery stores, fuel depots and other merchants because NAHA supporters like you back them up with your generosity.  That’s why I am counting on you to help raise our $15,000 monthly expenditures on vouchers  up  to  at  least  $50,000 – the amount needed to help spare reservation families horrible suffering this winter!

Any size gift you send today will help provide NAHA Emergency Vouchers for Native American elders, families and children who are hungry, cold, sick and despairing that their suffering will have no end.  Remember that 92% of all revenue goes towards helping the Native Americans in need.

PLEASE ACT NOW. WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY!!!

All donations are Tax-Deductible and you will receive a tax receipt for your donation.
Please consider choosing one of our donation packages to donate directly To NAHA.
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With your aid we can help a child stay warm this winter!

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Thank you for your continued interest and support in helping Native American Families & Children in need of your help today. Please Act Now. We Need Your Help Today! NAHA is in URGENT NEED of any tax-deductible donation you can make to help our organization help families today.

You can give by donating ONLINE today, and help keep children warm this winter. Your donation will provide Native American Children with vital clothing such as winter coats, shoes, hats and gloves.

Remember, every child deserves to experience life, with the necessities that  our own children have. Did you know that 92% of all revenue goes towards helping these children feel special and loved.

All donations are Tax-Deductible and you will receive a tax receipt for your donation.
DONATE NOW for our “Winter Life-Guard” program which helps purchase warm  winter  clothing  for school-aged children by providing a _$75.00
purchase order good at Wal-Mart.

Please consider choosing one of our donation packages to donate directly using Paypal secured donations. EVERY DONATION HELPS so please make any sized donation that fits within your families’ budget today. With your aid we can help a child stay warm this winter!

Every 1 in 6 children live below the federal poverty line in South Dakota, 30% more Native Americans have high blood pressure and 20% are more likely to have heart disease than any other group of the general population. With statistics like these, is it any wonder that the average life expectancy of Native Americans is only 58 years old?

NAHA DELIVERS FOOD

Access to nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains and healthy proteins and the lack of money to buy these foods are the main reasons for such heart-breaking statistics.

Native American Heritage Association, with the support of our generous donors, provides emergency food supplies to the Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations. Crow Creek and Pine Ridge Reservations are 2 of the poorest counties in America with a per capita income of $5,213.00. Unbelievable that in 2010, people in the United States live in conditions comparable to third world countries!!

In 2009, NAHA was able to distribute 3,183,475 pounds of food. We work with Feeding America, formerly America’s Second Harvest, to procure the food that we deliver to the Reservations. Our fee expenses for the food last year was 4 cents per pound plus the labor and fuel to deliver it. It would be nice to pay 4 cents per pound at your grocery store, but that isn’t going to happen. Although 3,183,475 pounds sounds like a lot of food – and it is – for the 90,000 people on the Reservations we serve, it averaged out in 2009 to 3 pounds per person per month.

But you can help us make a difference and increase the amount of food that we buy and deliver. Call or Click Now to make your donation to our Food Program.

For only $28.00, we can provide 700 pounds of food or $56.00 will get 1,400 pounds of food. Don’t let another minute pass or another child go to bed hungry. Act now to help a Native American family in need.

Follow the link to donate by credit card, electronic funds transfer through our safe and secure website or we offer you a choice of donating through Paypal or Amazon.

However you choose to donate, please don’t delay!!!

Rush your tax-deductible contribution to NAHA today and help put food on the tables of the Native American families that need it the most!!!