This is the toughest time for Native Americans living on the Reservations in South Dakota. On top of struggling to have food on their table, a bed to sleep in at night and many more obstacles, they now have to worry about keeping warm throughout the brutal winter, which can last up until May. Most homes on the Reservations have paper thin walls with little to no insulation, leaky roofs or plastic as window panes. So you can imagine what it can feel like inside a home when the temperatures are below freezing and the winds make it feel like below zero. When it gets that cold, staying warm is more than a matter of comfort, for Native American elders, children and other vulnerable people on the Reservations, staying warm might be a matter of life and death. And unless you have lived through winter on a South Dakota Reservation, it’s hard for me to explain how brutally cold it gets.
Today I am appealing to you to help NAHA provide heating in the homes of families with small children or elders. The extreme cold is tough on everyone. Even a few moments exposure to sub-zero temperatures can cause frostbite. Whipping winds and snow can make for dangerous whiteout conditions. And when there’s no money to buy heating fuel and no furniture left to burn, not even a Reservation home is a safe place. As part of our 2016 Operation Winter Rescue, we have set up an emergency voucher account with a local energy company so families on the Reservations can get propane free of charge and keep their homes at a survivable temperature. A special arrangement with the Country Pride Co- Op allows us to fill one Native American family’s home heating tank for about $500.
Won’t you make a donation today that will be combined with other donations and help fill the propane tanks in Native American homes? Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated. Please don’t wait to donate because winter is not going to slow up and we need to get these tanks filled up. If you have a friend or family member wanting to donate to a charity but are not sure who they want to donate to, please share our information with them and tell them to visit www.charitynavigator.org to see more information regarding our 11th year as a 4-star charity.
We also accept gently used clothing, blankets, personal care items, etc. You may ship those to our warehouse at:
NAHA
12085 Quaal Rd., Black Hawk,
SD 57718.
Thank you again for all your support!!!