I am sure that most of you have already started planting your flowers and doing landscaping in your yard and just enjoying the beautiful weather that has finally come. I am afraid to say that this is not the case on the Reservations in South Dakota. They are still being hit with snow, ice, rapid winds and cold temperatures. In fact they just had a Winter Weather Advisory a couple nights ago. That is why this newsletter is an emergency one.
NAHA, through the generosity of its supporters, deposits funds with the St. Francis Energy Company on the Rosebud Reservation for the months of November through March. The unfortunate weather has the Reservations asking if we will continue to help provide them with Emergency Vouchers even though we sent what would normally be our last check. Families on the Reservations are hungry, shivering in unheated homes and praying that NAHA will be able to come to their aid. These Emergency Vouchers will help them put fuel in their propane tanks that will hopefully last until the weather breaks. If the long, lingering winter weather was not threat enough to the health and well-being of our Native American brothers and sisters, keep in mind that they must also face other harsh realities of Reservations life:
> Over 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.
Over the last few months alone, the generosity of caring NAHA supporters like you has enabled us to provide nutritious Christmas and Easter dinners to Native American families who otherwise would have gone without … deliver warm clothing to shivering children on the Reservations … and purchase propane fuel that helped Native American elders make it through the worst storms of winter. I just want to thank you for everything you have done for NAHA and the families living on the Reservations.
That is why I am counting on you to send whatever amount you can afford to help us purchase Emergency Vouchers. We need to be able to hand these vouchers out as soon as possible, so please send your contribution in today!!! We also accept gently-used clothing, shoes, blankets, toys, etc. You may ship them to our warehouse at: 12085 Quaal Rd., Black Hawk, SD 57718.
Would you tell me what $100/mo might cover for a family, a student or an elderly person. Thank you Barbara
Hi Barbara,
$100 a month would cover many things for a family, student or elderly. We would use that $100 to purchase food, heating assistance or whatever need was the greatest at that time. Right now we are collecting contributions for Christmas dinners so that donation might go towards that for the month. We also acquire truckloads of Wal-Mart product from Good360 so it might go towards getting that truckload of product. Or if there was a specific program you would like your donation to go towards every month we could set it up that way. Please email me at ehibbs@naha-inc.org if you have any further questions.