Program:
Food Program
- Budget:
-
$55,000
- Category:
-
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
- Population Served:
-
Native Americans/American Indians
-
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
-
Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
Program Description:
ONE
Spirit and the Lakota people are joining efforts to bring an
end to hunger and diet related disease by providing fresh fruit,
vegetables and meat to families and elders in need. Through the
generosity of sponsors, the ONE Spirit food program delivers food that
is both high quality and highly nutritional. During the summer months,
seasonal garden produce and freshly processed chickens are obtained from
local farms. Frozen meat, fruits and vegetables are supplied during the
winter.
Each month, ONE Spirit arranges for food to be transported to the Pine Ridge reservation where members of the Lakota community then unload the truck, sort the food into orders and personally deliver them throughout the reservation.
The community workers typically dedicate two long days to complete deliveries, travelling hundreds of miles over unmaintained roads and even taking orders into the homes of elders and putting it away for them. The workers are paid with food and are supplied with gas for the deliveries.
Currently, more than 1,000 people are fed each month. However that number continues to increase as more people request to become part of the program. On a daily basis, we receive many urgent requests for food for elders, families and children.
Program Long-Term Success:
The Lakota people can work with local farmers and food distributors to bring food to the reservation and arrange for distribution where needed.
Program Short-Term Success:
Fresh produce and meat is available to the point that diet related disease is no longer a problem for the Lakota. Distribution centers must be established in several places on the reservation
Program Success Monitored by:
Numbers of people receiving food. Cost of distribution is now too high and distribution centers are essential. Surveys with recipients tracks quality of food, acceptability according to Native dietary habits and tastes. Monthly calculations veryify steady increase in numbers of people receiving the food.
Program Success Examples:
“As a diabetic the fresh food was a god-send to me. But the most wonderful sight of all was watching my grandchildren eating corn cobs looking so content and happy I wanted to say thank you to One Spirit for this wonderful food.”
---A grandmother in Porcupine, SD
Work with diabetic clinics on the reservation to insure that their clients receive the nutritional food they need.
Program currently feeds more than 1000 people per month.
Partnership with local farmers and meat processing businesses to provide fresh produce and freshly processed meat.
Program employs 8 Lakota people to unload trucks, sort food into orders, and deliver to homes.
Program:
Heat and Home Repair
- Budget:
-
$20,000
- Category:
-
Housing
- Population Served:
-
Native Americans/American Indians
-
Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
-
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
Program Description:
Every winter on Pine Ridge Reservation, families and elders go without heat in their homes or warm themselves in front of an oven. Winters on the reservation can see temperatures dip to 40 degrees below zero. Last winter during one of the several blizzards, the tribal police asked that we deliver wood to a family with six children.The family was burning their clothes to keep warm.
Each year, the One Spirit wood program delivers more than 150 loads of wood to elders and families. Many of the Lakota use only wood for heating and cooking. The men start delivering wood as soon as cold weather begins. Families and elders who live well below the poverty line receive the wood free but many still give a small sum to help with gas for the program. One Spirit pays the men $100 per load of wood delivered.
In addition to cutting, splitting and delivering wood; the men who work with the program have repaired doors and windows, installed electric water heaters, repaired or replaced roofs, and helped to winterize homes.
The Wood Program:
Stocks up wood and delivers it to elders and families throughout the winter.
Ensures that on the reservations where temperatures can dip to 40 degrees below zero, people will have heat.
Repairs and winterizes homes to conserve heat and make the homes more livable.
Provides employment to Native American men and women who must support families even though unemployment is at 90%.
Allows the Lakota people to take care of themselves and their people.
Program Long-Term Success:
Home repair and winterization is fully operational and providing employment.
Wood for heating is stocked and ready for the winters.
Program Short-Term Success:
Wood and home repair programs operational in all areas of the reservation.
Program Success Monitored by:
Number of homes served per year.
Program Success Examples:
..most of all, the best accomplishment cannot be measured by money alone. The men have made a stand for their community and in a place where there are almost no chances of making a living, these men will earn a few dollars for their families in a good way." John DuBray, Lakota
over 150 loads of wood delivered in the winter of 2010/2011
Major repairs completed to 4 homes.
Program:
Youth Program
- Budget:
-
$80,000
- Category:
-
Youth Development
- Population Served:
-
Native Americans/American Indians
Program Description:
Do you worry and agonize for the young people in your life who struggle with feelings about absent parents, school problems, acceptance by peers, and other life challenges? On Pine Ridge Reservation, Lakota adults are alarmed for their youth.
They have worries that many of us have never faced:
Small houses that shelter between 10-20 people don't provide an environment for homework or the privacy needed by teenagers.
Drugs, alcohol, and violence on the reservation can be life threatening.
Grinding poverty that robs the youth of hopes and dreams.
Instead of happiness and hope for the future, they face depression, despair, disease, poorly funded educational opportunities, and a high teen suicide rate.
The ONE Spirit youth program mission is to address these problems through supporting the Lakota
youth and their families by:
Helping provide safe havens and learning opportunities.
Building cross-cultural and inter-personal relationships between youth on and off the reservation.
Working toward a day when hopes and dreams provide a realistic alternative to suicide.
Helping to bring about conditions in which the 70% high school drop-out rate is changed to a passion for learning.
That mission translates into many kinds of activities for and involving Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge Reservation, including these programs:
Safe Houses
Youth Centers that provide recreation, mentorship, tutoring, study areas, and adult role models.
Youth horse programs
Cross-cultural exchanges
Sports teams like baseball, football, running, swimming.
Program Long-Term Success:
Minimal high school drop out rate.
Greatly reduced suicide among the youth
elimination of gangs, alcohol and drugs on the reservation
Program Short-Term Success:
Youth programs in every area of the reservation.
Safe houses in every area of the reservation
Program Success Monitored by:
Number of programs begun in each area of the reservation
Program Success Examples:
20 children currently in 1 safe house
increasing numbers of children participating in horse programs, arts, and other cultural activities.
Program:
Sponsorship Program
- Budget:
-
$10,000
- Category:
-
Human Services
- Population Served:
-
Native Americans/American Indians
-
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
-
Aging/Elderly/Senior Citizens
Program Description:
Imagine that you are:
An 80-year-old elder trying to care for your two toddler grandchildren—and you live in a one bedroom apartment
A 35-year-old single father with no job—and you lose everything in a house fire
A 20-year-old single mother trying to walk 5 miles to school each day—and you have holes in the soles of your shoes
A 16-year-old boy without a home—and the gangs are threatening you
An 8-year-old girl whose only shoes are flipflops—and the first snow just fell
Now, imagine that you have the power to help these people directly—from your home to theirs.
Well, you DO have that power through the One Spirit Sponsorship Program. The uniqueness of our sponsorship program is its DIRECT approach. Sponsors send their gifts DIRECTLY to the person they wish to receive the help. You can be sure your gift gets to the person because you sent it yourself! One Spirit’s Sponsorship Program offers people a way to help DIRECTLY, person-to-person. We have many people who have asked for help. Here are some of the options:
DIRECT Sponsorships for Elders
Elders on Pine Ridge often lead a difficult life because of poor housing to begin with, lack of resources to repair or weatherize the home, and responsibilities to care for grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Elders love to get coffee, warm sweatshirts, shoes, laundry detergent, and pantry staples.
DIRECT Sponsorships for Families and Children
Families on Pine Ridge share everything. Clothing is passed around, and toys are shared by everyone. Sponsors may take on a whole family or just one child. Either way, the gifts will be shared by everyone! Families can use help with seasonal clothing changes, laundry detergent, shampoo and bath soap, toothbrushes and paste, coats, shoes, and socks. Household items, such as sheets and towels are also welcome.
INDIRECT Sponsorships for the Safe House
The Safe House provides a home for children of all ages. Sponsors can be certain that their gift boxes will be put to good use by a large number of kids! Sponsors can target their gift boxes by age, sex, or need. For example, pants size 34-30 (young men), underwear for little girls, tee-shirts for toddlers, socks for all ages, or sweatshirts for teenaged girls. The Safe House can also use books, games, and school supplies at any time of year.
The Program
Sponsors choose how much to send and how often to send it. We recommend quarterly gift boxes. Here are some sample boxes:
Sweatshirt, pair of shoes, socks, shampoo, toothpaste/brush, laundry detergent, a small toy or game (for a child or family).
A pound of coffee, a pair of shoes, a coat, a flannel shirt, laundry detergent, a pair of jeans, gloves (for an elder).
School supplies, pair of jeans, tee-shirt, hooded sweatshirt, socks, a pair of shoes, and a puzzle (school aged child).
Underwear for girls and boys, socks for girls and boys, tee-shirts for girls and boys (Pre-teens in the Safe House).
Sweatshirt, pair of shoes, socks, shampoo, toothpaste/brush, laundry detergent, a small toy or game (for a child or family).
Notice that none of these sample boxes need be very expensive. What you give is up to you. We do ask that you commit to a sponsorship for at least a year.
If you can find it in your budget—and your heart—to become a sponsor, or have questions about the program, please contact Regina Hay: rhay@nativeprogress.org
Program Long-Term Success:
Number of families able to stay together
Children and elders have clothes and food they need
Relationship between Natives and Non-natives are supported.
Public appreciation of Lakota culture and contributions
Program Short-Term Success:
Increased number of sponsors for children and elders.
Participation by Lakota children and elders in the sponsorship program to give back.
Program Success Monitored by:
successful relationships between Lakota and non-natives.
Program Success Examples:
"It is a true blessing for me to give and to help this family in any way I can, not only material things, but also to be able to motivate, inspire and just be a friend to them. I have gotten such good contact with all of them, and they are all sneaking their way into my heart.
"I want to thank One Spirit for this wonderful program that me and my family has been able to join. I feel honored and blessed to have gotten the chance to get to know this beautiful family. It means a lot for me too, and to my kids."