Our new project runs through October and is a combination of preparing families for the upcoming winter season and getting our gifts ready for Christmas. Although fall doesn’t arrive for another week and a half, it’s never too early to begin preparing, we’ve seen weather on the Rez change from hot one day to a snowstorm the next. All of the areas we serve will need our help with warm winter items. Any other specific needs will be listed in each area’s updates.
September/October “Winter/Christmas Begins”
- Clothing – Sew or purchase winter clothing; pants, sweatshirts, PJ’s, long underwear, heavier weight socks in sizes 3 months through adult 2-3 X.
- Outerwear – Winter coats, hoodies, snow pants, snowsuits, mittens/gloves, hats, scarves, cowls in sizes infant through adult 2-3 X.
- Boots/Shoes – Snow or hiking boots/shoes to fit toddler through 13 adult.
- Blankets – Including quilts, fleece blankets, afghans and receiving blankets for babies. All sizes needed up to queen size.
- Christmas Gifts – Begin working on projects or finish up gifts started early.
Please send your donations to any of the areas we serve, addresses are here. Please no sizes over 3T for Bright Start and RST Maternal and Child Health but they welcome small gift items and toiletries for mothers.
Sew For Kids would like to thank everyone that sent school supplies and clothing for kids who started the new school year in August. With inflation and possibly a recession in our future, parents can barely afford to feed their children and really need our help to cover things they have no way to buy. Donations to the baby programs were needed as well and much appreciated by the nurses running the programs and the new mothers. Members of “Sew For Kids”, including a group of 6 in our group called “Heart and Sewl”, “For The Children of PRR and Rosebud”, “We Sew Love” and monetary donations from “Lakota Friends Circle” were able to meet many needs of the programs we serve on 3 reservations. We know many of you may be struggling too with the changes in the economy and we really appreciate your generosity.
Marty Elementary Indian School
Members of SFK have been busy sending clothing, toys and other goods for the Buffalo Shop (formerly the Feather Store). Kids earn “Buffalo Bucks” for demonstrating the 7 Dakota values; Praying, Respect, Caring and Compassion, Honesty and Truth, Generosity and Caring, Humility, and Wisdom. One of our members made small bags for the students to keep their buffalo bucks in until they spend them in the store. Thanks Penny N! Students in grades 3-5 will help in the store this year serving as cashiers and stockers where they will learn how to run a cash register, perform a retail transaction, keep track of inventory and keep shelves stocked. They will be using and improving their math skills, learning the basics of running a store and some of the responsibilities of holding a job. Students will be encouraged to take a book when shopping to read themselves or with a parent or sibling and then add it to their home library.
Students were tested the first week of school and the results showed they need to work on their math and reading skills as do most young students across the country. Everyone fell behind during the Covid lockdown. The SFK Room Parent program continues again this year with 2 room parents per class in grades K-5 helping teachers with school supplies, party supplies, books and other needs they may have. Other members of the group will help with donations to the Buffalo Shop to keep their shelves stocked. .
Lakota Friends Circle will provide healthy snacks 2 days a week, Monday when they come back to school and Friday so they get a little something extra for the weekend where the home food supply may be limited, especially at the end of the month when food stamps have run out. LFC recently opened an account with a grocery in Armour, SD and deposited $400 for the purchase of perishable snacks such as meat and cheese. One of the teachers will pick up the food on her way to school in the morning. They are ordering other snacks from Sam’s Club, Costco and Amazon for teachers to keep in the classroom. Room parents can provide additional snacks if they wish but LFC will provide any extra snacks needed during testing in addition to the 2 days a week. Members of the SFK Doll Program sell some of their extra outfits to other members that don’t have time to sew for their doll, the proceeds are donated to LFC for the snack program. The school cook is preparing much better meals this year so that is certainly good news for students.
The school is starting a resource library for teachers so if you have any books, workbooks, teaching aids, etc. please send them to the school to the attention of Peggy Jakopak. Students are deficient in science too so they welcome any age appropriate (and fun) books on science and science experiments too. Mrs. Jakopak has arranged for some area organizations to come in and teach science experiments to the kids which should be fun.
The school got a new playground this summer which is great news for the kids! They can always use equipment for the playground such as basketballs, soccer balls, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, frisbees, etc. Winter clothes and outerwear are needed, some items have come in but certainly not enough for all the students.
Wild Horse Butte/Sacred Shawl
The kids headed back to school in Martin on August 16. A Back To School parade and a walk against Child Abuse and Neglect (physical, sexual, emotional trauma) was held on August 20 with a high turnout from the community. After the parade kids received gifts of school supplies, backpacks and other fun items donated by SFK, For the Children of PRR and Rosebud and some local community groups. Many thanks to everyone that made this event possible.
The Wild Horse Butte baby program is active and doing well. LFC is still sending monthly auto deliveries of diapers, formula and baby wipes and members of SFK and partner groups are busy sending toys, clothing, and blankets. Members are also busy working on blankets and stuffed animals for naptime for the 50 Head Start students in Martin. Books are always welcome for Head Start classes so teachers have different books to read to the kids. Thanks to everyone that is helping with that program.
The Sacred Shawl Shelter was able to outfit their rooms with new or gently used sheets, blankets and pillows which they were very thankful to receive. Sadly they have a full house most of the time. LFC sends monthly shipments of laundry detergent, dish soap, toilet paper and other supplies as needed. The van they use at the shelter is in need of repair and LFC will help with that cost if the van is found to be worthy of repair. They need the van to pick up women in crisis and to transport clients to medical and court appointments. Children do attend school if their mother needs time to recover from a trauma and staff is looking for a safe place for them to live.
Needs for the shelter and Wild Horse Butte are warm clothing and outerwear for ages 3 months to adult. We will start working this month on Christmas gifts as they would love to have them for the kids and teens in the community. Elders always love to get a gift as well – hats, mittens or gloves, warm blankets, sweaters or coats, toiletries, incontinent products, denture tablets, tea bags, non sugar cookies, coffee, sugar substitute, socks, underwear, and bags are all appropriate for elders. November is the big push to finish everything and get mailed by the first week of December. Please send your donations and Christmas gifts to Wild Horse Butte and use the Give Back Box program to get a good shipping rate on your box.
Child in Need of Care Facility
Is a facility for children that are victims of child abuse and neglect. Sadly this facility also has a full house and is usually full most of the time. Porcupine school donated the building for the organization and they’re licensed by the state for a maximum of 12 children. Kids come and go but many stay longer than the maximum time allowed if there is no other place for them to go. Finding a foster home or placement with a relative takes time and often there are neither available. Some of the children are disabled and many are young babies which both require more staff as more care is needed for them. Child Protective Services sends the cases to the facility and pays the worker salaries through the state daily allotment per child, but many times they are late in their payment so another problem for the home to solve. Sometimes they use workers from the tribal program but they do receive additional training from the home staff. Their salaries are paid by the tribe.
Recently the kids who were eligible went back to school. SFK members provided donations of clothing, school supplies and book bags to get them ready. They have several children who needed glasses and they had to make sure they were physically healthy and their immunizations were up to date before they could attend school. The facility needs a van to transport children to school and medical and court appointments but that will probably not happen in the near future due to the shortage and expense of new and used vehicles. They also need an outside shed which LFC plans to provide financing for once their 501c3 is reinstated.
Thanks to your generosity they were able to celebrate several children’s birthdays and each child received a gift donated by one of you. Barb Dull Knife always comments on the quality of the gifts that come from our group. Thank you all for those wonderful gifts!
Several organizations are helping the home with electric bills and food and with their day to day operating costs, including Lakota Friends Circle. LFC pays for phone and internet service, provides gift cards for gas and perishables such as milk and eggs, and sends regular shipments of diapers, formula, snacks, office supplies, toilet paper, and laundry/dish detergent. When Barb needs help with heating, LFC steps up and fills the tank made possible through generous donations to their nonprofit by all of you. Members of SFK and other partner groups send clothing, shoes, books, toys, snacks, etc. Another group came this past weekend and brought a sofa, table and chairs and mattresses, all used but in good condition. Kids are hard on furnishings, especially mattresses and they do need replacing periodically. The group also bought supplies to fix the shade covering in the back play area and steps. The work will be done by the day supervisor’s husband as the group is based in Colorado and cannot visit very often.
They need to update their 501c3 status and until that process is complete they’re not eligible to apply for grants. They do have some money received from the tribe through the Covid relief plan, but there is some red tape trying to access those funds. The tribe will help with their $14,000 insurance premium and hopefully the extra salaries when unexpected events happen such as the extra $5,000 in salaries needed to cover the employees that sat with several children who were hospitalized after contracting pneumonia.
Warm clothing for the kids 0-14 is needed but we will wait for staff to let us know what they need and specific sizes.
Maggie’s House
Maggie’s House helps young adults aged 17-24 to get their lives together after being homeless, abusing drugs/alcohol or other problems that have impacted their lives negatively. The maximum stay is 22 months but some may leave well before that time. This program hopes to expand their services by building tiny houses on the property where those who need further supervision can live asking for help when needed. Future plans are to plant a garden but fencing and other needs will have to be finished before they can begin.
They had planned to be open by now but they’re dealing with an old building and have had to make major repairs to the heating system. Now they’re replacing all the lighting and updating the plumbing. Director Pauletta Red Willow has secured funding for the salary of one of her staff and hopes to have funds for the other 2 very soon. They are currently serving their clients, just not as residents of the home. They are open 3 days a week for clients to receive help with applying for food stamps, college, jobs or any other needs they may have.
They’re so thankful for the food items, school supplies and toiletries from SFK but won’t need anything else until they are officially open. We will keep you updated when that happens and post any needs they may have.
Bright Start
Mary Mousseau wishes to thank everyone for the wonderful gifts she’s received for both babies and mom’s. The moms really appreciate the help and the babies benefit from your gifts. Babies will need warm items for winter – blankets, snowsuits, coats, hats and mittens, warm pj’s, sleepers and sleepsacks, and Mom’s can use coats, hats and mittens/gloves as well. Lakota Friends Circle sends monthly shipments of diapers, formula, wipes, and toiletries all made possible by your generous monetary donations to them.
Mary has 3 new clients that have no running water in their homes, the tribe does deliver water to them but if they run out they must depend on friends to bring more. Mary says if homes have no water they should be using hand sanitizer. One of the moms lives in a dilapidated trailer about 15 miles from town with her baby, a sibling and their mother. Mary is worried about how they will survive the winter. They have no electricity so use candles or flashlights for light and propane to cook with. They need blankets, sheets. pillows/pillowcases, and towels. They have no beds and sleep on mattresses on the floor which has to be cold and drafty. They do have an old Rez car that needs a new tire but use it only to go to town for groceries or appointments. It’s a very bad situation and we’re waiting to hear how we might help this family. Mary’s client is young and was recently admitted to the hospital for an infection, the baby went with her as she is breast feeding. She is home now but her life is a struggle. The other day rain poured through the trailer roof. Mary called the police and they took the family to the casino hotel for a week with the tribe’s approval. FEMA came out and told the tribe they needed to get water and electricity in the home asap. The tribe plans to update all tribal homes that need electric and water but when is the big question. This family will still need lots of help even if the best case scenario happens and they do get water and electric. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and will keep you all updated on this family and their needs.
RST Maternal and Child Health
This tribal program makes home visits to women with high risk pregnancies and after delivery until their child is 2 years old. Sandi Wilcox recently spoke with Carol and sends her thanks and appreciation for everything our groups have sent. She will need all the same clothing items as Mary but asks that we delay shipping until October as they have limited space in the building they use. They are also recipients of LFC’s monthly shipments of diapers, toiletries and baby wipes.
Wanblee Child, Youth and Elder Program
Jerome and Theresa High Horse welcome warm items for all ages and sizes, 3 months through adult. Shipments to Wanblee cannot use the Give Back Box program because their carrier (UPS) will only deliver to commercial buildings and the High Horse’s address is their home (residential). We asked if they would be willing to pick up their boxes from Wild Horse Butte in Martin (about 30 miles away) but they said no, so your boxes will have to be mailed at the current rate from your carrier.
UPS workers are currently in contract negotiations with their company for a pay increase so there is always the possibility for a strike if talks break down and there is also the possibility of a price increase from the company for the Give Back Box program. We will keep you updated on any changes to that program.
White Buffalo Calf Women’s Society
We have had very little contact with the organization due to unanswered phone calls and messages. While we’re not discouraging you from sending to them we’re not encouraging you either. It’s a great organization and they certainly provide many services for their community but without direct contact with someone there, we have no way of knowing how or if our help is needed. Members of our partner group, “For the Children of PRR and Rosebud”, continues to send to them so they are receiving some help but they too receive little feedback.
White Clay Nursing Home
This nursing home in White Clay, Nebraska which currently has 35 residents (capacity is 60), could use some help for their residents. If you are interested in helping these elders you can visit this Ravelry site of “For the Children of PRR and Rosebud to learn how you can help.
There are also many elders that use the programs at Wild Horse Butte in Martin and from the High Horse’s in Wanblee so your donations can be sent there too.
Thank you all for your continued support of the areas we serve. If you ever doubt your donations are needed or appreciated, just think about Mary’s new client, she is not an isolated case. There are so many more just like her, and some in much worse situations.
Please join us on our Sew For Kids Volunteer group if you would like to meet new friends, share patterns and ideas and work together on projects. Sew For Kids works with the non profit Lakota Friends Circle please visit their website to learn other ways you can help the areas we serve.
