The people of Pine Ridge Reservation in southwest South Dakota are desperately in need of firewood to heat their homes.
Sarah Hamilton of Gunflint Trail Center, in Grand Marais, was sitting in her house listening to the wind howl outside at a temperature of –32, reading a Huffington Post article on FB (link below). “I read it while sitting in my home with no shoes on (heated floors) while shuffling around feeding my fireplace (just for atmosphere) and thought about what it would be like to have little or no heat.” Sarah shared, “It makes my heart hurt that some have all they need and others have nothing. I believe we can fix this problem for these people and I think we should.”
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Native American reservation. Lack of firewood for many on the reservation is a huge problem every year and their only heat source for many. Pickup loads of wood are delivered on an emergency basis all hours of the day and night – and that is when there is enough wood to distribute.
Hamilton said the first goal is to help these people through this winter. Buy basic safety gear, wood and pay for hauling and distributing.
“These folks have no money, no transportation to even pick up free wood if offered,” Hamilton said. “People from One Spirit deliver for them. It is very important to the people involved to build a sustainable program.”
Goals include the following: Stop the emergency situation every winter.
Create jobs on the reservation, and secure wood for the elderly, disabled and people unable to pay for heat.
Sarah is currently working with Jeri Baker and Bamm Brewer from One Spirit, a nonprofit organization. wwwnativeprogress.com.
She is encouraging people to donate anything they can spare, $5 or $10 dollars can make this campaign a success. The contribution will be life changing for many people struggling through a bitter cold winter with little or no heat.
Long term goal – no more heat/ wood crisis on Pine Ridge Reservation. With your help we plant to start a sustainable wood program that will allow wood to be stockpiled during the summer for use the following winter, year after year.
The Lakota have lived with this condition for as long as any of them can remember. Yesterday an elder gentleman walked more than 10 miles to get to the One Spirit distribution building to see if he could get stove pipes for an old stove he found. The pipes were bought and taken to a trailer where he was living. His plan was to have the pipes put on the stove and then have the pipes go out the window. There was no back door on his place and most of the windows could not be closed.
Sarah said the biggest push right now is getting new stoves for the people. If the stove is broken, it doesn’t matter how much firewood one has.
Real life happenings…An elderly couple offered their food stamps to a One Spirit wood program in return for some wood for heat. A family home that shelters 13 members were without heat. Another family was burning clothes when the wood was delivered. The stories continue…Enough is enough.
Online Donations are being accepted on the GoFundMe site link: www.gofundme.com/fire-for-life
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