ONE Spirit - An American Charity in Support of the Oglala Lakota

The Sponsorship program has always been an important OS program that brings assistance directly to families and elders and also promotes inter-cultural understanding and friendship. Both families and sponsors tell us frequently how much it means to them. Both seem to gain equal benefits from the program. There are about 800 sponsors in the program at this time and about 1000 children and elders on the waiting list hoping for a sponsor. The children and elders on the program have urgent needs for warm clothing, blankets, shoes, food and other basic needs.

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Help the Lakota Stay Warm and Safe

Heat is a major crisis on the reservation. We are getting ever more reports of people burning clothes to stay warm, 20 or more people at a time in one room using an electric heater, and families who have been out of propane for days and not able to have hot food or drinks.

Wood is being delivered as fast as we are able to those who can use wood for heat and we are trying to match as many families as possible for a minimum $200 purchase of propane. We are also providing help with conservation measures to make the heat go as far as possible.

The weather forecast is for continued single digits and below zero temperatures. It is the One Spirit people who are coming forward to help. Every bit you donate will be used to provide heat during this arctic winter.

This is a gentleman whose wood was delivered today. He lives in a small trailer, no indoor plumbing, no running water. He is unable to use his left arm. But tonight he is warm.

The Arctic Weather Continues and Continues and….

But we can "weather this weather"

We have not previously found it necessary to help with propane. However:
The cost of propane – the fuel most used for heating reservation homes – just jumped to $3.60 per gallon.

• On the Reservation, temperatures remain below freezing and drop to single digits and below zero at night. 
• The minimum order of $200 will provide 55 gallons of fuel.  
• The average house on the reservation uses about 6 gallons of propane a day. 
• The tribe has no more money to help buy fuel.

Calls from families and elders who are out of propane are coming in regularly.

• A 79 year old grandfather caring for his 3 grandchildren;
• A 72 year old elder who lives by herself and has no food or heat.  
• A family of 10 who have no propane, no wood stove, and no other source of heat. 

We are proposing a matching program. With your help, when a family pays $100 for fuel, we will match that amount. We are also offering help with conservation measures and the strategic use of electric space heaters. 

Once more, let’s stand with the Lakota people. Together we can “weather this weather.”

One Spirit must help.  Your contribution will keep a family warm.
                                                  
Click here to make a PayPal donation: 

Or send a check to:

One Spirit  
PO Box 3209
Rapid City, SD 57709

One night years ago I sat outside an Inipi (purification) ceremony. The fire keeper was a young man with not much patience. He was having trouble getting the match to stay lit as it was time to light the fire and heat the rocks. They asked if I could do it and so I moved forward and got the task done. Soon the inipi fire was blazing and the rocks were heating up. I overheard one of the fire keepers say: “He lit the fire with one match”. I guess some have more trouble than others getting a fire lit, for me being an outdoorsman it was no problem. 

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Pine Ridge District Buffalo Hunters

It was cold and ground was frozen, but Kyle Reddy, Josh Apple and Mat Brewer had been given a responsibility. The Pine Ridge Village council had been given two Buffalo along with all other districts. The idea was to have meat for the elder meals program which delivers food to the elders every week day. It’s kind of like a soup kitchen each day but they serve more than just soup. The Buffalo was straight from our very own OST Parks and Recreation’s Buffalo pasture. The guide would be assistant Buffalo range manager Melton Around Him. The hides are prime and thick right now and it was the best time to hunt a buffalo. This crew was sharpening their knives of duty while the tribe celebrated LNI. The Pine Ridge Village cap office had given the crew the responsibility of harvesting and processing two Buffalo for the District elderly meals program. The chance was an honor and for the crew it meant getting the job done and helping to feed the people. If this day went as planned they would be responsible to harvest and process three buffalo. The third would be ours.

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Today we received a call about an elder who was taking down fences in order to use the fence posts for heat. Yesterday we delivered to a woman who was recently released from the hospital. As soon as the wood arrived, the kids started carrying it into the house. The oldest daughter was crying when she turned and hugged Bamm. "You are the only people who care," she said.

The coldest part of the winter is coming to the reservation. Pleas are coming in daily. Temperatures are remaining below freezing and dropping into single digits at night. Requests are steadily coming in for wood, for heat and also for wood stove repair and installation. Wood that had been stockpiled has been distributed and the men are once again going out to gather wood to try to keep the many people warm.

A generous person has donated warm clothing to keep the men warm. Your help is needed for gas, for chainsaws, log splitters, delivery truck, and repairs to stoves and pipes in homes. Sometimes stoves and pipes in homes are beyond repair and are an imminent fire hazard. Replacement is necessary. The Lakota men willingly pitch in to help. The One Spirit family provides the needed supplies. It is a partnership that will help families on Pine Ridge survive the winter.

Help the Lakota people stay warm and safe. Donate now: