We are resuming our donation drive today during business hours for the propane companies.
Our most significant accomplishment is bypassing charitable organizations, calling the power companies directly and donating money to fill someone's empty propane tank today. In contrast, South Dakota Community Foundation's Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Storm Relief - Emergency Assistance check won't be dispersed until sometime in March... just in time for the flood and mud season.
We Kossacks have been filling tanks for more than 3 weeks! We can't wait for "possible" Federal assistance, we can't wait for red-taped charity foundations.
We need you to telephone now.
Two Kossacks who want to remain anonymous have generously offered to match donations to St. Francis Energy Co. in the amount of $1600 ! The donation drive will be called Elder Bear Matching Fund and will be matching donations starting at $10 to St. Francis.
Please leave us a comment entitled Elder Bear Matching Fund and dollar amount that we can keep track of for the mystery donor.
ELDER BEAR MATCHING FUND
Call St. Francis Energy Co. at 6 0 5 - 7 4 7 - 2 5 4 2
11 AM - 6 PM MST, ask for Sherry or her mom Patsy. Normally a minimum order is $150, but they have an account to accumulate small donations to a minimum order. Credit Cards welcome and they are the only Native owned fuel company on Rosebud.
Donations to date: $1200.00 FEB. 22nd 4:18 PM PST
From an email from Sherry at St. Francis Energy Co.:
...the donations are still coming in. the ppl recvng the lpg are very appreciative. its hard to believe that total strangers are so willing to help cut the heating costs of other ppl. i am delivering lpg as quickly as the orders are coming in. liep is now claiming to have NO funds and is referring ppl to sfec, [St. Francis Energy Co.] thus the needy list going to grow faster...
But let's not forget the rez that started this netroots movement for us in the first place,
Pine Ridge reservation.
...there is a new list of 40 families who desperately need propane for heat. Please call the Lakota Plains Propane Company at 6 0 5 - 8 6 7 - 5 1 9 9... Ask for *Crystal* to contribute to someone from Autumn's list. $120 minimum delivery that lasts about one week... Put Lakota Plains Propane in your comment header so we can tally your donation.
Donations to date: $14,000 FEB. 22nd 9:00 AM
BACKGROUND IN A NUTSHELL: Severe ice storms hit the South Dakota rezs January 21st and 6 inch ice shells encased all the power lines, severe winds brought down more than 2000 power poles, crippling the water system also. Power was out for more than 3 weeks. This storm was devastating because it followed 2 blizzards in December when LIHEAP heating funds ran out for the tribes. They could not wait for funding so we Kossacks started a campaign to call the power companies directly and donate to fill a home's empty propane tank.
Another fast and direct way you can help: The LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Home Assistance) Tribal programs ran out of winter funding in early December. Here's the hard part; you will need to write a check because of no online presence for any tribe.
There is a very long national list of LIHEAP Tribal Grantees here. You might consider a tribe in your own state. Here is South Dakota and North Dakota.
I'm focusing on the three below because we have Kossacks and their relatives there.
Ms. Eileen Shot
LIHEAP Coordinator
Rosebud Sioux Tribe
P.O. Box 430
Rosebud, South Dakota 57570
Mr. Denise Red Owl
Director
Oglala Sioux Tribe (Pine Ridge)
P.O. Box 1051
Pine Ridge, South Dakota 57770
Ms. Irma Walking Elk
LIHEAP Coordinator
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
P.O. Box D
Fort Yates, North Dakota 58538
Clothing Donation: (Must be clean and gently worn or it will be thrown away )
Pretty Bird Woman House
211 N. First St
McLaughlin, SD 57642
See website for specific material needs.
White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, Inc
291 N. Main
P.O. Box 227
Mission, SD 57555
605-856-2317
Paypal link at www.wbcws.org
Lakota Oyate Wakanyeja Owicakiyape
East Highway 18
IHS Compound, Box 604
Pine Ridge, SD 57770.
See changingwinds.org for addresses of other agencies participating in the Winter Warmth Drive for the people of Pine Ridge.
ONLINE DONATIONS:
Razoo has consolidated their two successful links from Olbermann's coverage here.
The Native American Advocacy Program (NAAP)
Be sure to run all other donation sites through Charity Navigator to make sure they are reputable. There are many scams, old and new out there.
Please see Aji's diary for links to contact information for state and local officials. For a list of federal agency contacts, go here; for a list of national media contacts and a template for a letter to the editor, gohere.
For more background, history and details please see these diaries:
Dakotas Snow Emergency: Charity and Beyond [Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Contact Info]
Keith's Special Comment In South Dakota Rez Diary
Why is S.D. Gov. Mike Rounds Denying Federal Aid to Indian Reservations in Crisis?
In Our Blood: The Diabetes Epidemic in Native America
Native American Netroots
An ongoing series sponsored by the Native American Netroots team focusing on the current issues faced by American Indian Tribes and current solutions to those issues.