This is something we’ve done here for a few years at Daily Kos. Provide almost 200 kids with school supplies to start the year with. Why do we do this, you may ask? Well. Partly because we’re Democrats and that’s the kind of thing we do.
No, no, you say, why don’t we just send them money and let them buy their own supplies? That’s a good question and the answer consists of a lot of geography and math.
You won’t get the answer in a travel guide. I read one that said this:
"South Dakota offers great variety of stores for any shopping enthusiast
From large malls with your favorite chain stores to quaint shops touting gifts and keepsakes made right here in South Dakota. Choose your destination to find shopping opportunities in and around the area."
I’m going to have to call bullshit on that, at least if you live in Isabel SD where Okiciyap is.
I got the answer by searching the nutnet for stores that I know and that are near me (I live in a sort of suburb of Nashville, TN) and comparing them to how far they are from Isabel.
So, within walking distance I can get to Kroger, Publix, Dollar General, Walgreen and CVS. They are all about a mile away from my house.
Theoretically* I could ride my bike to K-Mart, Deals/Dollar Tree and Goodwill. They are all 3 miles from my house. *I say theoretically because though I saw my bike down in the shed a few years ago, I don’t ride it.
I can drive to a Target that is 4 miles away and a Wal-Mart that is 5. (Except I don’t shop at Wal-Mart’s). There are a lot of other stores in there too like Pier One, Party City, Kohls, etc.
The Opry Mills Mall (which used to be Opryland) is maybe a 2 mile drive from my house but the neighbor kids walk it the back way; through my yard, another neighbors yard and across the railroad tracks.
So where can the Cheyenne River kids walk to? I don’t really know but I don’t think it’s to stores to get school supplies.
When I look up distances to stores from Isabel SD I get this:
Dollar General – None in SD
Walgreen’s – Pierre SD – 78 miles
CVS - None in SD
Deals/Dollar Tree – None within 100 miles
Kroger - Sterling IL 636 miles
K Mart- Pierre SD – 78 miles
Goodwill – North Dakota – 142 miles
When I look up Target the closest I can find are Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City and by that time I was too depressed to check out the mileage. I hope they never give this assignment to the kids in Isabel.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate isolation either. I’m an introvert, but I like to be able to get supplies in a reasonable amount of time and I don’t think a 4 hour round trip is reasonable. When I start to think of why Native American Reservations are located in such isolated places I am filled with fury and more depression.
All of which drives me to go out and get highlight pens, glue sticks, notebooks and folders for the kids.
The list of what they need is below as is the address to send them to. Don’t send money though, there’s not enough empty space on our bills to write an essay.
• Wide Ruled note books
• College ruled notebooks (1,3 and 5 subject)
• 24 pack crayons
• Red pens
• Colored pens (not red, blue or black)
• Washable markers
• Dry erase markers (blue red black)
• Highlighter markers (any colors)
• Kid scissors blunt or pointed
• 100 ct. index cards
• Pencil bags or boxes
• Pink erasers
• Elmer’s glue
• Glue sticks
• 2 pocket folders
• ½“ 3 ring binders
• Zipper binders
• Children’s and Adult socks & undies for both boys & girls.
• Backpacks (with or without laptop section)
• USB drives for the High School students
See Betson's diary here for on line deals.
Also, there are now enough staff in the pantry to receive supplies, so send them directly to the trailer:
Okiciyap
309 N. Wilson Ave.
Isabel SD 57633.