Dear Kathy,
I was totally overwhelmed by your generosity. The driver, Chris was a very nice gentleman and so was Mr Little Sky.
It was raining when they arrived in Parmalee but it didn't deter anybody. Everyone helped in unloading the truck.
Also it did help out three communities. 800 people benefitted from the truckload of food.
We had newborn neighbors babies whose parents had just brought home from the hospital that got pampers wipes and milk. The parents were so happy !
I had elders get food. The food arrived just when most people run out of food coupons and subsist on beans. This was something.
Even the water will go a long way. The medical supplies went to our nursing home in another community.
I am so thankful words cannot express our gratitude. We are a small community and it is true we out here never get anything that goes to the tribe in Rosebud. We have to travel 18 miles to get anything and most of the time the assistance is gone.
Just like today a truckload of potatoes came in but I don't have transportation to Rosebud so I won't get any.
Transportation is a real problem for those of us who don't have cars. What we have to do is "hire" a car to take us places. If I go to Rosebud or if I need to get groceries in Mission which is 28 miles away I pay $20.00 and to get to a store like Alco for household items I pay $40.00 and to go to Rapid City once every two years, I pay $150.00.
On a fixed income of $286.oo every two weeks, it is impossible.
The store we have here charges outrageous prices because she is the only one. We pay $3.60 for 4 lb of sugar, $2.33 for a loaf of bread, $9.00 for 3 porkchops, $1.29 for a roll of toilet paper. No one dares to oppose her because she'll have us thrown out of her store. Sometimes she overcharges children and elders. Not a very nice person.
It's the same way with jobs. it's all political. If your relative is on the tribal council you get a job, otherwise it's difficult to obtain one. So we are not lazy or dirty we've just been on the wrong side of the tracks so long we never get ahead.
So again thanks for the food and supplies.