For Native American Elders, consistent access to healthy food is not just a matter of convenience; it’s a vital necessity for maintaining their well-being. Rising food prices further exacerbate the challenges faced by Elders on limited incomes, making access to fresh and nutritious foods a daunting task. With three out of four Native Americans facing food insecurity, tribal communities often rely on outside resources and transportation to access fresh food. In the face of these challenges, Southwest Indian Relief Council® (SWIRC), a program of Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA), offers Indigenous foods to help Elders keep healthy meals on the table.

Access to culturally relevant fresh foods is important for Program Partners like Mike, manager of the Pisinemo Senior Center in Arizona. Located on the vast Tohono O’odham Nation, the center of Pisinemo sits nearly 15 miles away from the nearest grocery store. When residents need to access a supermarket, they may find themselves traveling up to 85 miles to Casa Grande.

Travel is not always accessible for community members who lack adequate transportation by their own means, making community resources especially important for Elders like 66-year-old Frances. Through SWIRC, Frances received a box filled with staple foods rooted in Indigenous cuisine – squash, corn, mutton, onions, beans, and others. Living with physical hardships along with not having a driver’s license, Frances finds it difficult to get around Pisinemo, a community where homes and resources are spread out across the desert. Frances often relies on resources like the senior center and the district to provide scheduled transportation to nearby communities so she can run errands.

Despite the challenges she endures, Frances remains unwavering in her determination to support her family – a son and a daughter in search of employment opportunities, and a granddaughter. With limited income from disability assistance and occasional assistance from the district, Frances has made a routine out of stretching her money.

In her retirement, Frances has taken up art as a hobby. Through to various projects at the Senior Center, Frances was introduced to coloring, woven tissue boxes, and beadwork. She wants to use her artistic expression to focus on more traditional practices like basketmaking. “My mom, my aunt, and my sisters taught me how to make baskets,” she told us, feeling bittersweet as she remembered the losses of her close family members. Although these losses were hard for her, Frances feels fortunate to still have three living siblings, two brothers and a sister.

While the Pisinemo Senior Center provides crucial resources to Elders in the community, SWIRC bolsters those efforts by providing culturally relevant fresh foods. Your contribution to SWIRC will help ensure Program Partners like Mike can continue serving local Elders.