One-third of all seniors report trimming the size of their meals, skipping meals altogether, or buying less nutritious foods because they don’t have enough money for a proper meal. Food insecurity is a daily challenge for Elders on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. There aren’t enough resources, like affordable grocery stores and reliable transportation. 

Through our Northern Plains Reservation Aid® (NPRA) program, Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA) offers a Breakfast-in-a-Bag service to offset food insecurity for Elders. Through this service, our Program Partner Wes C. offers nutritious breakfast items at no cost to Elders multiple times throughout the year. Bags typically include fruit, eggs, milk, juice, bread, potatoes, cereal, sausage, and oatmeal. 

This service has been a lifeline for 69-year-old Rose B. of St. Francis. Rose has raised her five grandchildren – ages 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13 – for several years. She relies on social security and TANF assistance and said about the Breakfast service, “It really helps because at the end of the month, it does come in handy because we run out of food. I had to get 10 free-range chickens, so we got our own eggs. It just helps us survive.” 

Rose appreciates fruit and oatmeal, while her grandchildren love dry cereal. Rose said, “I usually make omelets with the eggs. I’m a breakfast person. It saves us money when buying food because we spend half of TANF on food. Breakfast-in-a-Bag really saves money for us.” 

Her youngest granddaughter came to her at just 14 months old. Alongside parenting again, Rose teaches her grandchildren traditional skills—cooking, sewing, and beading. She even sells her beadwork and handiwork for extra income. 

Rose grew up in a boarding school in St. Francis, where she learned chores. “That’s how I learned how to clean and cook,” she said. Over her lifetime, she has worked as an addiction counselor, a special education teacher, and for both the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau. She still advocates for her community, pointing to the need for more resources for alcohol prevention and youth addiction, as well as more activities for kids and more grocery stores. Rose told us there are only three grocery stores in the area. 

Rose relies on others for transportation, so she received the Breakfast service thanks to a delivery from community caregiver Marvine D., who checks on seniors’ welfare as she brings the food to their homes. Marvine said, “Our Elders like this. Some of them can’t walk, so it really helps them. Everybody is happy about their Breakfast-in-a-Bag. It helps people because they don’t have to go shopping.” 

Marvine’s sister, 63-year-old Eileen S., also receives the Breakfast service and said, “It really helps a lot of families. I know the need, and anything like this helps. It’s really good stuff, too, the things they offer. Eggs are so expensive. It really helps.” She especially appreciated the cornflakes: “Easy and soft to eat.”  

For Rose and so many others, your support makes all the difference. She shares this message with donors: “I thank them because they’ve helped me a lot. They’ve kept us fed, and we didn’t have to borrow food or sell everything to buy food, so I’m really grateful.” 

Please give today to NPRA. Together, we can help Elders like Rose keep food on the table for themselves and their families.