2401 Eglin St., Rapid City, SD 57703 | www.naaprogram.org 
1-877-825-2983 | info@naaprogram.org 

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Native American Aid

Service Areas: Northern Plains (includes MT, ND, SD and NE)

On remote reservations in the Northern Plains, Native American families struggle against enormous odds. Job opportunities are extremely limited due to a short supply of outside investments on reservation lands, which are held in trust by the U.S. government. Winters are bitter cold, housing is often substandard, and health care is inadequate. Despite the obstacles, Native Americans remain devoted to their communities and determined to preserve their language and culture. Native American Aid™ (NAA), a program of Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA), teams up with Program Partners that help these proud people rise above the poverty and geographic isolation of reservation life.

NAA addresses immediate needs for tribes experiencing disasters, emergency food shortages and preventative health care needs. We continue these services through donations from caring people throughout America.  

List of Services

Reservations on the Northern Plains can be bitterly cold and biting winds regularly gust up to 50 mph. Under such conditions, exposed flesh can freeze in less than a minute. When money for fuel has run out, residents have been known to burn clothing or furniture, or hang blankets at the door and stay in one room, in anxious attempts to stay warm. Or they may have to make the difficult choice of buying winter fuel or food.

Through our NAA program, we serve as a first responder for natural disasters and environmental emergencies on the reservations. We provide essentials like food and water, batteries, blankets or cleaning supplies as needed by each community for the people displaced in the community.

Selected Elder Nutrition Centers (ENCs), aka Senior Centers, receive emergency food boxes and distribute them to the Elders they serve. These boxes help Elders weather the winter months when travel becomes difficult and heating costs more. 

A recent study by America's Second Harvest shows that the majority of food banks lack an adequate supply of food to meet the rising demand. So, we supply food staples to dozens of food bank partners through our NAA program.
Many Tribal communities are unsuitable for growing fruits and vegetables, or they are food deserts 10 miles or more from the nearest grocer, contributing to diabetes and other nutrition-related illness. . NAA works with regional growers to deliver fresh produce to Tribal communities in the Northern Plains.
Through our NAA program, we deliver food so Program Partners can serve community-wide holiday meals. This provides healthy food as well as healthy social time without the stress of off-reservation shopping and cost.

Indian Health Services clinics are inadequate and too distant for many reservation residents to access. In response, Tribal health programs offer preventative care, home health visits and health education for tribal members. We support Tribal health partners via the Healthy Living service, impacting quality of life for 250,000 Native Americans each year.

Holiday services through our NAA program help reservation partners spread holiday cheer and impact at times when many families are experiencing more stress and disenfranchisement. Our stockings are filled with practical items such as gloves and personal care items to meet immediate needs.

Quotes From Past Recipients

It’s like another Christmas to get a bag of supplies… Around here – especially Elders – we really appreciate stuff like this.

Angie, North Dakota

We really appreciate [Healthy Living] because there are so many children that need health services. We see 500 children a year, and we’ve outgrown our facility.

Beverly, North Dakota

When the health incentives come in, it’s a big help for me,” Erin says. “We really go through the wipes, diapers, body wash…Even dental floss means a lot. The little things make a big difference where we live.

Erin, Nebraska

STATS

The American Red Cross, and FEMA when applicable, respond to natural disasters in Indian Country, but gaps still exist in everyday essentials like food, water, blankets, flashlights, baby supplies, women’s necessities and more when Tribal citizens are displaced.
If FEMA aid is approved for individuals, the maximum is about $33,000 (on or off-reservation). In most cases, this will not even replace a mobile home. Nearly one in six seniors in America faces the threat of hunger or malnourishment (around 8 million total).
Over 13% of Tribal homes lack basic access to safe drinking water, compared to less than 1% of homes nationwide.
Only 26% of Native communities are within one mile from a supermarket, compared to 59% of all people living in the U.S.
Native Americans endure a legacy of healthcare disparities, leading to disproportionate disease and mortality rates. Native teen suicide is twice the national average.
Native Americans were 3 times as likely to die as Whites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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