Increasing Food Security for Elders in Need 

For every 6 seniors in America, 1 of them faces the threat of hunger or malnourishment. Northern Plains Reservation Aid® (NPRA), a program of Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA), provides a Breakfast-in-a-Bag service several times a year to ensure Elders can access healthy meals at no cost.  

At All Stop Inc. on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, Elders choose items like eggs, sausage, bread, cereal, milk, and fruit. For homebound Elders, local volunteers deliver the groceries, which also comes with much-needed social visits. Marvine D., our Program Partner with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Elderly Nutrition Program, home-delivers the NPRA breakfast foods to 71-year-old Dolly B.  

Dolly welcomed Marvine and the NPRA team into her yard, which was full of Easter decorations. She puts effort into decorating for every holiday to make her family smile. Dolly has participated in the NPRA Breakfast service going on 4 years and has come to rely on it to help make ends meet. Dolly especially appreciates the classics – eggs and sausage. 

Dolly has lived on the Rosebud Reservation her entire life, working in the tourism and healthcare fields. But her favorite job was being a community health representative and visiting Elders in their homes. Dolly’s patience and compassion made her a favorite caregiver. She recalled helping an Elder named Leonard with his overgrown toenails that hurt him when he walked. She gave him a pedicure with tools that she found around his home and even took him to the podiatrist; he was pleasantly surprised with the care and results.  

On Dolly’s last day on the job, one Elder gave her a star quilt. Another Elder already had a gift waiting when she heard that Dolly was leaving, saying, “No wonder I baked you an apple pie!” 

Dolly has five children, and a dog named Chewy. Her husband, a former substance abuse counselor, passed away. Today, Dolly spends her time helping raise her great-granddaughter.  

Food on the table today is a basic human right – one not easily accessible for 1 in every 4 Native American families. PWNA and NPRA collaborate with Tribal partners and outside resources to improve food access in remote communities. Your support to NPRA helps increase food security for Elders in need.