Many Native families find themselves under constant distress, facing food and water shortages, subpar housing and healthcare, and limited access to utilities and transportation. One way that Partnership With Native Americans® (PWNA) addresses these disparities is through the Healthy Living service of our Native American Aid (NAA) program.

Our Program Partner Mary utilizes the Healthy Living service to receive regular deliveries of hygiene and household products that incentivize participation in her classes at Families Working Together (FWT) in Wanblee, South Dakota. There, community members learn about cooking, canning, gardening, and more, which all contribute to healthy lifestyles.

68-year-old Georgia of the Oglala Sioux Tribe has made major life changes since receiving health education at FWT. With knowledge from the classes, Georgia told us, “I don’t have to run to the store and eat junk food all the time.”

Grocery shopping poses a financial challenge in high-poverty areas, like the Pine Ridge Reservation. Georgia shared, “We’re living in a life of feast or famine. If you have the money, you’re going to buy everything. If I stop at the store, it’s going to cost me $100 or more. If you don’t have the money, you’re going to buy the cheap stuff.” The NAA cleaning supplies that participants earn through FWT’s educational classes help families focus their budgets on meals. Georgia noted, “When you’re on a fixed income, it’s always nice to get cleaning supplies. If you have to buy something for your family versus cleaning supplies, you choose food.”

Georgia lives with multiple health issues and has learned which foods act as medicine. She explained, “Foods help you heal yourself. I’m going to teach my kids that so they don’t go through what I’m going through. You’ve got to be proactive. In this community, diabetes is really prevalent. Seems like every other person has diabetes or heart issues. If you don’t eat healthy, you’re going to be sick, and that’s what’s happening to everyone on the reservation.”

Georgia detailed barriers to healthy eating, like money and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. She explained that her ancestors relied on lean meats and wild berries, but those ways have been lost. She asked, “If we don’t take care of ourselves, who’s going to take care of our kids? Our kids are becoming overweight and diabetic at a very young age. It’s very preventable but nobody is taught how to eat healthy.” Georgia added that cavities are a common problem on the reservation.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report in 2021 showing that Native Americans have significantly higher health disparities – like heart disease – compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts.

Georgia served as the local college director for 23 years. Now retired, she feels less stress and spends much of her time volunteering at FWT, where she learns something new every day. She originally got involved to help people. Georgia shared, “What we are trying to do is reunite the community, and I think this is the best avenue for that.”

48-year-old Eli has volunteered at FWT for years and knows, “This place is here for anybody. I’m trying to think of how we survived before FWT.” After spending time with Mary, Eli changed his eating habits and is happy with the results.

Along with the “how,” of healthy living, Mary teaches the “why.” She explained, “You’ll stay with your lifestyle change if you don’t feel deprived. It’s a totally different way of looking at food, which is food as medicine versus just filling your gut.” Mary also noted some helpful tools like journaling, which helps people take responsibility and ask themselves, “What does healthy living look like?”

Your donation to NAA gives important educational and practical resources to Native Americans like Georgia and Eli. Donate to NAA today.