The value of everyday cleaning supplies can often be overlooked – but for Native Americans on rural reservations, these items are crucial to staying healthy and avoiding the dreaded COVID-19 virus. Partnership With Native Americans’ (PWNA) Native American Aid (NAA) program addressed a recent coronavirus outbreak on the Pine Ridge Reservation by delivering much-needed household supplies to our Program Partner at the Eagle Nest College Center.  

37-year-old Nita was happy to support her family with new supplies. She shared, “This is going to help my mother, stepdad, and children.” Nita has four kids from age 5 to age 18. She added that COVID-19 “took a lot of family members.” Native Americans are 2.5 times more likely to die from the virus than White people. 

Of the supplies that Nita brought home, she found items like cloth face masks especially helpful, saying, “That’s what we need are masks!” She said that cleaning wipes and disinfectant spray are great to have, adding, “When you’re done sweeping and mopping, you can spray furniture and the bathroom. It helps a lot because some supplies don’t last. After a week or two, we have to borrow from each other.” When Nita runs low on supplies, she makes her own cleaning spray using water.  

For income, Nita occasionally does day labor for the tribe. She shared, “It’s not steady work – they only pick eight people a day. A lot of us are unemployed – not by choice but by lack of jobs and a lack of education.” To supplement her income, Nita receives food stamps and does community service work to earn supplies from a local organization. 

Oglala Sioux Elder Twylla just turned 75 years old and is grateful to have lived this long. She said of her emergency supplies, “We live way out in the country, so we’ll utilize all of this.” She especially appreciated the paper towels and rubber gloves. Twylla helps to support a five-person household and said that her family spends about $1,000 every six months on household supplies. She travels twice a year to Rapid City, South Dakota, and shared, “I have to save and save and save, and make sure I have that money to spend on what we need.” 

When the winter weather gets rough, Twylla sometimes finds herself trapped at home, unable to travel for supplies. She told us, “We get so much snow that there are snowbanks in front of our doors, and they’re not little either. I keep a shovel inside and try to get the screen door open. If I can make it out, I shovel to the wood pile. Sometimes the car will be covered, and I can’t do anything. It’s dangerous out there.” 

Twylla mentioned that many residents live in multi-family homes, making cleanliness a constant issue. She shared her gratitude with NAA donors, saying, “These supplies are good for Elders who can’t afford them. We just used the last bottle of hand sanitizer.” She added her appreciation for the case of water as well, mentioning, “At times, there is no water, or the water is dark and smells and doesn’t taste good. Buying water is very expensive for me. I want to thank donors very much. I appreciate what you’re doing for my people in the Eagle Nest District.”