Wanblee, SD                                                                       August 9, 2020

Pine Ridge Reservation

In the last newsletter, I asked for financial help to repair the red truck that Jerome High Horse uses to pick-up, transport, and deliver food to elders and families in Wanblee and the surrounding rural areas.  The engine had failed and a mechanic in Rapid City (100 miles away) had offered to rebuild it for $3,000.  It took a long time to get the work done as parts had to be ordered from different areas of the state and was complicated by COVID 19 issues.  In addition, there was a shelter-in-place order for Pine Ridge.  While the most stringent restrictions have been lifted, residents are still only allowed to leave the Reservation for work, food, or a doctor’s appointment.

The engine repair including labor cost $3,500 and comes with a good warranty.  Thanks to everyone who helped raise a bit more than that.  The extra will be used for gas to pick up and deliver a large load of donated food from the non-profit “We Don’t Waste” in Denver, CO.

Thank you all for helping us get food to the people, especially now during the pandemic when it is even more scarce and expensive on the Reservation.  Many thanks from Jerome High Horse as well!

Anne Fields

Vice President, Lakota Friends Circle

Information on donating to Lakota Friends Circle by PayPal, credit card, or check can be found at: www.lakotafriendscircle.org/donate