Since our founding in 2014, Lakota Friends Circle has been working directly with Lakota led organizations on South Dakota reservations helping provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, blankets and propane. We have frequent contact with the organizations and provide for special needs of the communities, such as home repairs and appliances. All of this is made possible through generous public donations, private and corporate grants, and partnerships.
We are happy to report that we awarded 17 scholarships in 2025 and 11 for the Spring 2026 semester. We have new and returning applicants. See our Scholarship recipients page to meet them.
We provide healthy snacks to the children every week. See our Marty Indian School page to learn more about this Yankton Sioux school.
We purchased 252 Winter coats for the children in Head Start.
Kateri Center
This is a small food, clothing, and household goods bank. Located in Marty, South Dakota, they serve the 2 schools near-by and the community. The Kateri Center especially appreciated our shipments of non-perishable food, toiletries, and diapers.
Wanblee Community
LFC was awarded a $5000 gift card from Home Depot to purchase supplies for the renovation of a home owned by two Veteran brothers. Labor was provided by volunteers on and off the Rez.
LFC was awarded two grants from The Walmart Foundation Community Grant Program (one for $1,500, the other for $1,000) to purchase food and deliver it to families in need in Wanblee and outlying areas.
LFC was awarded a $1,000 grant from The Pollination Project to update a semi trailer that had been donated by a family foundation, so that it could be used for safe storage of donated items.
Purchased a tiller attachment for a tractor with funds donated by another group so families could get their gardens tilled and grow some of their own food during the summer months.
Provided a DVD player and sound system for the community so families could have family movie nights made possible through funding from a private foundation.
Purchased a freezer, refrigerator and a stove for the new kitchen in the Wanblee Community Center
Purchased toilets, fire extinguishers and CO/smoke detectors for the new Wanblee Community Center.
Provided funding to rehab a fire truck for fighting brush fires in the community.
Donated 6 sewing machines for the new community center’s sewing program.
Provide funding to repair and maintain chain saws used for the wood program and to deliver wood to families in Wanblee and the outlying areas.
Provide funding for fuel for trucks used to pick up and distribute food to Wanblee and the surrounding communities and to repair them from time to time.
We cover the monthly electrical bill for the Kennedy Community Center.
Every year, we purchase useful gifts for their volunteers. Gifts might be slow cookers, coffee makers, etc.
Martin Community
Purchased a new cook stove for the youth center so kids could learn how to cook.
Provide a monthly $100 credit for perishable food for the youth center and shelter.
Provided beds and dressers for the Sacred Shawl Women’s Shelter.
Purchased high chairs, strollers and safety gates for the shelter.
Provide diapers, wipes, formula, toiletries and laundry detergent every month for the shelter and the Martin community distributed through the Wild Horse Butte CDC office.
Emergency Foster Home
We pay for their internet access.
Provided shelving and storage containers for clothes and safety gates for the foster home.
Provide propane as needed in Winter.
Held a successful fundraiser to move the air conditioning unit from their old location to the new home in Porcupine and purchase a new security system.
We provide healthy food every month, and additional food during the Summer school vacations.
We purchased new playground equipment.
Marty Indian School
Help provide nutritional snacks for students K-5. The school cannot provide snacks for the entire year due to recent budget cuts. For some, an afternoon snack may be the only thing they eat until breakfast at school the next day.
Provided 4 sewing machines for their sewing program. Students learn how to make traditional ribbon skirts which are worn at graduation and summer Pow-Wow’s.
Over the years and along with our partner organizations we have donated clothing, shoes, socks and underwear, boots, towels, sheets, blankets, toiletries, pots and pans, crock pots, toasters and other small appliances, school supplies, fabric and sewing supplies, books, toys and of course many Christmas gifts for children in all our donation areas.
Thank you all for helping families of the Sioux Nation living on Pine Ridge, Rosebud and Yankton Sioux reservations in South Dakota. Your gifts do make a difference!
