PWNA announces supply drive for Native Americans living on isolated reservations

Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA), formerly National Relief Charities, announced today a 100-day supply drive for Native Americans living on remote and isolated reservations. The nonprofit is calling upon individuals, corporations and foundations to help meet the critical needs of Native Americans who suffer the highest poverty in the U.S. yet receive less than one percent of the nation's charitable giving.

"Many Americans are unaware of the challenging conditions on reservations today and how hard community members work to improve the quality of life for their tribes while preserving their culture," says PWNA President/CEO Robbi Rice Dietrich. "We hope to collect needed goods and shed light on realities facing a quarter of a million Native Americans in our service area."

PWNA's supply drive focuses on everyday items that address essential needs and low access to food, healthcare, education, animal welfare and household supplies, including:

• Canned vegetables and bottled water
  • 23 percent of Native Americans live with food insecurity
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
  • 40 percent of children and nearly 60 percent of adults on some reservations suffer from moderate to urgent dental needs that can lead to life-threatening illness
• Composition books, pencils and erasers
  • 30 to 70 percent of Native students drop out of high school due to lack of back-to-school readiness and loss of hope
• Dog leashes, collars and food bowls
  • Up to 6,000 stray dogs and cats roam the Navajo Reservation creating health and safety concerns, a concern faced by many reservations
• Liquid laundry detergent (60 oz.) and bars of soap (4 or 4.9 oz)
  • The average family does 400 loads of laundry a year, many of them at rural laundromats for $3 per load—taking away from limited dollars for essentials

"PWNA serves as the consistent resource to reservations many Americans never see and few nonprofits ever reach," adds PWNA Board Chairman Dr. James Pete. "Unique to PWNA, its staff works alongside reservation partners to deliver goods and services based on the tribes' goals and solutions for building their communities, an approach that has proven to be culturally relevant, respectful and effective."

Previously known as National Relief Charities, the organization recently changed its name to better communicate its mission and approach and strengthen its resources for serving Native American communities. Over 25 years of continuous service, PWNA has provided nearly $300 million in aid through materials, education services, community investment projects, and professional and personal development of community leaders.

"As a long-time partner with PWNA, I have seen the impact of their work first hand," says Doris Gainin of CKST Early Childhood Services on the Flathead Reservation. "Families on the reservation are always in need of household items, school supplies, toiletries, food, clothing and other items. Without PWNA's help, through initiatives like the supply drive, a lot of families would be going without."