On Friday October 9th, the first winter storm whipped across the reservation. It was 11 degrees F, the winds were blowing at 20-30 mph, and it was snowing. We responded quickly to calls from two elders who were without heat and needed wood. When the men delivering the wood arrived at the first house, they were burning their clothes for heat.

During the next few months, urgent calls like these will come more frequently. We cannot leave people to freeze. There are men on the reservation who will cut the wood and deliver it. They need our help with equipment and transport costs. There are only a few more weeks when they will be able to gather and deliver the wood - between bouts of seriously cold weather.

It is critical that we continue to have the resources to not only meet urgent needs but to prevent these life-threatening situations from happening. That requires that we are able to support the men in gathering wood and delivering it before storms hit.

NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO BURN THEIR CLOTHING IN ORDER TO STAY WARM.

Donate now. The need is critical.