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A Clear and Urgent Need for Philanthropic Support

The need for philanthropic support on the Pine Ridge Reservation is so clear and urgent that it can be overwhelming. What and where can you give in order to make things better? At Re-Member, we work to secure donations for several key areas.

Donations to our General Fund help us purchase and maintain the materials, equipment, vehicles, and facilities needed for the construction projects that comprise much of our work and improve the quality of life for many Oglala Lakota families.

Donations to our Seasonal Funds help us source, cut, split, and deliver firewood and provide emergency electric and propane assistance during the cold months and operate and expand our Community Garden Program during the warm months.

Donations to our Feather II Fund help cover the costs of completing a new home for Re-Member that will create dynamic opportunities to expand and develop our program on Pine Ridge.

Donations of clothing and household items are distributed to members of the Pine Ridge community from our on-site donation center.

Wherever you choose to direct your support, it will create a direct and immediate impact for the Oglala Lakota people living on Pine Ridge Reservation.

Although Re-Member charges modest trip fees to help cover costs associated with our volunteer program, our important work on Pine Ridge is funded in large part by charitable gifts from individual, corporate, and nonprofit donors.

Charitable gifts of all sizes to our General Fund help do a variety of things.

Purchase the Materials and Tools Needed for Our Construction Projects

The bunk beds, entry stairs, wheelchair ramps and outhouses we build — along with the trailer skirting we install — all require lumber and hardware, both of which have increased dramatically in price during the last year. Our building projects utilize a wide variety of hand tools, saws, sanders, cordless drills, and safety equipment for staff and volunteers — all of which must be maintained and periodically replaced.

Expected approximate project costs:

• Bunk bed: $200

• Outhouse: $250

• Entry stairs: $300 

• Wheelchair ramp: $1,400+ 

• Trailer skirting: $1,500+

Respond to Immediate Community Needs

We regularly support walk-in requests from the community in emergency situations. Benevolent support is offered on a case-by-case basis to support urgent personal needs for food, fuel, clothing and uncovered healthcare expenses. 

We also support community activities, including powwows, youth sports, school events, and health/wellness gatherings across the reservation.

Maintain Our Facilities, Vehicles, and Equipment

We operate several simple but functional facilities, including our volunteer quarters, a commercial kitchen, construction workshop, and administrative office that require regular upkeep and occasional repairs. Heavy rains and deep snow demand constant attention for our gravel road and parking lots, including plowing each winter.

Our fleet of trucks, vans, buses, and trailers take a beating from the reservation’s rough roads, long distances, and extreme weather. Diligent maintenance — performed locally whenever possible — is mandatory.

In support of our daily operations, we also maintain a variety of chainsaws, wood splitters, and farm/garden equipment, including tractors and various implements.

In addition to our General Fund, we encourage donations to two seasonal priorities: our Community Garden Program during the spring and summer and our Winter Heating Assistance Program during the fall and winter.

Help Grow Our Community Gardens

The Pine Ridge Reservation is a food desert — with just one full-service grocery store. Our 2.5-acre community garden is the beginning of a reservation-wide hub system to address this. In collaboration with our South Dakota State University Extension partners, we are building a network of home and school-based gardens, and developing the skills of individuals to grow their own produce.

We have erected two hoop-house greenhouses on our property, to aid in growing during the unpredictable spring and fall gardening seasons. These facilities will begin production in 2022.

Future plans include the introduction of a “veggie wagon,” providing our staff the opportunity to travel across the reservation to distribute fresh produce and offer knowledge and material resources to establish additional community-based gardens. 

The first Tuesday of May is “Growing Tuesday,” a kick-off event for the summer gardening season.

Donations to this fund are accepted from April through September, annually. 

Help Us Keep Families Warm

During the cold, windy prairie winters — when temperatures can drop below zero for days at a time — many families on the Pine Ridge Reservation struggle to keep their homes heated. Donations to support our Winter Heating Assistance Program provide families and elders with firewood through the winter, along with emergency propane and electric utility assistance.

During a typical winter, we cut, split, and deliver more than 400 truckloads of firewood to homes across the reservation and provide emergency electric assistance and propane assistance, paid directly to utility companies.

Every year on Giving Tuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Re-Member encourages donations to help heat homes on Pine Ridge.

Donations to this fund are accepted from October through March, annually.

Re-Member maintains a “wish list” of currently needed program supplies, tools and equipment on Amazon. Contributions help defer our program expenses, allowing us to allocate funds to other urgent needs.

Material donations for use by Pine Ridge community members are always needed. Re-Member maintains an on-site donation center for these items. Often, volunteers bring items for donations with them; items can also be shipped. Please refer to this list for general needs, or contact our on-site donation coordinator, Kimberly Black Elk, to learn about our most urgent current needs.

Although our current facilities have served Re-Member well, the time has come to grow, and design with intention, a new facility for our program. We currently operate within a footprint that was not designed to accommodate the varied needs of housing volunteers and staff, maintaining vehicles, operating workshops, and gathering with our Lakota neighbors.

We purchased a 160-acre parcel of land, just east of the reservation’s Porcupine community. This new property — our future home, which we call Feather II — offers dynamic opportunities to further develop our program on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

To date, two administrative offices (one leased to South Dakota State University Extension) and a two-bedroom residence have been constructed. We have designed and planted a 2.5-acre community garden, and erected two hoop-house greenhouses, with supporting infrastructure. The next phase of construction will bring our Community Education Center and Learning Kitchen, along with staff and volunteer housing to completion.

Feather II will enable Re-Member to:

• Operate energy-efficient buildings, designed specifically for our program

• Cultivate numerous community gardens, providing fresh vegetables and fruit to community members without ready access to fresh produce

• Provide appropriate and necessary privacy and safety for volunteers and their possessions in stand-alone dorm facilities

• Operate permanent and dedicated space for accepting and distributing donations to community members

• Host large community dinners, furthering our mission of building relationships between volunteers and the Lakota

• Offer permanent housing for all full-time and long-term staff members

• Shelter and maintain the Re-Member vehicle fleet and heavy equipment

• Continue and expand our current work projects to meet our overwhelming requests for assistance

• Partner with other non-profit organizations, state agencies, and individuals on future projects of interest to Re-Member

There are endless opportunities at Feather II, many only beginning to be imagined. To learn more about our Feather II project, please contact Executive Director Will Paese.