For many, Thanksgiving Day is a Hallmark-y sort of day to gather with family, splurge on food, maybe watch football, and maybe, just maybe, actually take a moment or two to pause and reflect on the things we are 'thankful for'. What we have made of ourselves, the people we love, the things politicians and corporations have yet to totally screw up. For many others, it is a dismal reminder of how society has failed them and a source of stress and shame that they cannot provide their own families with that societally approved picture perfect Thanksgiving Day. And for many of the First Peoples it is a time of mourning the fact that Pilgrims or other Europeans ever set foot in the New World to push them out of their homelands and cut them off from the bounties nature had provided. 'Food insecurity' (the new, sanitized face of Hunger) stalks the reservations daily.
But you can help. The Okiciyap Food Pantry is a community organization of the Cheyenne River Reservation in desperate need of funding, ASAP.
Wander below the squiggle for details.
The Okiciyap Food Pantry needs a permanent structure so as to be able to keep donations and purchases stored safely away from hazards until locals in need can pick them up. They have received the donation of a 40x60 modular building, but need $20000 quickly to get it transported where it needs to be and installed.
To date, despite Aji's earlier diary on hunger (Windigo), onsite and several diaries by AndyT, and betson08 as well as mentions by rebel ga and mole333, Okiciyap has received a grand total of $850 from 23 people, one of which I know was me. So on this generous site, only 22 other people have seen and stepped up to the plate for this struggling organization.
If you've got a plate to step up to today, if there's a turkey in the oven, or soon will be, if you yourself aren't simply living bill to bill, much less paycheck to paycheck, and you can contribute, no matter how small... please.
Please.
Go to the Okiciyap website and use the ChipIn link to start helping set another plate at the table and help reduce hunger among the Sioux living along the Cheyenne River.
Give them a reason to be thankful too on this day.
Minor update. From the site, checks can also be sent.
Send Checks to:
Okiciyap
C/O Georgia Little Shield, Board Chair
PO Box 172
225 W. Utah St
Isabel SD57633
Second update: 1150.13 and counting. That's 300.13 so far this morning :) Thanks to those who have contributed, and I'll cross my fingers that more generous folks keep seeing this as the day goes on :)