Springs Agency Helps Needy Native Americans
A Manitou Springs couple founded One Nation Walking Together in 1997, to help Native Americans living on reservations.
“They rallied friends and neighbors,” said operations director Kathy Dunson of the couple. “They collected items and drove them up in their own personal vehicle, stopped at a gas station and asked if anyone needed those things.”
One Nation since has grown to collect and deliver donated supplies to reservations in seven states. Possibly the worst of the reservations is Pine Ridge in South Dakota, where natives first were forced to live in the late 1880s. Its ongoing struggles were featured on a Friday night segment of ABC’s “20/20” news program.
Dunson said One Nation gathers basic necessities that must Americans take for granted. She said land on the reservation is unsuitable for growing crops or even providing firewood for heat during brutal winters on the Northern Plains.
“The biggest need? Blankets, heaters, food towels, furniture, homes,” said Dunson. “Anything you need for your home, they need as well.”
Dunson said One Nation can afford to send a trailer full of supplies to Pine Ridge once a month.
“I think we’d have to be sending trucks almost every week to match the need,” she said. “There’s a huge need.”
If you’d like to donate or volunteer, call One Nation at 719-329-0251. The email address is info@onenationwt.org, and the website is www.onenationwt.org.
