Clothing Drives for the Diné Reservation
Clothing drives for the winter are necessary because 40-50% of the people on the Diné reservations do not have heat, electricity, nor running water. Items will first be distributed to the elderly, veterans and the disabled.
Donations can be mailed directly to the reservations during the spring and summer – Please reach out to Dr Maria Michael for addresses and instructions for direct mailing. Each year during the fall we conduct larger drives to gather donations for the winter months, which are packed into trucks to go to the reservations.
We are in the process of creating an action network to increase the availability of donations to the people on the reservations. If you would like to join this effort, contact Dr Maria Michael.
To participate:
- To make a monetary, tax-deductible donation through Nihí Diné Bá – 501(c)(c), contact Dr Maria Michael via email.
- To make a monetary (non tax-deductible) donation online through GoFundMe – click here.
- For questions on how to donate items, or volunteer to load the trucks, please contact: Dr Maria Michael at dinerelief@gmail.com.
Items needed:
They are in need of warm blankets, sleeping bags, comforters, warm jackets and sweaters – for men, women and children – new or in excellent condition! Women’s clothing in plus sizes as well. New, warm gloves, hats, and socks are also needed. In addition to clothes, the children need book bags, school supplies, and appropriate children’s books (up to grade 6). Please, No Green Army Blankets,as these were used to take elders from their families for use at boarding schools, and create re-traumatization. Picture books are welcome to stimulate the younger child’s mind. (During a prior drive, we created a roaming library and dream of eventually building a library for children K-12.)
All donations should be sorted by category, boxed, labeled with their contents. No garbage bags please.