Less than 1% of charitable giving goes to Native causes, meaning organizations like Partnership with Native Americans (PWNA) are enormously grateful for unrestricted gifts. PWNA, a Native-led nonprofit, is excited to announce that Olo For Good (Olo) and Tides Foundation (Tides) awarded a $150,000 gift that will go directly toward clean water and food for thousands of Native families. Olo first teamed up with PWNA in 2022 to distribute ancestral foods on the reservations, and Tides Foundation is a nonprofit partner accelerating the pace of social change.
The need for access to healthy food and clean drinking water on remote reservations cannot be overstated. In fact, 48% of Native households lack running water, leaving them to travel many miles to haul water home and then ration it for drinking, cooking and bathing. With the generous investment from Olo and Tides, PWNA will be able to continue its food security efforts, providing over half a million pounds of healthy food and water in marginalized reservation communities across the U.S.
“The gift from our friends at Olo and Tides will allow us to share clean water and healthy food with thousands of Natives immediately, and equally important, it will help us develop sustainable practices to support Tribal communities long term,” said Joshua Arce, President and CEO of PWNA. “Native Americans are in a constant battle again health disparities, food insecurity and other nutrition-related issues, so we’re excited to use some of the gift to build skills for self-reliance.”
PWNA plans to use a portion of the gift to distribute healthy, ancestral foods such as bison, mutton, squash, corn, beans and more. In addition, PWNA will hire Native chefs to host food demonstrations – using the ancestral foods gifted to residents. This equips them with the knowledge and skills to prepare healthy traditional meals and reconnect to their medicinal and cultural meaning. A portion of the gift will also go toward food-related Community Investment projects (CIPs) headed by grassroots leaders to enhance quality of life in Tribal communities. CIPs support a sustainable resource in Tribal communities, increase access to healthy foods and in turn help address health disparities like diabetes.
To learn more about PWNA and the services it provides to Indian Country, visit NativePartnership.org/. If you’d like to support the cause, call 800-416-8102.
About Partnership With Native Americans
Partnership With Native Americans is a national, Native-led nonprofit championing hope for a brighter future for Native Americans living on remote, geographically isolated reservations. Established in 1990, PWNA collaborates with tribal programs to address immediate relief and long-term solutions such as education, emergency preparedness and food security, improving the lives of 250,000 tribal citizens annually. Become more NativeAware™ by following PWNA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and NativePartnership.org.
 fights for change.){kind=link}