Helping Hard Rock School Supply Drive 2023
Here are some updates from the Vineyard’s partnership with the Hard Rock Chapter in the Navajo Nation.
February Trip
On February 28, a team brought a load of supplies up to the Hard Rock Chapter and Senior Center, focused on cleaning supplies and to-go containers. Ace Hardware was discontinuing some of their products and wanted to donate a lot of those supplies to us, so we divided the items between the Hard Rock Chapter and the Food Pantry. From the cleaning supplies, staff members at the Hard Rock Chapter then put together cleaning kits to distribute to the community.The staff at the Chapter House expressed their gratitude, and in the near future we will be taking the remainder of the supplies that have been donated.
Upcoming Trip
Our next trip will focus on items for the local residential school on the Hard Rock Chapter, Rocky Ridge Boarding School. Jay, the president of the Chapter, let us know that the school has experienced a budget shortfall and is in need of laundry items, such as liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets, as well as girls body wash and opaque shower curtains. In addition, we will be holding our annual school supply drive for the school as well. We have a goal this year of 91 backpacks! Our trip is planned for July 18, so donations should be dropped off by July 16!
We are also considering doing an additional trip prior to the July trip for the senior center who is in need of supplies. Verna, the senior center supervisor, shared with us that they have a broken water main and have had to travel to a nearby town to prepare food. They are in need of water and more to-go containers to better serve the seniors in their community.
School supplies needed:
backpacks
notebooks
paper
pencils with erasers
pencil sharpeners
markers/crayons/coloring pencils
staplers
rulers
calculators
glue sticks or bottles
Other classroom supplies: disinfecting wipes, kleenex, copy paper, dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, construction paper
Other supplies needed:
Liquid laundry detergent
Fabric softener
Dryer sheets
Girls body wash
Opaque shower curtains
Water
Feel free to start dropping off donated items now! Drop off during office hours (M-Th 10am-4pm) or during Sunday morning services.
Cultural Fact
Last year the Hardrock Chapter became an innovative voice in the Navajo Nation with the installation of a free solar + battery storage system after partnering with Sunnova Energy International Inc., Generac Power Systems, Inc. and San Francisco based non-profit, Empowered by Light.
Chapter President Jay Begay (who we work with in our partnership) shared with the Navajo-Hopi Observer, “For many years now, our people have been opposed to coal mining on our lands and we still feel the effects of the mining today. With this new project, we can finally shift to renewables and show our entire community the benefits and resilience of nature by harnessing clean energy from the sun to power our daily activities at the Chapter House, while combating climate change. Our community relies on the essential services provided at the Chapter House because we live in a very remote area. The Chapter’s goal is to continuously develop these services, and with the extra bill savings from our new solar + storage system, we aim to do just that – expand and better our resources for the people we serve.”
February Trip
On February 28, a team brought a load of supplies up to the Hard Rock Chapter and Senior Center, focused on cleaning supplies and to-go containers. Ace Hardware was discontinuing some of their products and wanted to donate a lot of those supplies to us, so we divided the items between the Hard Rock Chapter and the Food Pantry. From the cleaning supplies, staff members at the Hard Rock Chapter then put together cleaning kits to distribute to the community.The staff at the Chapter House expressed their gratitude, and in the near future we will be taking the remainder of the supplies that have been donated.
Upcoming Trip
Our next trip will focus on items for the local residential school on the Hard Rock Chapter, Rocky Ridge Boarding School. Jay, the president of the Chapter, let us know that the school has experienced a budget shortfall and is in need of laundry items, such as liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets, as well as girls body wash and opaque shower curtains. In addition, we will be holding our annual school supply drive for the school as well. We have a goal this year of 91 backpacks! Our trip is planned for July 18, so donations should be dropped off by July 16!
We are also considering doing an additional trip prior to the July trip for the senior center who is in need of supplies. Verna, the senior center supervisor, shared with us that they have a broken water main and have had to travel to a nearby town to prepare food. They are in need of water and more to-go containers to better serve the seniors in their community.
School supplies needed:
backpacks
notebooks
paper
pencils with erasers
pencil sharpeners
markers/crayons/coloring pencils
staplers
rulers
calculators
glue sticks or bottles
Other classroom supplies: disinfecting wipes, kleenex, copy paper, dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, construction paper
Other supplies needed:
Liquid laundry detergent
Fabric softener
Dryer sheets
Girls body wash
Opaque shower curtains
Water
Feel free to start dropping off donated items now! Drop off during office hours (M-Th 10am-4pm) or during Sunday morning services.
Cultural Fact
Last year the Hardrock Chapter became an innovative voice in the Navajo Nation with the installation of a free solar + battery storage system after partnering with Sunnova Energy International Inc., Generac Power Systems, Inc. and San Francisco based non-profit, Empowered by Light.
Chapter President Jay Begay (who we work with in our partnership) shared with the Navajo-Hopi Observer, “For many years now, our people have been opposed to coal mining on our lands and we still feel the effects of the mining today. With this new project, we can finally shift to renewables and show our entire community the benefits and resilience of nature by harnessing clean energy from the sun to power our daily activities at the Chapter House, while combating climate change. Our community relies on the essential services provided at the Chapter House because we live in a very remote area. The Chapter’s goal is to continuously develop these services, and with the extra bill savings from our new solar + storage system, we aim to do just that – expand and better our resources for the people we serve.”
Matthew 25:34-40 (First Nations Version)
“Then the Chief will say to the sheep on his right, ‘The blessing of my Father rests upon you. Come into the Land of Creator’s good road that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you gave me lodging. When I needed clothes, you gave me something to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in prison, you visited me.’
“‘When did we do all these things for you?’ the good-hearted ones asked.
“‘I speak from my heart,’ he answered them, ‘whatever you did for the least important of my fellow human beings who needed help, you did for me.’”
“Then the Chief will say to the sheep on his right, ‘The blessing of my Father rests upon you. Come into the Land of Creator’s good road that has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you gave me lodging. When I needed clothes, you gave me something to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in prison, you visited me.’
“‘When did we do all these things for you?’ the good-hearted ones asked.
“‘I speak from my heart,’ he answered them, ‘whatever you did for the least important of my fellow human beings who needed help, you did for me.’”
For more information on past conversation nights and blog posts, or to make a monetary donation toward our partnerships in the Navajo Nation or the White Mountain Apache Reservation, check out our page: https://vineyardgilbert.com/nativeamerica.
Posted in Helping the Navajo Nation