Food Run Report - Navajo Mountain 8/22/13

by John Aldrich

After an overnight rest in Kayenta following the Oljato food run we set out early on Wednesday morning for Navajo Mountain. It's a nearly 2 hour drive but a meditative and beauty-filled experience. The sky was overcast, and since the elevation at our destination is so much higher, the temperature on the mountain was very pleasant.

The box crew went right to work unloading and setting up the Rainbow Circle. Shawn rests for a moment with some of the boxes that came from his pickup while C.J. looks on.

The gift of water is unique to Navajo Mountain, and this vehicle carrying a portion of that load is riding low under the weight.

The final result is a beautiful array of food boxes, produce, gift boxes, and water.

As preparations proceeded there was time for volunteers to visit with Elders. Teresa, on her first food run, was able to meet her Grandma, Rose Atene. With Beverly Benally translating, they had a good visit.

Melyssa and Jim were able to spend time with their Elder, Betty Benally.

Ruby Burns is the director of the senior center at Navajo Mountain and also serves as our coordinator. She does a fine job and was honored with a gift basket at the start of the food run program.

Linda and Mary Begay again teamed up to conduct the program and translate.

For Navajo Mountain, the American Express gift box contained fabric and an assortment of other useful items. Mary explains to the Elders what they will be receiving.

When it's time for Elder giveaways, there is always an outpouring at Navajo Mountain. That's one of the things that makes this such a special food run. This photo shows only a portion of the people who lined up to give rugs, jewelry, and crafts to the Program or to their sponsor or other volunteers.

First time food run volunteers are often the subjects of favors from Elders. In this case, Pam and Peggy received generous gifts from Emma Seaton.

And Teresa received this beautiful little ceremonial basket from Rose.

During the Program giveaways, each male Elder received a coil of rope.

Della Graymountain, age 98, looks over the assortment of fabric colors.

To help with the upcoming winter male Elders received a heavy jacket or coat.

Not many school-aged children come to the food run here, but this young first grader is excited to find out what's in her gift box.

As volunteers start setting up tables for the meal, Ruby and one of her assistants fill containers with food. The Elders are served first and then the volunteers can eat.

After this fortification, the box crew is ready to go back to work loading the Elders' vehicles.

They pause for a moment With Buck Navajo after loading his truck.

Near the conclusion of the food run a new Elder is taken into the Program. Beverly chats with Eva Bowsley to obtain the needed information to fill out the intake form.

Before going our separate ways, we gather in a closing circle to share a few final thoughts and expressions of gratitude. We will look forward to returning to this wonderful place again next spring.

Food Run Report - Oljato 8/21/13

by John Aldrich

Food runs for the fall season started last week with visits to Oljato and Navajo Mountain. The remainder of the fall runs will commence in a month. We met in Mexican Hat on Tuesday for our initial orientation and food run ceremony. It was a hot day in the upper nineties, but a little cloud cover did help as we sat outside for the ceremony. Our ceremony theme for the fall is symbols. Everyone chose a symbol that meant something important to them and discussed it briefly. As you might imagine there was quite a variety of thoughts offered.

On Wednesday we awoke to a pretty sunrise and were blessed that the cloud cover persisted throughout most of the day. This kept the edge off of what would otherwise have been an even hotter day.

As we met on the patio overlook volunteers received specific instructions about the job assignments as well as other logistical information about the food runs.

We posed for the group picture at the same location before starting out for Oljato. Our group was a little smaller this time at 22, but there were still plenty of people to get the various jobs done.

We greatly missed Wendy on this trip, but she had to stay home after her home was nearly destroyed by a wildfire just prior to the food run. C.J. and other experienced volunteers helped to fill the void, but there is really no substitute for Wendy.

When we arrived at the senior center the box crew went to work unloading Dru's trailer. We've been fortunate to have Dru and Leslie join us for the recent food runs to Oljato. Their spacious trailer can carry all the food boxes and produce for this location as well as many of the gift boxes.

When the work was done the Rainbow Circle was a beautiful sight.

Inside, the biggest job was arranging all of the Program giveaways on tables at the front of the room. This group includes Teresa and Mary who were on their first food run. Stryder, who came from New York State with her grandfather, was on her second food run at age 12.

Pam was another volunteer on her first food run and was excited to meet her Grandma, Bessie Black.

When the food run program got underway, Linda honored our coordinator, Bessie Holiday. Bessie does a wonderful job serving her Elders as the director of the senior center.

Mary Robertson Begay again made the trip from her home in Hardrock to serve as our translator.

And here, Mary shows the Elders the gift that each of them will receive, a new blanket donated by American Express. American Express generously supports both the Oljato and Navajo Mountain food runs.

Then it was time for everyone to smile as the duet of Joe and Leslie led us in a round of Happy Birthday to honor the oldest Elders. Whether they were chosen for their voices or their good looks, they did a fine job.

During the giveaways we have a peek into Ruth Blackmountain's gift bag and see a portion of the things she has received.

After the meal it's time to start loading the food and gift boxes into the Elders' vehicles.

As they come outside many of the Elders like to look for their boxes.

While some of the volunteers pause for some shopping.

The youngest attendee of the food run appears angelic in cradleboard and swaddling. Many family members bring their Elders to the food run and we thank them for their effort.

The Food Run To Leupp

by John Aldrich

This article is part of a series describing the various food runs that the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program conducts to eleven different locations around the Navajo Reservation. These locations are served in groups of two or three sites per trip. The articles will hopefully be of general interest but also serve as an orientation for prospective food run volunteers and for those who have signed up for a particular food run.

The Leupp food run is part of a set of three, the others being Dilkon and Birdsprings. This food run set begins the three week period of food runs that constitute the bulk of our visits to the reservation. In the spring it occurs in late May and in the fall, late September.

Food runs to Leupp began in the late 1990's when Cyndy Sheldon, sponsor of an Elder at Many Farms, urged Linda to add this location along with Dilkon. Cindy lived in Winslow and saw the great need to serve elderly Navajos in the southern part of the reservation. At first these were small scale runs carried out by a just a few dedicated volunteers. Initially the Elders at these locations received food certificates rather than food boxes making these runs much simpler to carry out from a logistical standpoint. But soon Leupp and Dilkon were full-scale food runs with Rainow Boxes, produce, and gift boxes. Ironically, Leupp returned to its roots in 2012. Although the Elders still receive gift boxes and home-care products, they elected to return to receiving food certificates of comparable value in lieu of the Rainbow sets. They can use these certificates at a nearby Basha's grocery and choose those food items that they prefer.

Some additional history of the early years of this food run can be found in this blog. 

The following map* shows the Navajo Reservation with particular reference to the location of the food run at Leupp and the lodging base for this run which is Winslow. You can click on the map to see a larger view.

Leupp has quite an interesting history and was the first designated chapter on the Navajo Reservation. It also served as a site for a Japanese relocation camp during WWII. More of this history is chronicled in this article published by the Navajo Times.

The food run to Leupp takes place on Wednesday, the day following the Dilkon food run. After another breakfast meeting at Denny's Restaurant at the Flying J Travel Plaza, we hit the road for Leupp, a mere 29 miles away. This is the second shortest drive to any of the food run sites.

Although food runs here initially began at the chapter house, they have been held at the Senior Center for many years.

Our coordinator during these years at the center has been the beloved and colorful Lola Bahe.

Lola has been trying to retire for several years, but the center can't find a replacement and keeps calling her back. This is probably because Lola is irreplaceable.

Since this is another location that has elected to receive food certificates in lieu of food boxes, it's a bit simpler setting up the Rainbow Circle. But there are still plenty of boxes to be unloaded.

Things are a bit more spacious inside the center compared with Dilkon, but it's still a relatively small area to work in.

Each food run provides an opportunity for Elders to visit. Because of the dispersed nature of Navajo living, many of these people may not have seen each other since the previous food run.

Although Lola is the coordinator at Leupp, Mary Begay comes from Hardrock to serve as our translator. She also helps as Linda meets with individual Elders to assess how they are doing.

Those volunteers who are sponsors of an Elder at a particular food run look forward to seeing their Elder again (or meeting them for the first time). These are always special moments at the food run.

After everything is set up both outside and inside, the formal portion of the food run program begins. One of the first things to be done is pass out the food certificates which is quite a job at Leupp since everyone gets one. C.J. Robb who does a fine job coordinating all the logistics has an easier job here since envelopes are so much easier to handle than 35 pound boxes.

A light-hearted moment ensues when the oldest Elders are honored. One of the volunteers feels honored also as he gets to wear the special glasses  and lead us in a round of Happy Birthday.

When it's time for the Elders' portion of the giveaway, a number always step forward to share in their gratitude to the Program. Flora Smith and Betty Kelly have each donated several items.

Lola and her husband, Dean, sometimes treat us to a musical number.

Program giveaways to the Elders include special packages of useful items. These are lovingly assembled by volunteers at the warehouse in Salt Lake City before being transported to the food runs.

And weavers always receive yarn.

For the meal at Leupp, Lola typically has quite a feast for us. The senior center has a full kitchen and it's well-used. Some of the volunteers are assigned to the "food committee" and help Lola and her local crew prepare the food.

Sometimes some of the fry bread is cooked outside on a charcoal grill.

At the conclusion of one of the meals, Woody Smith rose to share his gratitude to the Program and its volunteers. Woody touched on how differently the Navajo people are treated by us as opposed to many of the Biligaanas (white people) that they come in contact with. Feelings of mutual respect and love abound at food runs.

At the conclusion of the event volunteers can shop for rugs and crafts brought by the Elders and their families. One of the unique things one will see on the reservation is items of clothing made from Blue Bird Flour sacks. Sheila McKinney models an outfit made from such material.

The food run ends about 2:00 in the afternoon. Volunteers are then free for the rest of the day. The drive back to Winslow often offers glimpses of the dramatic skies that this part of the world can produce.