Success Stories

Meet Mae

Native American Elder, Mae, talking about past winters. Mae was happy to share about the winters in Montana.

One recent blistery, cold, and rainy day, we had the honor of visiting with Mae, an Elder on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.

Mae was happy to share about the winters in Montana. She felt like last winter was a bad one. There was “lots of snow,” she explained.

She didn’t have a car, so she relied on rides and the bus to get around. She had a caregiver who came to her home daily to help her with chores around the house. The caregiver also took her shopping on a daily basis. Mae added, “I get my paper at the store each day.”

Like many senior citizens, Mae lived on a limited and fixed income of $714 per month in Social Security benefits. She bemoaned, “I have $200 left for food after paying my bills.” She didn’t receive any food assistance or commodities, but was thankfully eligible for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help reduce her heating bills during the winter months. It was hoped that the service would be available.

At the time of this visit, everyone was concerned about the federal shutdown. Our Program Partner explained that the federal shutdown could translate into delayed benefits with eligible participants utilizing LIHEAP, because vendors don’t wait for payment.

Eating at the Senior Center helped Mae to reduce her food costs, but unless she was able to travel to Billings (100 miles to the west) or Sheridan, Wyoming (110 miles south), she did most of her shopping at the store in Lame Deer. A ride to one of those larger towns could cost between $30 and $50. That would be a quarter of her food budget for the month just to get to the store!

Mae tried to be generous when she had extra. She said, “My dad always taught us to not be stingy. It used to be an open door policy (with neighbors) but not so much anymore.”

As her first source of heat, Mae uses propane. Electric would be her backup. With a voucher through the Northern Plains Reservation Aid (NPRA) program's Winter Fuel service, Mae, and other Elders like her, will have a little more help in reducing heating costs this coming winter.

Thank you for helping to make this service possible!


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Photo of Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation sign On average, the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation receives almost 46 inches of snowfall each year.

On average, the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation receives almost 46 inches of snowfall each year. There are just over 200 days where the temperature falls below freezing —which means that over 56% of the time, it is freezing!

And, it’s not just the cold temperature and snowfall that are the issue in the winter. Eastern Montana is much windier during the winter months.

This causes the wind chill to plunge and it blows the snow everywhere. Drifts taller than roofs can form around houses, barns, and other structures, making it difficult to leave or enter a home.

Thank you!

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