Success Stories

Good For Rose

At 82 years old — almost 83 — Rose still drives herself from her community into town once a week, which is about 35 miles away.

Our staff helped Rose to her car after she finished her Breakfast-in-a-Bag shopping.

Rose cooks for herself — “eggs in the morning and soup with meat and potatoes for dinner.”

This is a service through PWNA’s Northern Plains Reservation Aid™ (NPRA) program, which helps eligible Elders age 62 and over living on the Rosebud Reservation start each day with a healthy meal at home.

As Rose’s bags were loaded into her car, she wondered aloud if she could pick up bags for her brother, Eugene. So, we returned to the store and were able to add her name to her brother’s application, allowing her to pick up his food for him.

Rose grabbed a cart and spoke with us as she navigated the store aisles to gather her brother’s food. She mentioned that, “I have a big family, about 100 grandchildren, including great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.”

Eugene is Rose’s youngest brother and lives in the older house that she once occupied. “I have a newer home… a four bedroom,” Rose explained.

Her husband of 55 years passed nearly 10 years ago so she cooks for herself. Rose expounded that included, “eggs in the morning and soup with meat and potatoes for dinner.” She keeps warm with a wood stove still and has an electric cook top.

Rose shared that Breakfast-in-a-Bag, “is good for my budget.” In addition to her social security, she was fortunate in that she was eligible to receive her husband’s pension, from employment he took in Nebraska to support his family. Every little bit helps.

Rose knew what hard work entailed. She worked with her parents from the time she was a child and helped her mom with the cooking and washing. Rose identified as a “cowgirl.” She explained that, “I lived on my own land and when I married, I worked in western South Dakota. We did everything! I used to garden, but I’m too old now. I was a truck driver, too — I hauled beets every fall to the sugar factory.”

This work ethic is one likely contributor to Rose not being sick.

Rose added, “One time, I fell down and broke my knee.” She now walks with a cane to steady herself.

Staying active and eating healthy helped keep diabetes at bay for Rose. Her mother was a diabetic and her father died of a heart attack. They both passed away in 1990, within three months of one another. Rose added, “The doctor asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I used to be diabetic; I don’t know what I’m eating, but it stopped.”

Once Rose finished her shopping, we helped deliver her brother’s food to her car. She then headed west to get all the cold items into the refrigerator!

Rose certainly honored us with her visit. We were pleased that Rose and her brother, along with many other Elders, would have breakfast items to help start their mornings out right. It was definitely good for limited budgets.