This morning, my staff and I traveled to Black Mesa to help with the NAPI food distribution at the Black Mesa Chapter House.
I was able to help load food items in community member’s vehicles and listen to some of their concerns regarding homesite leases and grazing permits, and windmills.
Visiting small communities like Black Mesa shows that regardless of how big a small a community is, there is always a need for assistance for families who live in remote areas. This visit not only allowed me to help distribute food items for families in need, but it allows my staff and I to see some of the issues in real time and we need to work together to address it.
Before the distribution started, NAPI acknowledged the hard work that Black Mesa Chapter does for their community and that it was an eye-opening experience and they were grateful to be a part of this distribution process.
With this distribution, some of the residents didn’t have transportation to retrieve food items themselves, so other residents and younger people were able to pick up for their behalf. Black Mesa Chapter will be making calls this coming week to receive assistance from community health representatives to do home deliveries.
Black Mesa Chapter is one of the smaller chapters on Navajo and they were grateful for the help from the community and my staff.
“Everyone was surprised,” said Lynn Dean, Black Mesa Chapter Vice President. “The people that showed up are actually pleased to see him here out in the community and I’m thankful he was here.”
Thank you to my staff, NAPI and the community of Black Mesa for coming together to help support families in need. Visits like these allow my staff and I to find solutions to address these concerns so we can navigate more ways to help and ensure these needs are met.
-Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren
