School supplies sought for Navajo children

Staff and submitted information

With the success of 2020 efforts, local residents Nick and Val Steyer are again asking the Van Wert County community to help members of Navajo tribes living on a reservation near Tuba City, Arizona.

Last summer, Val Steyer saw a “Today” show segment showing the poverty that highlighted the poverty of the Navajo tribes, whose members often lived without running water and many other amenities. The information shocked Steyer, and she decided to do something locally to help the struggling Navajos. That decision led to the collection of approximately 16,000 pounds of donated items, including 200 cases of water, food, clothing, toys, kitchen and bathroom items, beds and bedding, shoes, sinks, scooters, sports equipment, and 320 masks made by one of the Steyers’ children.

This year, in talking with Brandon Ewer, a pastor in Tuba City who ministers to the Navajos, the Steyers learned that the Navajo families have had their incomes drastically decreased because they are still unable to open their roadside markets. With their incomes reduced, families are in desperate need of school supplies for their school-age children.

“To some Native Americans living on remote reservations, even the most basic school supplies can be a luxury, given the lack of local shops and stretched family budgets,” Val Steyer wrote in an appeal she posted on Facebook. “Who has it in your heart to help them again?”

The Steyers noted that, without donated items, many Navajo children will start the coming school year without backpacks or basic school supplies. Items needed, according to Ewer, include crayons, scissors, glue, pencils and sharpeners, pens, rulers, markers, folders, notebooks, paper, and, of course, book bags.

The Steyers are accepting donations through June and will then rent another U-Haul vehicle to transport the donated items to Arizona — assuming there are enough donations to warrant one. Donations may be dropped off at the Steyer resident at 8234 U.S. 224. If there are more donations than someone can easily handle, someone will come out and collect them. For more information or to arrange a pick-up, call Val Steyer at 419.605.8151.

Noting that people were so very generous last summer, the Steyers say they are hoping community members can again donate to help the needy Navajo tribes.