The OST Homeless Veterans Shelter is a 13-bed facility that provides shelter to homeless veterans on the reservation. The facility is open to both male and female veterans but their residents are typically male.
The shelter has many material needs and below is a list of what you can donate that will help them. You can also send Walmart or Target gift cards the shelter will use for emergency situations.
Donation suggestions (new only please, except where noted):
- Backpacks
- Bath linens: bath towels, hand towels, washcloths
- Bedding, twin size: mattress pads, sheets, blankets/quilts, pillows, pillowcases
- Blank journals
- Board games, puzzles
- Books (non-fiction and fiction books that are a year or two old only, please – nothing older), word search books, crossword puzzle books, magazine subscriptions
- Cleaning supplies, especially laundry soap
- Clothing (new and/or gently used, in excellent condition, size XL and XXL) – pants, shirts
- DVD movies – action, drama, documentaries, TV series
- First-aid supplies: insect repellent, sunscreen, Neosporin, sunburn remedies, band-aids and bandages, over-the-counter meds
- Kitchen linens
- Music CDs, especially country western genre
- Nonperishable foods for an emergency pantry – canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruits (packed in juice, not syrup please), soup mixes, cereals, crackers, popcorn, condiments, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc., with a special need for proteins: beans, tuna, salmon, sardines, peanut butter. [The shelter does not provide food. The vets buy their own food and prepare their own meals but many vets do not have the funds to purchase enough food to eat.]
- Shoes and slippers (new, in size 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11)
- Socks, underwear, and thermal underwear (new, in size 36 through 40)
- Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissue)
- Sweats, pajamas, hooded sweatshirts (size XL and XXL)
- Toiletries: lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, brushes, combs, razors, shaving cream, cologne
- Winter gear – clothing, hats, gloves, scarves, watch caps, heavy coats with hoods
Please ship your donations via
U.S. Mail:
Cameron Lafferty, Program Director
OST Homeless Veterans Shelter
P.O. Box 1983
Pine Ridge, SD 57770
UPS/FedEx:
Cameron Lafferty, Program Director
OST Homeless Veterans Shelter
1 Veterans Drive
Pine Ridge, SD 57770
Please do not use Styrofoam packing material. New, large-size trash bags or flattened rolls of toilet paper serve well as padding and are usable.
FoPRR cannot verify delivery of your boxes. When shipping your donations via U.S. Mail, please purchase delivery confirmation, or use your shipping service’s tracking system.