New group helping those in need on Yakama Reservation

Nov. 29—WAPATO — It’s a cold November afternoon and a group of volunteers spread out across Second Street and Wapato Avenue, loaded with bags of socks, blankets and pieces of winter ware.

They start in a small park and then pass through alleys and by Noah’s Ark, a Wapato homeless shelter, offering the donations to people on the street.

Folks take what they need — socks for family members, blankets for the cold. Earlier, the volunteers drove between Toppenish and Wapato to hand out a free oatmeal breakfast to people on the street.

It’s the end of a normal Saturday for the members of Reservation Roots, a growing group of volunteers centered in the Yakama Nation that’s committed to cleaning up the community and passing out food and clothing to those who need it most.

“It all started out with just a clean-up service, but it’s become more than that,” said Cosmo Jack, the group’s founder. “It’s all community and mutual aid.”

Jack said their work is supported by community members, who share resources and money that volunteers go out and share. Outreach through social media helped grow the program. People have reached out to give donations and voice support.

“People are noticing. That sustains us. Community sustains us,” Jack said.

Jack said he sees systems that harm people, not just in the Lower Yakima Valley or the Yakama Nation, but across the country. Violence and poverty are hurting people, Jack added.

“You can say that there’s a lot of problems in the world,” he said. “But there’s a difference between saying something and actually doing something.”

Reservation Roots wants to overcome that by building a sense of community. Volunteers say they see that happening.

Z Rojas has been volunteering for more than a month. She remembered meeting someone in Toppenish while handing out free breakfast.

“He started telling us about some of his living experiences,” she said. “He was reminding us to keep being human.”

Luis Moreno, another volunteer, said he sees people becoming familiar and comfortable when they’re doing donations.

Volunteers at Reservation Roots said they’ve learned more about their community while doing the work.

Rojas said the work has both reinforced her belief that things must be done to help people and encouraged her to learn more about politics and history and Native land.

For example, she said, Jack interacts with some community members in Ichishkíin, a language spoken in the Yakama Nation. Learning Ichishkíin basics would help, Rojas said.

How to help

To learn more about Reservation Roots, follow Cosmo Jack on Facebook. To donate, use Venmo: @Reservation-Roots or Cashapp: $ReservationRoots.

Priscilla Ortega, another volunteer who just started, said having long conversations with people was valuable. Moreno agreed that just being there, walking around and serving folks, had taught him a lot about conditions on the street.

“People need to come out and volunteer,” Moreno said.

Simon Sampson, a volunteer who grew up in Wapato, said he had been able to observe the different challenges faced in Toppenish and Wapato.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” he said.

There are a lot of ways to get involved — Reservation Roots accepts all kinds of donations, including warm clothing, feminine hygiene products and food and water. Jack said the work will continue to grow in scope and scale.

“It started out on the reservation, but what does a root do? It branches out,” he said.

Jasper Kenzo Sundeen can be reached at jsundeen@yakimaherald.com.