Community Partner since 1999.
On a warm July day, two vehicles emptied into the Blackfeet United Methodist Church parking lot in Browning, Montana. Luggage was unloaded and carried into the bunkrooms in the basement. The excitement and anticipation for the week ahead was palpable: it hung in the air and could be felt by all of the members of […]
Summer in Montana is bliss. The temperatures are warm, but not too warm. The air lacks humidity, so the warmth feels pleasant and not oppressive. The Big Sky State lives up to its nickname, with many days of beautiful blue skies. These elements, along with the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, make the Montana service […]
Malnutrition and food insecurity are grim issues affecting millions of people worldwide. The latest report from the United Nations shows we are moving backward in efforts to eliminate hunger, and families in low-resource communities bear the greatest burden. By Angie Swanson, Development Director Even in tropical settings like St. Lucia, Peru, or Tanzania, where bananas […]
The Blackfeet Food Access and Sustainability Team (FAST Blackfeet) helps people living in poverty on the Blackfeet Reservation confront food insecurity head on. By providing recipes, nutrition classes and weekly access to meal staples and traditional foods – such as medicinal teas and local bison – at the Ō´yō´•ṗ´ Food Pantry, Global Volunteers’ partner is […]
When leaders at Loyola Blakefield, a Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory school in Baltimore County, Maryland, learned about Global Volunteers and our Philosophy of Service, they were convinced it was precisely the type of organization they were looking to partner with to offer their students the opportunity to serve with, while learning from and about another […]
Each summer, since 2000 (except for 2020), Global Volunteers has worked in partnerships with the Blackfeet people on community priorities – focusing on labor, elder services and family health and recreation projects. The first volunteer team in 2022 – 10 individuals aged19 to 73 – served from June 5-11. Thirteen service programs follow through early […]
Special education teacher Lynn O’Brien of Indiana volunteered on her first service program last summer on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Her mother had worked with indigenous populations in Montana as a young woman in the 1950s, and that drew curiosity in her. Here, she describes what her service projects were like and how she […]
When Don Nash and his daughter Cassidy first heard the term “volunteer vacation”, it seemed like a contradiction to them. Then, they heard about Global Volunteers’ service program with the Blackfeet Nation and thought it would be a good opportunity to give back as well as learn more about Don’s Native American heritage. They chose […]
Volunteer Team Leader Michael Harris first served with Global Volunteers in 2016 with his daughter, Alyssa. He immediately sought out additional ways to stay involved with Global Volunteers and attended Team Leader Training that same year. He has since led teams in Montana every summer (except during the COVID pandemic). Mike is a retired educator […]
In this moving story of her experience in service with the Blackfeet in Montana, Jessica Kohn of Philadelphia describes a “life-changing experience” learning about the talents and roles of the Blackfeet people and the welfare of their community. by Jessica Kohn It was Saturday, August 7, 2021, sometime in the late afternoon. We were driving […]