Update: The school has been dealing with power outages causing blackouts due to blown transformers. Native American UMC will be working out delivery of donated items on August 7 or 8 before students start coming into school in mid-August.

The Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) of the California-Pacific Conference is collecting 2023-2024 school year items for Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, California. A constant goal is to help the students, who come from various reservations and locations, feel welcome, cared about and that they are not alone.

Items can be brought to Native American United Methodist Church from July to the beginning of August.

The following are items being collected: 

School supplies, such as

• college ruled notebook paper
• colored pencils
• 3-ring binders/notebooks
• (other school or art supplies also welcome – must be new)

Student personal supplies, such as

• backpacks
• large beach towels
• XL Twin comforters
• reusable water bottles
• (personal hygiene items also welcome – must be new)

Snacks

Many students find the BIA’s federal food program limiting, especially those participating in sports and other extracurricular activities. Many have provided cheese & crackers, peanut butter & crackers, peanut butter, ramen, and other shelf-stable snack items. Students also enjoy microwave popcorn, fruit snacks, and multi-pack snack items.

Teacher Requests

for small denomination gift cards to places like McDonald’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Domino’s, Little Caesars, Chic-fil-A, etc. Preferred amounts are $5.00 or $10.00. These are provided as incentive cards. Some generous church members have provided larger denomination cards which are held for class or group functions.

Ms. Lorene Sisquoc, our contact person at the high school, also uses gift cards for groups and unexpected needs; the Cal-Pac Conference has provided cards to Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, and other general-use cards.

Items may be brought to Native American UMC at 800 S Lemon St, Anaheim, CA 92805. For information and arrangements, please call 714.535.2429 or email the office at naumcoffice@aol.com.

Sherman Indian High School, formerly Sherman Indian Institute, was established in Perris, CA, in 1892, as a U.S. Boarding School. Now in Riverside, CA, Sherman IHS is one of four residential schools for Native American students still operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), now under the division of Indian Education. 

The school has a limited budget, and the students often come from great distances, making it difficult to arrive with much more than essential clothing. In 2022, over 25 California-Pacific Conference churches and partners participated in providing school supplies and related items.