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December 20, 2000 10:50 AM, EST

The fabled Santa may drive a sleigh, but for South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, he’ll be hauling gifts in an 18-wheeler.

Mike Surges, a 32-year driver for United Parcel Service () in the Wisconsin district, is no stranger to the Lakota tribe. For the past year, he has been helping his neighbor, Mally Pacquette, haul critically needed food, clothing, furniture and supplies 1,200 miles from his home in Oconomowoc, Wis., to the 6-million-acre reservation.

Pine Ridge is one of the poorest areas in the United States, with 90% unemployment, said Pacquette. She first visited the reservation several years ago with her children and was so appalled by the poverty that she organized the Native American Alliance Project in 1998.

Through speeches at schools and churches, Pacquette has encouraged others to join the project. Her efforts took a giant leap forward during a 1999 visit to St. Jerome’s Elementary School in Oconomowoc, when seventh grader Whitney Surges heard Pacquette say that hauling materials to the reservation was a big problem.

For the full story, see the Dec. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. .