www.feedingsouthdakota.org

Sioux FallS - 605.335.0364 3511 N. First avenue Sioux Falls, SD 57104

RapiD City - 605.348.2689 1111 N. Creek DriveRapid City, SD 57703-2219

pieRRe - 605.494.3663 2900 airport Road pierre, SD 57501

SummeR 2013

Humble BeginningsSlicing through the taught red ribbon, Alyce McKay, Linda Lea Viken, and Ellie Frost share the large golden scissors commemorating the opening of the new Rapid City facility. What these women helped to establish as a small food bank operation out of Ellie Frost’s garage in 1983 has quickly grown into the state’s largest hunger relief organization.

The ribbon cutting event provided a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our history and the humble beginnings that have led us to where we are today. Newspaper clippings from scrapbooks and personal stories shared tell the tale from the start. In June of 1982 Rapid City Common Council member Alyce McKay coordinated a committee of business and social program leaders to examine the possibility of setting up a food bank in the Black Hills. There were many champions for the cause and in 1983, Linda Lea Viken helped to incorporate the then named Black Hills Regional Food Bank. Moving from a meeting of the minds to a multi-city effort to erase hunger, by 1985 the organization was already distributing more than 26,000 pounds of food and working with 20 agencies.

This is just a small part of Feeding South Dakota’s rich grassroots history, but an important part at that. Without the support and effort of these women, volunteers, and donors, many South Dakotans would go without a consistent, reliable means to receive emergency food supplies. The vision of a state where no man, woman, or child has to go hungry is a shared vision that, over the years, has not only united our organization, but also individuals and local communities statewide.

Ellie Frost, Linda Lea Viken and Alyce McKay

What these women helped to establish as a small food bank

operation in 1983 has quickly grown into the state’s largest

hunger relief organization.

Spring and summer bring much excitement in South Dakota as farmers prepare the land for the upcoming harvest. Agriculture is such an important industry in our state. Without farmers and ranchers across America, we would not be able to provide food to those we serve.

Not only does this industry help provide the physical goods that we serve, but they are also very charitable. Throughout the years, we have developed relationships with various agricultural associations in South Dakota.

Cenex Harvest States (CHS) holds an annual Harvest for Hunger event. Since the program’s launch in 2011, the donations from this program have allowed us to provide more than 7.5 million meals to hungry individuals in our state. This year, these organizations were able to raise $140,000 for our programs.

Midwest Dairy holds their annual meeting in Sioux Falls. Each year, they hold a benefit concert featuring a country music entertainer with all proceeds going to our programs. This year, they also produced a parody video called “Feedin’ A Nation” (to the tune of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys) which featured some of our staff in our food bank. In just over a month, this video had 70,000 views.

Protein is an expensive food item, and one that many families who are struggling to put food on the table tend to go without. That is why our partnership with Dakota Layers and E&W Poultry is so important. These two producers provide eggs to our food pantry on a regular basis. Additionally, our partners at Ag United created a joint venture between pork producers and soy bean growers to have donated hogs processed into ground pork to be distributed through our food pantries.

Beef Bucks, which is a joint effort of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association and the Cattlemen’s Auxiliary, is another supporter of the programs of Feeding South Dakota. Beef Bucks is a non-profit organization that promotes the beef industry and educates the general public about beef. In the past few years, Beef Bucks have been donated to our organization through the Beef Bowl held at South Dakota State University.

This past year, South Dakota Corn became a new partner of Feeding South Dakota when they announced the Showdown Series between state university rivals South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota. Throughout this series, South Dakota Corn helped raise awareness of the issue of hunger while collecting donations at sporting events between the two schools.

We couldn’t do our work without the help of our fellow agriculture partners. This summer, don’t forget to thank a farmer or rancher for helping to feed hungry South Dakotans.

On behalf of our staff, Board of Directors, and those we serve, thank you for your commitment and support. By working together, we can create a solution to solve hunger.

Matt GassenExecutive Director

Director’s ReportBoard of DirectorsRebekah Cradduck, President SD Association of Healthcare Organizations

Pat Mahon, Vice President SD School of Mines & Technology

Connie Halverson, Secretary Delta Dental of South Dakota

Ray Thompson, Treasurer Thompson Financial Services

Jay Shultz, Past PresidentLynn, Jackson, Shultz & Lebrun

Dick Birath, First PREMIER/PREMIER Bankcard

Corey Brown, State of South Dakota

Jim Gray, K & J Trucking

John Hinrichs, State of South Dakota

Lesa Jarding, Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Bob Miller, BankWest

Teddi Mueller, South Dakota Corn Growers Association/South Dakota Corn Utilization Council

Ted Pins, Retired Businessman

Larry Riddle, Riddle’s Group

Max Sandlin, Mercury

As Vice President of Billion Automotive and a third generation employee, David Billion has grown up understanding the importance of a strong work ethic, integrity, and giving back. David’s grandfather, Henry Billion, started the family owned business in 1935 and built its name and reputation on customer satisfaction. Henry also believed in giving back to the community, and passed on that belief to his son Dave and grandson, David.

As a kid, David grew up volunteering at The Banquet in Sioux Falls, which provides an evening meal to hungry individuals in need. It was here that David was able to see firsthand the issue of hunger. David recalls spending Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays serving meals at the Banquet to hundreds of individuals, which to him “brought the true meaning back to the holiday.”

David has continued his passion to provide food to hungry individuals in need through his support of Feeding South Dakota and the BackPack Program, which provides at-risk children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare foods for the weekend. In 2012, Billion Automotive provided $25,000 to the Rapid City BackPack program, ensuring that over 720 children had access to food over the summer months when school is not in session. Billion Automotive has continued to support the program in 2013 and believes strongly in supporting and investing in the communities in which they do business.

“Our family has been blessed with an ability to give back and it is important to give back,” says David. “Food is a very easy thing to give.”

Billion Automotive has grown significantly over the past few years and currently has locations throughout the Midwest from Missoula, MT to Des Moines, IA. The business has a strong presence in South Dakota with locations in Sioux Falls, Worthing, Salem, Watertown, Dell Rapids and Rapid City. “People help us every day,” said David. “The more that we can help the community, the more that it seems to come back to us.”

Like his grandfather, David hopes to pass down the importance of helping those who are less fortunate to his children and future generations. He wants to ensure his children understand that “it is a privilege to have three meals a day.” David also hopes to pass down the importance of giving back to their community. “Sharing is a way of life,” says David. “You give and you receive. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have helped those in need.”

David Billion - Give and you shall receive

“ There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have helped those in need.- David Billion

Donor Spotlight

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Staff Spotlight - Chad Olson, Operations DirectorPrior to working in the non-profit world I did not think much about social services and the needs in a given community. I went about my life as a husband, parent, co-worker, neighbor, etc, and really looked at the world through my daily life and experiences; I have been blessed, as I have always had clothes on my back, a roof over my head and have never gone hungry.

That perspective changed when I took a position at the Helpline Center. By dialing 211, a caller would connect with a Professional Information and Referral Specialist to assess their needs, determine their options and provide appropriate programs/services, give support, intervene in crisis situations and advocate for the caller as needed.

Overseeing this call center, I also answered these calls. There I was taken from my little world into the lives and experiences of many different people. I had an opportunity to realize not only all the help that is available through non-profit organizations and government programs, but also the need for such services. I found that these callers were people from all walks of life that

found themselves in a situation where they needed to reach out for help.

It was humbling to realize that the same situation could happen to anyone at any time in their life. Having this new perspective, I knew that what I wanted to do was to continue helping people.

An opportunity presented itself when an Operations position opened here at Feeding South Dakota. I know from my experience that there are men, women and children in our community that are food insecure, not in another part of the world, but right here in South Dakota. I want to make a difference. I want to be a part of something greater than just me and will continue to work toward our mission, to eliminate hunger in South Dakota.

Dave Billion, Sr. and David Billion, Jr.

Over $100,000 donated in memory of Senator McGovern

Through the gracious support and passion of past staffers, supporters, friends, and family, more than $100,000 has been donated to Feeding South Dakota in memory of George Stanley McGovern, who passed away October 21, 2012. Upon nearing the end of his life, McGovern and his family requested that any memorials or donations be made to Feeding South Dakota. The money will be used toward feeding children through Feeding South Dakota’s BackPack Program, as McGovern was a strong advocate for solving childhood hunger. Through the $100,000 raised, more than 700 children will be provided with a bag of food for an entire school year.

Each year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food donations. These donations go directly to local food pantries to provide food to people in need.

Feeding South Dakota partnered with the National Letter Carriers Association to help stock the food pantries in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, collecting over 110,000 pounds of food, the largest amount in the 14 year food drive history.

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Thanks to the generous support of event sponsors, donors, and the more than 200 individuals who attended the 1st Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon, more than $20,000 was raised for Feeding South Dakota programs like the Food Bank, Pantry, and BackPack Program. The event was held on April 24 at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn in Rapid City.

The message at the event was simple – as a state and local community we have worked hard to provide for South Dakotans, but there are many more of our neighbors that need our help. The empty bowls on display represented the bowls we have yet to fill, and each person took an empty bowl as a souvenir and reminder of the impact they could make each day by simply raising awareness.

The Impact: • Feeding South Dakota will be able to procure an additional 29,000

pounds of food to be distributed to agencies through the Food Bank who provide food to the people they serve.

• In addition, 28,000 emergency meals will be supplied to clients using the Rapid City Food Pantry, providing food for all ages during a difficult time.

• With the funds raised for the BackPack Program, 1,750 weekend food packages will reach the hands of children at-risk of going hungry on weekends and during the summer, while school is not in session.

A special thank you is extended to our 2013 Golden Bowl Event Sponsor, Thrivent Financial. If you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring, or attending next year’s event, please contact Lauren Forsch, Development Associate, for more information: lauren@feedingsouthdakota.org.

Letter Carriers help fight hunger, collect record number of food donations

Empty Bowls Luncheon Raises More Than $20,000

CHS Harvest for Hunger

“Agriculture is the life-blood of South Dakota. It is our state’s #1 industry, and for the farmers who work the land, agriculture is more than a job – it is a career, a passion and a way of life,” reports the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. And for one national group, they are doing more than just their job; they’re finding a way to help others.

This past March, the employees at Cenex Harvest States (CHS) held their 3rd annual Harvest for Hunger drive to raise awareness, food and funds for their local communities. During the 20-day food and fund drive, CHS employees, customers and partners across the country collectively raised the equivalent of 3.2 million meals for hungry families, including more than 742,000 pounds of canned and fresh foods, and more than $490,000 in cash and grain for regional food banks. Financial donations were encouraged because of the buying power that food banks have

to get nutritious food to those who would otherwise go without. This year, Feeding South Dakota was the recipient of nearly $134,000 contributed by the Midwest, Northern Plains, and Eastern Farmers Cooperatives. With current resources, that means Feeding South Dakota will be able to provide 535,874 more meals to feed our hungry neighbors.

CHS states, “For more than 80 years, CHS, a leading global agribusiness in energy, grains and foods owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States, has valued volunteerism and built a tradition of partnership, shared success and being responsible stewards. This program is one more way CHS is demonstrating genuine concern for its communities. CHS Harvest for Hunger shows how much CHS Country Operations employees, customers and communities really care and can make a meaningful difference.” (Source: www.chsh4h.com).

Over the last three years, Feeding South Dakota has received a total of $328,872.37 from the efforts of the Harvest for Hunger. Thanks again to CHS and their partners for helping to fight hunger in South Dakota.

Feeding all of South DakotaNational Initiative making a big difference in South Dakota

Mobile Food Pantry

In January 2013, with funding support received through the State of South Dakota, Feeding South Dakota launched a mobile food pantry—a method of food distribution via a vehicle that provides for direct distribution to clients in their communities. The very first distribution took place on January 24th in the South Dakota community of Cherry Creek.

As we reflect back on what we have accomplished during the short time we have been operating this program, we are proud to say that this distribution method has exceeded our expectations and so far has proven itself to be a useful tool in our fight to end hunger in South Dakota. In the first five months of operation, the Mobile Food Pantry has distributed more than 200,000 pounds to 5,000 families in need.

One of the main reasons for the success of this program is the collaboration between Feeding South Dakota and the various individuals and organizations within these communities. The communities that host these food distributions have done an amazing job in organizing volunteers to help with the distributions as well as promoting the program within their respective communities. Without their support, these food distributions would not be possible.

Through the support of many, the mobile food pantry program is increasing access to food in remote, rural areas of the state, particularly to those living below poverty and the working poor. By increasing access to food in these remote areas, more individuals are receiving food benefits, and less are going hungry.

Jam Against HungerJeff Koller has been banging the drums in Sioux Falls for more than 30 years. His favorite things are the New York Jets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Black Hills, KRROfest, cold beer, tacos and pizza. Jeff is also known as “The Rev” and has been rockin’ the KRRO for the last 23 years. Some say that Sioux Falls has been “Rockin’ with the Rev” since the dawn of time.

Jeff Koller is also a hunger advocate. Every August you will find him hangin’ with his bands, Juke Box Zeroes and Rock ‘n Roll Damnation and entertaining the public with free music at the “Jam Against Hunger” event. For 13 years, Jeff has been producing this free public event to raise food and funds for Feeding South Dakota’s food pantry.

It all started when Jeff played in the band Wakefield. The band would get together every now and again at the Terrace Park band shell. They thought it was “really cool” to put on free concerts just for the fun of it. One year they decided to incorporate public service by asking people to bring canned food to the event. That year they collected over 400 pounds of food. Over the years,

the event has grown to include more bands, more people and more food. Last year alone it brought in 1,347 pounds of food and $2,782.93. With “Jam Against Hunger” growing every year by providing more and more food, Jeff has no plans to stop coordinating the event.

Craig Mattick, Director of Sports at Midwest Communications/KWSN Radio, has worked with Jeff for the past 17 years. Mattick says that Jeff enjoys his music and radio, but has always been proud of the way the community comes together to help with the “Jam Against Hunger” event. “Rev is definitely making a difference in Sioux Falls,” says Mattick.

There’s no better way to spend a hot afternoon than listening to great music with family and friends all while supporting a great cause. This year’s event will be held Sunday, August 25th at Terrace Park in Sioux Falls. Bring your kids, lawn chairs and some non-perishable food and help “Jam Against Hunger.”

For many, planning for the end of life can be both a scary and daunting task. But if you look at all of the good that can be done with the blessings that one has been given, this daunting task can turn into a time of giving beyond the living years.

Leo and Hazel Reppert were married in 1936 and began their lives together in Sioux Falls, SD. Leo and Hazel made every moment of every day count. Starting with nothing and longing to live in the country, Leo and Hazel rented several farms until 1950 when they were finally able to purchase a piece of land on their own northwest of Sioux Falls. They raised hogs and beef cattle, in addition to running a dairy barn. They worked tirelessly to build this farm and were proud that they could feed so many people from their hard work.

In 1990, at the age of 77, Leo retired from farming but decided to rent the land to a younger family. Leo passed away in 1998, but Hazel continued to live on their land for several more years until moving back to Sioux Falls. She spent her last years at Covington Heights before her passing in 2006.

Raised in a single parent home with one brother, Hazel understood what it meant to be grateful for small blessings. She understood what it meant to have very little. And blessed with no children of her own, Hazel turned to the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation to help her assist non-profits in the area after her death. An endowment was created with Hazel’s wishes to contribute to four specific charities, the Sioux Falls Food Pantry, The Banquet, Children’s Home Society and the Scottish Rite Foundation of South Dakota.

Every year, Feeding South Dakota’s Food Pantry is humbled and honored to receive a grant distribution from the earnings of the Leo and Hazel Reppert Endowment, for it is a true testament to their concern for their fellow man to never go hungry. The Reppert’s gift will have a positive impact on this community for years to come.

Feeding South Dakota has opened endowments at the South Dakota Community Foundation, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation and Black Hills Area Community Foundation. For more information on legacy giving, please call Kerri DeGraff, Development Director, at (605) 335-0364.

Hunger is a solvable issue, if we all work together.

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twitter.com/FeedingSD or @FeedingSD

Most people today have an account with some sort of social media site. With access to these platforms on our computers, phones, and tablets, it’s easy to stay connected.

Feeding South Dakota is embracing this form of communication. Today, we are active on five platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest. These sites allow us to reach out to billions of users to spread awareness of the issue of hunger and promote the various events, fundraisers, and food drives happening in our communities.

We saw a boost in our social media reach during the month of April while competing for a Walmart grant. As a part of their Fighting Hunger Together Initiative, Walmart provided 40 grants to Feeding America food banks, each for $45,000 to fight child hunger. To earn one of these grants, 133 food banks were charged with spreading the word to get votes, which were tallied through a Facebook application. Through this social media competition, not only were we able to provide 310 kids with weekend food packages for an entire school year, but we also saw our Facebook page “likes” increase by almost 1,500, nearly double from the beginning of the campaign, and total reach increase to 100,000 users.

It is events like this that make us pause to realize what an incredible influence social media can have to help us in our fight to eliminate hunger. It’s easy to click “share”, to “retweet”, or to “pin” to spread the word. You can join us in this fight. Hunger exists right here in our communities, so find us on one of our platforms below and help us help those who are hungry.

Social Media: Changing How We Fight HungerA Legacy Tribute

youtube.com/feedingsouthdakota

Go orange in September for Hunger Action Month!

Upcoming Events

Through a partnership with the Sioux Falls Canaries, fans are encouraged to “pitch” in and donate nonperishable food items to Feeding South Dakota’s Sioux Falls Food Pantry.

On Give Back Tuesdays, fans who purchase a ticket and donate a canned good receive a second ticket for FREE.

Give Back Tuesday Game DaysJuly 9, July 30, and August 20

Enjoy a night of baseball while helping to feed hungry individuals in need.

Strike Out Hunger

This September, join Feeding South Dakota and food banks across the country in an effort to raise awareness about the issue of hunger by participating in Hunger Action Month. Individuals of all ages will have opportunities to contribute by donating their time and their voice.

Activities such as food drives, coloring contests, social media blasts, and special events will take place throughout the month.

In August, we will launch our Hunger Action Month page on our website at www.feedingsouthdakota.org/hunger-in-sd/hunger-action-month. Here, you will find a list of events happening in our community, including a “30 Ways in 30 Days” Calendar to allow you to join us in the fight against hunger each day of September. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay updated on the events taking place.

We are also looking to find individuals, businesses, and organizations that want to partner with us during this month across the state to help us spread the word about hunger by hosting a food drive, creating hunger displays, or going orange.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact a Feeding South Dakota staff member at any of our three locations in Pierre, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls for more information.

By participating in Hunger Action Month activities, individuals can begin to see that hunger is a solvable issue and every little contribution has the potential to make a positive change for hungry families, children, and seniors across South Dakota.

www.feedingsouthdakota.org