Food Giveaway Distributes 13,988 Pounds of Food in Milbank

The food giveaway sponsored by the Grant County Christian Service Council and Feeding South Dakota on Wednesday, June 24, rang up some big numbers. According to Brenda Maass, co-coordinator of the event in Milbank, 28 volunteers served 350 families 13,988 pounds of food.

Maass says, “We used a little different system of registering recipients, and it really seemed to speed up the process. After only 20 minutes, we had distributed food to over 280 families — the fastest we had passed that many cars through the line. Each family received approximately 40 pounds of food — a box of fresh produce, a box of non-perishable food, and a pound of cheese donated by Valley Queen.”

Another important number for the giveaway was zero. Maass says, “The cost to the Grant County Christian Service Council for this giveaway was $0! Feeding South Dakota has been fortunate lately to receive grants, donations, and special programs from the USDA.”

Volunteers from several area churches and Ameriprise helped. Maass says, “And Hardee’s in Milbank even donated cookies for our hardworking volunteers.”

She says, “The next giveaway is scheduled for August 19, but things are still up in the air because that is also the first day of school in Milbank. From now on, all the giveaways likely will be drive through. The school’s parking lot is ideal for our purposes because it offers a lot of parking and it’s off highly-trafficked streets, but we don’t want to create any conflicts with the school. So, we are considering finding a different location or holding the event later in the day. If anyone has any suggestions, we would gladly take them!’

If things go as planned, in August, each family will receive three boxes of food — a box of produce, a box of frozen meat, and a box of dairy products. All of the food is expected to come from the USDA program. According to Maass, the Feeding South Dakota truck won’t even need to supply the boxes.

Keep up with the Valley Express for more information on the Grant County Christian Service Council’s August giveaway.