Final Food Giveaway of 2026 Coming Up Wednesday, October 14

The fifth and final food giveaway of 2026, sponsored by the Grant County Christian Service Council and Feeding South Dakota, will be held from 1-2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14. 

Brenda Maass, coordinator of the event offered these tips and reminders: The event will be held in the Living Word Church parking lot on the north end of Milbank on Highway 15, and is ONLY for South Dakota residents. You must meet the income guidelines that have been established by the federal government. These guidelines are included with this article, will be available at the ICAP office in Milbank, will be posted at the event, and can also be viewed online at:  https://www.feedingsouthdakota.org/general-uploads/Documents/Programs/TEFAP-Proxy_3-27-2026_English.pdf.  or in Spanish at:  https://www.feedingsouthdakota.org/general-uploads/Documents/Programs/TEFAP-Proxy_3-27-2026_Spanish.pdf. 

Guests will not be asked to provide proof of income verification at the event, but rather will self-report and will verify that they meet the income guidelines. Upon entrance the day of the event, households receiving food will be required to provide family information including name, address, number in the household, and verify that their information is correct. We are also asking participants to have a valid ID available to show as this speeds up the registration process. This information is necessary as it will then be reported to Feeding South Dakota and TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) to keep a record of your participation in the program. Also, as a reminder, you are only able to attend ONE mobile distribution in the state per month, so if you plan to receive food from another distribution in the state before the giveaway in Milbank, you will not be able to receive food in Milbank on October 14.

Because participants must meet income guidelines, this also affects your ability to pick up food for another family. As in the past, you are able to pick up food for yourself and one other qualifying family. However, if you are assisting another family, you will need to become their proxy and fill out and sign a proxy form with the family you are picking up food for before you attend the distribution. Proxy forms are available at the ICAP office, or you can print them off from the above Feeding SD link. The only way you can pick up food for another family is if you have both completed and signed the proxy form, and you bring it with you the day of the giveaway. 

Any family you are picking up food for must be residents of South Dakota and meet the established income guidelines. EVEN IF YOU HAVE COMPLETED A PROXY WITH SOMEONE IN THE PAST, YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE A NEW PROXY EVERY TIME YOU PICK UP FOOD FOR SOMEONE ELSE.  

As a reminder, because of the close proximity to Highway 15, we are asking that recipients arrive no earlier than 11:30 a.m., as we won’t have volunteers available to park vehicles and register the guests until that time, and we don’t want to create traffic hazards on the highway.  Please do not park in the church parking lot until the volunteers are there at 11:30 to get you registered and give you parking directions.  

As in the past, after recipients are parked, they will be asked to open their trunks or back liftgates to help expedite the distribution process once the giveaway starts at 1 p.m..  After you are parked, volunteers will also register you and verify your family information.  For the safety of the volunteers and speed of the distribution, please have a space ready for the workers to place the food in your vehicle.  For your convenience, the church restrooms will be open.

Interested  in volunteering for this event? Need more information about receiving food? Please feel free to text Program Coordinator Brenda Maass at 605.880.7176 or email her at brendajmaass@gmail.com.