Area Food Giveaway Event Set by Christian Service Council
Area Food Giveaway Event Set by Christian Service Council
The fourth of five food giveaways for the year, sponsored by the Grant County Christian Service Council and Feeding South Dakota, will be Wednesday, September 11, from 4 to 5 p.m. The event will be at the Living Word Church parking lot, north of Milbank on South Dakota Highway 15.
Because of the involvement of the federal government, there are specific requirements and rules that must be followed. First, federal commodity rules require Feeding South Dakota to serve ONLY South Dakota residents, therefore recipients at the Milbank distribution must be residents of South Dakota.
The recipients must meet federal income guidelines. The guidelines will be posted at the event, as well as in this article and in the Milbank ICAP office. The income guidelines changed as of July 1, so the public is asked to take note, as their families may now qualify.
Households will not be asked for verification of income but will self-report and indicate whether they meet the income eligibility guidelines.
At registration, those receiving food will be required to provide their name, number in the household, address and signature of the family member receiving the food. Those who attended any of the Milbank giveaways this year will already be on the tefap list and will only have to verify that the information is correct. Those who haven not attended any event yet this year, will be asked to fill out a small form at the entrance verifying the family information.
Because of federal income guidelines, the way guests can now pick up food for another family has also changed. Those picking up food for themselves may pick up food for one other family. However, the second family must also be residing in South Dakota and must meet the federal income guidelines as well.
In order to pick up food for a second family, that family must fill out the TEFAP proxy form with the guest who will be picking up the food for them.
Even if picking up food for the same family as picked up for previously, the person will need to have a completed proxy form for them again this time.
The proxy form has changed slightly from previous giveaways, so the public is urged to use the new form. This is essentially their “ticket” to receive food. The forms will be available prior to the giveaway at the Milbank ICAP office or at: https://www.feedingsouthdakota.org/general-uploads/ TEFAP-Proxy-Effective-7-1-2024-through-6-30-2025.pdf.
As in the past, because of the close proximity to Highway 15, organizers ask that recipients arrive no earlier than 2:30 p.m. as there will be no volunteers available to park vehicles until that time. It is vital that the recipients don’t create traffic hazards on the highway.
Do not park in the church parking lot until the volunteers are there at 2:30 p.m. to give parking instructions.
Those picking up food will enter the lot where instructed, and will receive further traffic flow directions from there. Recipients should simply open their trunks or liftgates of their vehicles once they are in line, and volunteers will place the boxes in the vehicle. They must have a space ready for the food to be placed in the vehicle so the traffic flow will not be disrupted by needing additional time to make room for your boxes. The church will be open during the giveaway, so restrooms will be available.
Anyone interested in volunteering for this event or who needs more information about receiving food, should text Brenda Maass, program coordinator, at 605-880-7176, or email at brendajmaass @gmail.com.
