Area Food Giveaway Event Set by Christian Service Council
Area Food Giveaway Event Set by Christian Service Council
The final food giveaway of this year, sponsored by the Grant County Christian Service Council and Feeding South Dakota, will be Wednesday, October 8, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Living Word Church parking lot on the north end of Milbank on South Dakota Highway 15.
This event will again be open only for South Dakota residents, and those who wish to benefit must meet the income guidelines that have been established by the federal government, according to Brenda Maass, event coordinator. The guidelines are included here, 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/TEFAP-Self-declaratio....
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 their signature, verifying their information is correct. The information is necessary as it will then be reported to Feeding South Dakota and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to keep a record of the individual’s participation in the program.
Because participants must meet income guidelines, the requirement also affects participants’ 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,” Maass explained. “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.”
Proxy forms are available at the ICAP office, or you can print them off at https://www.feedingsouthdakota.org/general-uploads/ TEFAP-Proxy_3-26-2025-version. pdf. The proxy forms, as well as the income guidelines, are also provided in Spanish on the Feeding South Dakota website.
“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,” Maass advised.
“Any family you are picking up food for must be residents of South Dakota AND meet the established income guidelines.”
Maass stressed, “Even if you have completed a proxy with someone in the past, you 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, organizers are asking that recipients arrive no earlier than 2:30 p.m. There will not be volunteers available to park vehicles and register the guests until that time, and official’s don’t want to create traffic hazards on the highway.
Participants are reminded to refrain from parking in the church parking lot until the volunteers are there at 2:30 p.m. to register guests and give parking directions.
As in the past, after recipients are parked, they will be asked to simply open their trunks or back liftgates to help expedite the distribution process once the giveaway starts at 4 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,” Maass noted. For the public’s convenience, the church will also be open for use of the restrooms.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering for the event, or who needs more information about receiving food, should text Maass at 605-880-7176 or email at brendajmaass@gmail.com.
