SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A nonprofit that gives away tens of thousands of meals every year in Sioux Falls received a helping hand this week.
48 hours after playing an indoor football game, the Sioux Falls Storm were helping pack lunches at Emmanuel Baptist Church for Lunch is Served.
“It’s for working adults. They show they have a job for the day and they receive a free lunch,” Lunch is Served Executive Director Kathy Junker said.
Kathy Junker is the executive director of Lunch is Served, which hands out between 400 and 600 meals every week. She says many people go to work without food.
“It’s hard to stay energized and focused throughout the day, and so 17 years ago the Sioux Falls Ministerial Association just got together and created this mission to show the people of Sioux Falls that we care,” Junker said.
“We know that we’re going to have good seasons on the field, bad seasons on the field, but one area that we can always win is in the community, giving back, being part of something bigger,” Storm Director of Community Outreach J.J. Hartigan said.
J.J. Hartigan is the director of community outreach for the Storm and says it’s an educational opportunity for the players.
“A lot of these guys come from big universities where maybe they’ve been taken care of or sheltered a little bit, so now to give them a taste of reality, what the life of a hard-working person is like, it can be a rewarding thing for our players, too,” Hartigan said.
“Playing professional sports and stuff, you can’t do none of this without your community,” Storm defensive back Kendricks Gladney Jr. said.
Kendricks Gladney Jr. is a Storm defensive back. He’s originally from the Washington, D.C. area, and has been in Sioux Falls for less than six months.
“If I could just impact one kid doing this, I won in my head, just to change somebody’s demeanor, that’s all, that’s definitely why I do it,” Gladney Jr. said.
Once the lunches are packed, they’re delivered to distribution points in Sioux Falls.
“The Banquet, St. Francis House, the three temp agencies, Call to Freedom, Volunteers of America 180 Axis program, and so that’s where the recipients receive their lunches,” Junker said.
And it wouldn’t be possible without volunteers.
Lunch is Served expects to hand out nearly 30,000 meals this year. If you’d like to donate or volunteer, click HERE.
