Knowing exactly where the next meal is coming from, and how it will be paid for, is a luxury that not everyone has. According to Feeding South Dakota, one of nine people in the state is food insecure, and one of six kids “is at risk of going hungry.” But there are organizations that work to help these people, like Feeding South Dakota and The Banquet.

There is also a mobile food truck called Nightwatch that offers free meals on Sundays downtown and on Mondays next to Hayward Elementary in northwest Sioux Falls. On Monday KELOLAND News stopped by the truck to learn more about what it means to people. Most of the people we saw at the truck were kids, which is why we’re not showing their faces. We also met Cindell Thu, who lives close by.

“It helps feed my kids, honestly,” Thu said. “Every Monday we know that we can come up here, and my kids are definitely going to be fed.”

She tells KELOLAND News she comes here to get food nearly every Monday.

“Well I mean I remember growing up and not getting food at certain points in my life, so my kids always having food, it means the world to me,” Thu said.

Amanda Lefever of Sioux Falls belongs to Good News Church, and she explains that her church serves here once a month. Nightwatch organizer Chester DeYoung tells us that people from 11 churches, seven United Methodist Churches, and 4 from other denominations,  serve Nightwatch meals, with an average of 250 meals served weekly.

“To me, I enjoy getting to know the people in the neighborhood, it’s a great way to share God’s love by providing meals to them,” Lefever said.

If this truck weren’t here, Thu says it would mean more worry.

“I mean that would be one less day of knowing for sure of what we’re going to do,” Thu said. “We have food stamps, it does help, but it doesn’t always get us through 100% every month. But knowing that this is here every Monday, that’s one less day I have to worry.”

“Just a wonderful program that meets people’s needs right where they’re at,” Lefever said. “We go to them.”

Nightwatch serves meals on Sunday at two different locations: breakfast at First United Methodist Church in downtown Sioux Falls at 9:00 a.m. as well as supper at 5:30 p.m. It also serves at Raven Industries downtown at 4:45 p.m. The meal served at Hayward Elementary is at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. For information on how you can help, DeYoung says you can reach him at (605) 366-0381.

About Nightwatch Canteen: A United Methodist Ministry:  Seven United Methodist Churches in the Sioux Falls area maintain a well-equipped van for a weekly Sunday evening meal served in two downtown locations. Every Monday evening the van arrives at Hayward Elementary School to serve a warm supper to that neighborhood, most of whom are children. Sunday mornings First UMC serves breakfast from the van in their neighborhood. Passersby will see the Nightwatch van parked near a different United Methodist Church every week.  

Electric roasters can be plugged in to an onboard generator to keep food heated for serving. Storage is available for serving supplies, which eliminates loading and unloading the Styrofoam clamshells and other supplies every time a meal is served. Sioux Falls is home to so many generous and caring people who sacrifice to help those in need. 

A governing board of representatives from each of the seven participating churches oversees the operation and maintenance of the van and develops the weekly serving schedule.

The total number of meals served during the year 2016 was 6,941, 2017 total meals 7,470 and in 2018 7,006 meals.