Volunteers load groceries into a car during a recent Feeding South Dakota food distribution at Open Heart UMC in Rapid City, SD. Photos by David Stucke, Dakotas Conference Communications.

Children and adults face hunger in every community across the country and right here in the Dakotas. Your neighbor, child's classmate, or even co-worker may be struggling to get enough to eat.

Galen Jones, a charter member of Open Heart United Methodist Church in Rapid City, South Dakota, struggled last year when he and his wife needed to move to a single-level home for health reasons. Although the shortfall was temporary, their retirement income was stretched very tight.

"We were in a financial crunch because we had to move out of our house, but we couldn't get our house sold as quickly as we thought. So, we were making double payments on everything," said Galen. "And so [we] said, 'Ok, well, Feeding South Dakota; we can at least get some groceries there once a month.'"

Galen now serves others every month by helping distribute food at one of the Feeding South Dakota mobile sites. People drive up, and about 15 volunteers, several from his church and several from elsewhere join forces to distribute groceries.

Galen Jones, a member at Open Heart UMC, prepares to load a bag of onions into a vehicle.

On the first Wednesday of every month, Open Heart UMC's grocery distribution serves between 150 and 220 cars as they line up in the parking lot and roll through the stations for bread and pastries, potatoes, fruit, meat, and a variety of vegetables for making wholesome meals.

Over the course of a month, Feeding South Dakota sets up in several neighborhoods, serving an average of 4,370 families in Rapid City monthly. Gwen Richards, a retired member at Open Heart, has also been an aid recipient and is now a frequent volunteer with this food distribution.

She says, "The retirement income goes down.  I'm just paying back, and it's so much fun. We have a fun crew. Several of us from Open Heart volunteer. Some other regulars volunteer, too, that are just a lot of fun to be with."

That comradery has grown to the point that recipients now enjoy the event not just for the tangible feeding it provides but also for the fun volunteers and recipients have.

Richards shared, "There's a lady at the end of the line to make sure that everybody has gotten something from each station.  When she knows that, she asks if there are children or pets in the car that would like a treat. She always wears a funny costume and has a little joke for everybody. It is not charity so much as a fun, enjoyable time."

Locations like Open Heart UMC partner with Feeding South Dakota as mobile distribution sites. Open Heart is one of a dozen sites where several volunteers help thousands of families secure food each month.

Volunteers have fun while working together to fight hunger from the parking lot of Open Heart UMC.

Open Heart UMC has been doing this for years, but the pandemic changed everything. That's when they transitioned from a self-serve mobile pantry to a drive-through style distribution, where volunteers load food directly into the vehicles of those utilizing the program. All needing food assistance are welcome to come and receive food at no cost.

Pastor Michele Slott, who serves Open Heart UMC, said she stands at the end of the row to watch out for the kids walking home from school so they are safe from the cars exiting the church parking lot. She also offers a friendly gesture to everyone she sees. She recalled a moment that touched her heart.

"People are very thankful. One time, when I was working the line, a woman broke into tears when we were putting food in her car, and she asked me to pray with her before she took off,"  said Pastor Michele. "You just don't know what people are going through. She had never been through the line before and never even heard that it was an option. It came to her at a time when she was in deep need. She was very, very grateful."