Newly Named Feeding South Dakota Holds Food Bank Grand Opening in Pierre

Pierre, South Dakota - May 14, 2010

The former Community Food Banks of South Dakota will now be known as Feeding South Dakota. The organization held a press conference at the grand opening of their new location in Pierre and unveiled their new identity as a statewide hunger relief organization today at 4:00 p.m.

According to Executive Director Matt Gassen, the opening of the new facility will have a strong impact on the group’s hunger relief efforts in central South Dakota while the name Feeding South Dakota will better reflect the organization’s fight to end hunger in the state. The new identity also serves to strengthen the agency’s association with Feeding America, a major national hunger relief organization.

“We are thrilled to be opening a facility in Pierre as it will allow us to better serve the needs of hungry individuals in central South Dakota,” Gassen said. “Combining the grand opening with the announcement of our new identity makes this even more exciting.”

Feeding South Dakota – which provides hunger relief through its various food banks, food pantries and its largely successful BackPack Program – serves over 100,000 hungry individuals throughout South Dakota and provides over 10 million pounds of food to people in need each year.

The organization serves individuals in need statewide by providing immediate hunger relief, long-term meal planning and personal care items like toiletries. Feeding South Dakota’s BackPack Program also provides a weekend food supply for 4,389 children in need across the state who might otherwise go hungry on weekends.

The new facility is located at 2900 Airport Road, Pierre, SD  57501–5660. For more information on Feeding South Dakota, contact Matt Gassen at matt@sdfoodbanks.org. You can also visit http://www.sdfoodbanks.org for more info.

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