Giving Back for April

April 30, 2020

Giving Back recognizes businesses and organizations that are helping our communities. Here’s a look at who gave back in April.

Epicosity

Marketing firm Epicosity is highlighting local businesses and nonprofits to show support during the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects. The firm has pledged to donate $5,000 to the One Sioux Falls Fund and is giving its employees $5,000 to donate or spend locally. Employees are choosing organizations with local roots to support and are posting video chats with them. Epicosity also will be putting media dollars behind the content in an effort to lend some of its advertising expertise to push more traffic to these businesses and organizations.

Sanford Health

Sanford Health employees have donated more than $1 million for colleagues facing financial hardship related to COVID-19. The money goes into the Sanford Health Foundation’s Enterprise Employee Crisis Fund, which supports Sanford and Good Samaritan Society employees. Employees may apply to receive up to $1,000 in assistance.

Sanford Health Foundation

The Sanford Health Foundation has launched an Emerging Threats Fund to support Sanford’s response to COVID-19 and other health care threats. Funds are directed to areas of greatest need, like helping purchase personal protective equipment for front line responders or supporting enhanced training to upskill staff to meet changing needs.

Hy-Vee/Mission Produce

Hy-Vee stores in Sioux Falls distributed more than 6,700 avocados April 26 during a contactless, drive-thru giveaway at The Empire Mall. More than 1,100 bags of avocados were handed out by Hy-Vee staff and volunteers from the Helpline Center. Hy-Vee supplier Mission Produce donated the avocados.

Firehouse Subs

Local Firehouse Subs franchisee Eric Engelstad has provided 786 meals to health care workers, teachers and first responders in partnership with the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. In Sioux Falls, 455 total meals were provided to EmBe child care centers, Urology Specialists of Sioux Falls, Storm Clinic and Sioux Falls WorkForce Urgent Care, Peace Lutheran child care, Avera Health, Sanford Health, VA Medical Center and the Sioux Falls Fire & Rescue Department. The other meals were distributed in Watertown and Sioux City.

Prom Night

Local musician Nick Burke held a virtual “Prom Night” April 25 as a fundraiser for the Corona Help Sioux Falls Fund. The event raised $155. He also has been hosting live performances, with each event featuring a local restaurant or brewery to help drum up sales for them.

South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association

The South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association has provided 555 cloth masks for courthouse employees across the state. The organization also donated 100 masks to anyone entering the courthouse in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. Each of the tribal court systems across the state also received 100 masks.

POET

This year, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, people around the world celebrated the occasion in dramatically different circumstances because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Earth Day is traditionally a chance for communities to come together to promote environmental awareness and activism to fight climate change, two things near and dear to POET’s mission to be good stewards of the environment. What was originally planned to be a litter cleanup at a local park was quickly shifted to accommodate social distancing recommendations. Instead, POET encouraged team members to participate in actions to reduce their environmental footprints at home with their families. For example, they completed actions on the Earth Week bingo card to help the environment and win prizes and were also given the chance to participate in a litter scavenger hunt in their neighborhoods or favorite parks as a fun way to clean up their communities.

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation 

Two nonprofits that are using technology to respond to the coronavirus pandemic are among the first to receive grants from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation’s new COVID-19 Response Grant program.

The Helpline Center has received funds to support its proposal to deploy technology as a way to improve safety and add efficiency to the twice-weekly centralized food distributions held at the fairgrounds for individuals and families impacted by the outbreak. Alex Pool, integration specialist at the Helpline Center, sourced an application called Airtable which not only allows individuals and families needing food assistance to easily register for a food pickup, it also provides real-time data to the nonprofit partners who are supplying food.

Alex Pool, an integration specialist at the Helpline Center, trains volunteers on the new technology at the centralized food distribution at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds.

DakotAbilities has received funds to support a proposal to utilize iPads to help its residential clients remain connected with family members, service coordinators, direct support professionals and nurses.

In addition to the Helpline Center and DakotAbilities, other nonprofits receiving support from the foundation’s first round of grants include The Banquet, Teddy Bear Den, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House, Bhutanese Nepalese Youth of Sioux Falls, The Compass Center, Feeding South Dakota, Glory House, The Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls and Love INC of Greater Canton.

44interactive

44interactive is coordinating Free Lunch Fridays with the help of sponsoring businesses to provide meals to front-line workers in the COVID-19 fight. So far, participating restaurants have included The Pickle Barrel, Grille 26 and Bagel Boy with sponsoring businesses Amazing Space, Frisbees and 44i.

Helping Kids Round First

Helping Kids Round First has donated two ventilators to Avera Health. The nonprofit organization based in Flandreau brings hope to youth in Nicaragua through baseball and softball, and provides used medical equipment to health care facilities there.

Denny Sanford

Denny Sanford is donating $300,000 over three years to support Lost & Found, a nonprofit mental health education and research organization based in Sioux Falls. Sanford’s gift will allow Lost & Found to connect over 25,000 college-age adults with resilience education by 2022, establish groundbreaking student mental health research efforts statewide and regionally, and strengthen partnerships across the mental health ecosystem to improve access to preventative mental health resources for the region’s young adults – those age 14-35.

Hilton/American Express

Hilton and American Express are donating up to 1 million rooms to front-line health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis. The Home2 Suites by Hilton connected to the Sanford USD Medical Center is participating in the effort, which provides rooms without charge to doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and other medical staff who need a place to sleep, recharge or isolate from their families through the end of May.

Montgomery’s

Montgomery’s has donated 32 mattresses, box springs, mattress pads, bed frames and metal headboards to Volunteers of America, Dakotas, Homeplace. The apartments on West 41st Street will house the organization’s Axis180 program, which will provide housing and supportive services to people age 16-21 experiencing homelessness.

HenkinSchultz

HenkinSchultz is selling “You Are Essential” yard signs that will benefit Feeding South Dakota. Each $20 purchase will provide 60 meals. The marketing agency is encouraging residents to post a sign in front of someone’s home or office to celebrate a front-line worker, loved one, neighbor or family member. There is a space at the top of the sign to write in a name.

 

Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy is donating net proceeds from the sale of the Mankato Energy Center, expected to be more than $20 million, to short- and long-term corporate giving, including COVID-19 relief.  Before the sale closes later this summer, $1.5 million of the amount is being distributed to organizations in the eight-state area that Xcel serves. As part of the effort, the Xcel Energy Foundation is matching employee donations up to $1,000 at a rate of $2 for every $1 donated, tripling the amount of the gift, up to $300,000. Within a week, employees donated $112,000.

Roll’n Pin Cafe & Grille + Catering

Roll’n Pin Cafe & Grille + Catering will donate up to $100,000 in matching funds to feed regional health care providers. The local family-owned restaurant will match every dollar customers spend. Roll’n Pin said it is making the donation to demonstrate its gratitude to the medical community and to strengthen their well-being as they battle on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.

Midco Foundation

The Midco Foundation is donating $250,000 to Feeding South Dakota and other food banks in Minnesota, North Dakota and Kansas. The donation will help replace the diminished supply of excess food that restaurants and grocery stores would share with food banks.

Beds by Design

Beds by Design provided mattresses and other items at or below cost with a grant from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation to help the Union Gospel Mission as it prepared for a surge in need earlier this month because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The staff delivered and set up the beds April 10.

Sioux Empire Home Builders Care Foundation

The Sioux Empire Home Builders Care Foundation has extended the application deadline for its annual Repair Affair program to June 11. The goal is to make homes more accessible for the elderly or those with a permanent physical disability. Labor will be donated by volunteers, and materials will be purchased through a grant received by the foundation and the Housing Division of the city of Sioux Falls. The event, which has been changed to Aug. 20, is sponsored by Great Western Bank. If you or someone you know is in need of accessibility-related projects, contact the foundation at 605-361-8322 or visit hbasiouxempire.com.

Has your organization given back to the community? Or do you know an individual who proves one person can make a difference? Email us at [email protected].

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Giving Back for April

We’ve seen an enormous outpouring of support in the business community this month. Take a moment to learn what many companies are doing to give back.

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