Oct. 31, 2025

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

MarketBeat

To mark its 10th consecutive year on the Inc. 5000 list, MarketBeat hosted a celebration with a community focus. The event supported Sioux Empire Pit Rescue, with MarketBeat matching guest donations 2:1. MarketBeat donated $10,000 to the organization, which works to rescue, foster and rehome pit bulls in the Sioux Falls area.

Sanford Health Foundation

Almost $1.5 million was raised earlier this month at the Sanford Health Foundation’s 2025 Children’s Gala. The money will go toward South Dakota’s first and only dedicated pediatric emergency department being built adjacent to the emergency department on the campus of the Sanford USD Medical Center.

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation

The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation has awarded more than $14,000 in grants to 11 teachers through its Excellence in Education Initiative. The initiative offers grants each year to teachers who have innovative ideas for classroom projects.

University of South Dakota

On Oct. 1, the University of South Dakota joined communities across the nation in serving others and remembering 9/11 through a Feed the Funnel meal-packing event. Attendees in four communities included students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members who joined together to fight food insecurity while transforming the memory of 9/11 into a day of service, unity and hope. The event included 436 volunteers who packaged more than 51,000 meals in 2 ½ hours. The 250 boxes of the 51,000 meals were distributed to local food pantries, homeless shelters, youth shelters, domestic violence centers and veteran resource centers. The initiative was made possible through grant funding from the 9/11 Day Foundation and AmeriCorps.

The 437 Project

The 437 Project raised more than $322,000 for the Helpline Center to help strengthen suicide prevention and aftercare services across South Dakota. A dozen runners from The 437 Project ran relay-style across the state in late September, holding awareness events in some of the cities along the route.

Black Hills Federal Credit Union

Black Hills Federal Credit Union matches dollar-for-dollar the funds raised by the Community Action Team, an employee-led charitable giving program. In the third quarter, the BHFCU team focused its efforts on fighting hunger through its Spread the Love Food Drive. Across the credit union’s footprint, the effort supported 16 nonprofits, gathered 490 jars of peanut butter and jelly, collected 978 nonperishable staples and donated $14,900 to hunger-fighting nonprofits. In Sioux Falls, that included The Banquet, Kids Against Hunger, Sermon on the Mount, Church on the Street and Feeding South Dakota.

Hy-Vee

As more people seek assistance in accessing food, Hy-Vee is donating a total of $125,000 to help feed local families across its eight-state region. The grocery store chain gave $100,000 to its Feeding America partner food banks across its region. In addition, Hy-Vee has donated $25,000 to DoorDash’s new initiative to waive delivery and service fees for customers who receive food assistance benefits.

With food banks preparing to see a record number of families over the coming weeks, Hy-Vee also will be providing multiple community support options at all stores. From Nov. 3-7, every Hy-Vee store with hot food service will provide a free kids meal to those 12 and younger from 4 to 7 p.m. The same meal will be available to everyone else for $3 and will be offered for dine in or to go.

Hy-Vee also is offering $5 and $10 food bank donation bundles for customers to purchase. The bags will include items most needed by food pantries, including canned vegetables, pasta sauce, canned proteins and cereal. Stores will deliver any purchased bags to their local food pantry daily to help manage the projected increase in need. Suppliers participating in Hy-Vee’s efforts include Acadian Crossing Consumer Products, Dole, Pillsbury, ProHealth, StarKist Tuna and SUNSET Mastronardi.

Hy-Vee on Marion Road set up a display for the food bank donation bundles.

Levo Credit Union

Levo Credit Union has awarded $500 each to eight teachers in its service area who were nominated by parents, students or community members for making a huge impact on kids. In 2014, Levo started the Adopt-A-Classroom Program to help teachers with classroom expenses. Anyone can make a nomination by going to levo.org/adopt-a-classroom. The next deadline for nominations is Dec. 26.

Old Daddin’

Garretson-based clothing and accessories brand Old Daddin’ raised $1,600 for Caring for Carter through a limited-edition run of the Carter Hat, created with the CTNNB1 Connect & Cure Foundation. All sales were donated to support research toward a cure for CTNNB1 Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic disease affecting 3-year-old Carter Dreckman, son of  Luke and Paetyn Dreckman of Garretson. The Dreckmans are close friends and neighbors of  Robb Long, the founder of Old Daddin’, and his family.

Pathward

Pathward NA, a national bank focused on financial access, is donating 20 refurbished laptops each to McCrossan Boys Ranch, St. Francis House and Veterans Community Project. The donations align with the Economic Mobility pillar of Pathward’s Community Impact Program and the company’s environmental sustainability efforts.

Sioux Valley Optimist Club/Masons of Minnehaha Lodge No. 5

Through an effort organized by Rudy Navarrete of Rudy M. Navarrette’s Tex-Mex Catering and Rudy’s Taco Bus, the Sioux Valley Optimist Club purchased 2,000 toys from Greater Goods that will be donated to children, and the Masons of Minnehaha Lodge No. 5 purchased 1,800 toys that were given to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Dakota, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire and The Salvation Army. The Masons also bought 115 pairs of Nike tennis shoes that were donated to The Foster Network.

Team Buche Cares

Team Buche Cares is hosting a Chase the Pink Ace fundraiser to support cancer patients across South Dakota. Drawings began June 12 and are held each Thursday night in the Last Chance Saloon inside Al’s Oasis in Oacoma. Through October, almost $80,700 had been raised. If no ace card is drawn, the weekly winner takes home 10 percent of that week’s earnings, and if they’re there in person, they receive a Buche Foods shopping spree, with an average worth of more than $400. Tickets are available online at chasethepinkace.org. Cancer patients seeking support can apply directly through the Team Buche Cares website.

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 jodi@siouxfalls.business.