May 2, 2018

The Banquet is expanding to northwest Sioux Falls.

The new location will be at the northeast corner of Marion Road and Fifth Street and allow the feeding ministry to reach a low-income population west of Interstate 29.

The Delbridge family donated the property, which allows The Banquet to move from a temporary location at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds.

“After much research, it was determined that the greatest need for hot, prepared meals is closest to Hayward Elementary school, where working families are struggling to provide food for their families,” Banquet executive director Tamara Jerke-Liesinger said.

That population struggles to travel to the Banquet’s central location at Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue to receive meals, she said. Two evening meals each week have been served at the fairgrounds since 2015.

The Banquet served 15,847 meals at its west-side location last year, despite no cooking facilities, food storage or preparation space.

The new facility will be supported by a $1.6 million fundraising campaign that will allow The Banquet to build a 7,000-square-foot building with a dining room, kitchen, indoor waiting area and restrooms. It will serve five weekly meals.

Here is a breakdown of how donations would help support the project:

Gift of $35,000 will purchase:

• The equipment needed to outfit the dish room.

Gift of $10,000 will purchase:

• One walk-in refrigerator.
• One walk-in freezer.
• One 40-gallon tilt skillet.

Gift of $7,000 will purchase:

• Double-stack convection oven — two are needed.
• Range/griddle unit.
• Steam table.
• 200 dining room chairs.
• 12-foot hood and exhaust fan system.

Gift of $5,000 will purchase:

• All needed pots, pans and serving supplies.
• All needed shelving for kitchen, dry storage, refrigerator and freezer.
• Stainless steel beverage station with coffee pots and pitchers.
• Milk cooler.

Gift of $1,500 will purchase:

• 200 serving trays.
• Industrial garbage disposal — two are needed.
• Ice maker.
• All needed dish racks for commercial dishwasher.

Gift of $500 will purchase:

• 500 forks, spoons or knives.
• Two stainless steel kitchen carts — four are needed.
• One stainless steel food prep table — two are needed.