RAPID CITY, SD – The ‘Pack the Pantry’ food drive, a collaborative effort between Rapid City’s Public Works Department and AFSCME, has reached its halfway mark, already surpassing the total pounds of food collected in last year’s drive.
The three-week initiative, which began November 3, continues to receive strong support from the community across the Black Hills region of South Dakota. As of Wednesday, the drive had accumulated 2,588 pounds of food and $1,200 in cash donations. This collection has eclipsed last year’s three-week total of 2,253 pounds of food and nearly matched the $1,232 in cash donations.
“I’m excited to share we have reached the midpoint of our packing the pantry food drive, and the progress is truly inspiring,” said Sean Jewett, City Public Works Ordinance Officer and AFSCME President. “The food drive is helping to stock the shelves at Feeding South Dakota and the donations of food and money are impacting our community, making sure families have one less thing to worry about.”
This is the fourth year the City has hosted the food drive, which runs through November 23.
Collection bins for non-perishable food items are available at several Rapid City locations: the lobby of City Hall, the Rapid City Public Library, Fire Station 1, the Bus Depot, the Public Safety Building, and both Family Fare grocery store locations.
Cash donations are also being accepted, which directly support Rapid City’s Meals On Wheels program and the Backpack Program. Financial contributions can be made online at https://rapidcitypublicworks.online/2025FoodDrive.
For additional information about the ‘Pack the Pantry’ project, citizens can contact Shannon Truax at 605-394-4165 or shannon.truax@rcgov.org.
