This story is reprinted with permission from the Winner Advocate newspaper in Winner, SD.  

By Heather Haley

In the March 5th issue of the Winner Advocate, the community was informed of the sad possibility of losing Dakota Senior meals in Winner due to the lack of donations and community support.

As the mail arrived on Monday morning here at the paper, we were all pleasantly surprised to find a check made out to Dakota Senior Meals for $5,000.00. The check is from readers in Murfreesboro, Tennessee who read the article.

Dorris Keach and his wife, Margaret, are the generous subscribers who read the article and answered the call to help Dakota Senior Meals stay open. The Keachs own land in Tripp County and have been longtime subscribers to the Winner Advocate.

“The senior dinners are a major event in the lives of seniors. A chance to visit with their peers or neighbors and have good fellowship,” wrote the Keachs in their enclosed letter. “We would hope this contribution would be a challenge to the younger generation – What goes around, comes around.”

If you would like to answer this challenge with your own donation, please call Sharon Petersen of Dakota Senior Meals at 842-2587. If enough money is raised by June 1, Dakota Senior Meals will be able to keep their doors open.

IDA Grant funding announced

  The South Dakota IDA Collaborative has been informed of two grant awards for this exciting new program.

  The Collaborative has been awarded $46,667 each year for three years to help with administrative costs from the South Dakota Housing Development Authority.

  Each of the four CAP agencies have been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Citigroup Foundation for administrative costs.

  We appreciate the support of these generous groups to help us make this program a success!

Dec. 2007

School Supply Program

The School Supply Program is winding down for the year.  Nearly 2,200 low income school aged children were provided with $20 vouchers to purchase school supplies at local vendors.

This was the third year for the program and it was, once again, an overwhelming success.

We appreciate our vendors who were so willing to work with this awesome program!

Oct/Nov 2007

October 2007

South Dakota Community Foundation/

Northwest Area Grant Award

Executive Director Deb Cahoy and Outreach Provider Darci Bultje attended the 20th Anniversary event for the South Dakota Community Foundation. 

Bob Sutton, SDCF Executive Director, announced a ONE MILLION DOLLAR Grant award for the South Dakota IDA Collaborative, from the Northwest Area Foundation via the South Dakota Community Foundation. 

The IDA Collaborative is an effort among the four Community Action Agencies in South Dakota to provide a 2:1 Matched savings account to help low-income (below 200% of poverty) participants save money to purchase a home, start or expand a business or pursue higher education. 

For more information on the IDA Program, please click here.

Pictured at the South Dakota Community Foundation 20th Anniversary Event: Marcia Erickson, NESDCAP Executive Director, Cindy Dannenbring, ICAP Executive Director, Deb Cahoy, ROCS Executive Director and Linda Edel, WSDCAP Exeutive Director.

October 2007