Volunteers in Brookings pack more than 115,000 meals

By John Kubal | The Brookings Register

BROOKINGS — For the second straight year, members of the six parishes of All Saints Pastorate of the Sioux Falls Diocese gathered in the gym at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings to package meals for those in need overseas.

Working in three shifts of 125 volunteers each, parishioners packaged a total of 115,140 fortified ready-to-eat meals. The meals will be shipped by Helping Kids Round First, headquartered in Flandreau, and working with Kids Against Hunger, to assist war refugees in Chad and Sudan.

Cheryl Austreim, coordinating and overseeing the drive in both years, noted that the volunteers well exceeded last year’s numbers. Austreim noted the 2025 goal of 100,000 meals packed came in at 103,896 meals packed. She added that, “Hopefully the pastorate food drive will become an annual event.”