BROOKINGS – Work has started at the site of a new building that will be the home to several of Brookings’ self-sufficiency resource programs by January of next year.
Brookings Area United Way, the Brookings County Food Pantry, the Brookings Backpack Project and the Senior Commodities program will all move into the new structure, which is being built north of First Lutheran Church, 337 Eighth St. These nonprofits address food insecurity and provide financial, health and educational assistance to people in need in Brookings County.
The new building will provide a central location to provide ease of donating, an improved experience for clients using the services, and more space in general.
“The food pantry was starting to look for a new location as their building has reached the end of life,” said Heidi Gullickson, executive director of the Brookings Area United Way. “Then we started talking about a shared location with the food pantry and the Brookings Backpack Project a few years ago… This will be a safer space to be in, ADA compliant and a much nicer experience making donations and receiving resources.”
Work in progress
Construction of the new building has begun, and the site will have an entry into a new parking lot off Harvey Dunn Street, which should prevent traffic from the nonprofits filling up church parking.
United Way will own and manage the building while partnering with the food pantry, the Backpack Project, and the USDA Senior Commodities program managed by Feeding South Dakota. United Way will have Helpline Center services in the new building, and the other nonprofits will have their own offices as well.
The land being used for the construction was donated by the First Lutheran Church, according to Gullickson.
“I am grateful to the church for the land. It’s going to be a great location,” said Cathy Ching, coordinator for the Brookings Backpack Project.
United Way was able to work with the City of Brookings to apply for a community development grant through the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The result was $1.6 million in grant funds from the state to use toward construction of the new building. However, the grant doesn’t cover the entire cost of the project.
The City of Brookings has also committed $300,000 to the project.
“The city is showing financial support of the project, and we are looking for other financial partners to help finish the project,” Gullickson said. Those who want to donate to the project can contact the Brookings United Way at 605-692-4979.
Construction is planned to be completed in January 2023 with a community open house following. Clark Drew Construction is the general contractor for the project with designArc Group serving as the architect.
A fresh start
The Brookings County Food Pantry first opened in 1982 in the basement of city hall and eventually migrated to its current building on Fourth Street. Unfortunately, the current building can no longer keep up with the needs of the county or those who work for the pantry.
The new building will address a few problems the food pantry has been managing.
“The reason we started looking for a food pantry was the building needed painting, and we approached the city about it,” Brookings County Food Pantry Coordinator Gail Seeklander said. “The city said it was time for something different.”
Seeklander feels the current location meets their needs for now, although the pantry is starting to see higher demand. Regulations from Feeding South Dakota have also been updated in regard to how food is stored in food pantries.
“Everything has to be off the floor and away from the walls. So this is really going to help us that way, because right now we’ve got food sitting on crates to get the extra food off the floor. The shelf space… there isn’t a lot,” Seeklander said. “So it’ll be nice to get a building that we don’t have to scoot around in to get food out the door.”
“It’s kind of toasty in here!” Seeklander said in regard to the temperature regulation of the building. “We have air conditioners, but it’s an old building that needs insulation. But we’ll be fine until the new building is completed.”
The Brookings Backpack Project looks forward to moving for different reasons, although space for a growing clientele will be valuable as well. The location, however, is one of the most important changes for the project.
Ching said the project’s current home across from the Swiftel Center, although a good building, is not a convenient location for some of the kids and families who need the service they offer.
“Although we are very thankful for the space, it isn’t possible for some clients to make it there during the summer,” Ching said. The project provides children food to eat year-round, but especially during the weekends and summer when school lunches aren’t available to them.
The amount of space the project has to pack bags for kids is sufficient in the current location, but there will be increased room at the new location to allow for more efficient packing.
“We’re very grateful to the city for the building we’re in… we’ve been very fortunate to even have a site,” said Ching, who has been with the Backpack Project during the program’s five moves. “Having a permanent spot will be wonderful.”
Increased need
Demand for the services provided by the nonprofit agencies has increased in the past few years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another influx in those using these services has occurred again due to the inflation increasing the cost of food and other necessities.
“Children are home for the summer as well, so families need more meals,” Seeklander said. “It’s not only their high rents, but fuel and everything else… But this food gets them by.”
The Backpack Project’s growth has been consistent. In 2020, the program saw rapid growth and increased need for meals with kids home from school. With a weekly fluctuating number of clients, more storage space will be needed in the future for extra food.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we packed about 480 bags every week and delivered them,” Ching said. “We’re back down a little bit since then.”
Ching also feels the project’s growth has allowed them to do more good for their clients, and will allow them to provide family meals along with bags for the kids using the program this summer.
“Part of our mission in not only to just feed kids, but to help them – because of their nutritional needs, to help with their physical, cognitive and social development… What I think is interesting about our program is that we don’t get any federal government or state funding, so we don’t have any financial guidelines. Anybody who needs the program can use it. … People who are maybe only having a couple months of problems can utilize the program. We’ve never had to turn anybody down,” Ching said.
The food pantry has a similar goal in helping the community stay fed.
“Our mission is that the food pantry is meant to be used on an emergency basis, but things change. I mean, when a mother comes in and she’s got three or four children, and she’s been here once already for the quarter, we aren’t going to ask her why,” Seeklander said. “We just give them food. We just help them, because that’s what we do.”
Consolidating the home of all the nonprofits is set to be a positive partnership for all involved. In fact, in many ways, they already work together to ensure that food can reach the clients that need it.
“Working with the other food entities is going to be great. Which we do now,” Ching said. “(The Brookings Backpack Project) can’t give anything with peanut butter to the schools, of course… We donate what we aren’t able to use so it goes to somebody else.”
Similarly, Seeklander said, “If we can all work together, I think that’ll be great because we’re all striving for about the same thing – to help those that are in need.”
One-stop shop
This change in venue isn’t purely for the benefit of the nonprofits involved. People living in Brookings County that need their services will also gain from the new space in more ways than may be expected.
“We are hopeful this building can serve as kind of a hub,” Gullickson said. “We are looking forward to the cooperation that can happen.”
According to Gullickson, United Way staff will be there full time to help manage the building.
“It’ll kind of be like a one-stop shop,” Seeklander said. Rather than having to visit many locations in town to get the help they need, clients will be able to make one stop for their food and other resources offered there.
Ching agreed. “It’s just not food. If they need help with their housing or utilities, or just even figure out what’s available in Brookings, if they know people that … are needing something, it’s going to be one stop rather than having to go to five or six different agencies and ask for assistance. Because that’s not fun.”
The location is also more accessible for the Brookings Backpack Project’s clientele in particular. Some people may not have transportation available to get them to the program’s current location. Being in a more central area of town will provide those people a better chance of getting to the services they need.
“In summer, people have to come out to the packing site and pick it up, the packing site is a ways out there. … In the new location, the kids could even walk there to get their bags if they need to during the summer,” Ching said.
The site will also have space available to allow for events and activities to be hosted there. Ching is hopeful there will be opportunities for the Backpack Project to host educational and fun events for the kids who use the service to learn and enjoy themselves.
“The clients we have might not be able to attend some of the programs that are available in Brookings. Activities cost a lot of money, and if we can maybe add some different things …,” said Ching, adding, “It’s open for any kids. I’d like to see us have… something for them to get together and enjoy life and maybe build some skills, feel good about themselves. This building will give us the space to be able to do that.”
Convenience for employees, volunteers and clientele is a big focus of the building project as well.
“We’re going to have shelves on the walls and down the middle. We’ll have a table where we can pack the food,” Seeklander said.
“I just know that we are all very excited to offer our services in a new and maybe more efficient … way and be able to increase the amount of help we can give and the opportunities for families and for individuals in our community and for organizations that can utilize the space,” Ching said.
Grateful for community
The organizations all express gratitude to the support from the Brookings area, the City of Brookings, and the all the donors that have helped grow the programs as well as make the new building project possible.
Gullickson is especially thankful to First Lutheran Church for its role in the project. “We are looking forward to being able to better serve those that are in need and the opportunity to be in that location and to have that land donated to make it all possible.”
“We’re so fortunate to have the Brookings community donating food. We have businesses that collect food among their employees, and churches collect among the parishioners. And financially we are lucky that we get … support from the community,” Seeklander said. “I’d like to thank the Brookings County residents and organizations for their support in this much-needed and appreciated service to our clients.”
“The community is very giving,” Ching said. “We certainly couldn’t do this without our volunteers, as we utilize many volunteers, or the community.”
Contact Alison Simon at asimon@brookingsregister.com.
