Community Partner Spotlight

The Banquet

The Banquet

 

Founded in 1985, The Banquet initially provided one meal per week to needy residents of Sioux Falls, S.D. Eventually, the charity grew from one location to two, and now serves meals 13 times every week to nearly 200,000 people each year.

In 2017, The Banquet was gifted two acres of land in northwest Sioux Falls for the building of a permanent second facility instead of renting space. Currently, a $1.6 million campaign is underway to cover the cost of constructing and equipping a simple 7,000 square foot building that will house a dining room, kitchen, indoor waiting area, and restrooms. The new location is expected to open in the fall of 2019.

For over 25 years, Sammons Financial Group has supported The Banquet through donations and employee volunteers. When The Banquet initially added a second location, Sammons Financial Group donated $125,000 towards equipment needed to make the facility fully operational. Leftover funds were saved, and are being applied towards expenses for the new permanent building that’s expected to open next year. In addition, the company donated $25,000 to the fundraising campaign for the new space. Furthermore, a group of employees and their families volunteer to serve a meal at The Banquet every quarter.

In addition to serving meals, The Banquet runs an annual school supplies drive called Project SOS (Supply our Students). The Banquet collects school supplies and backpacks along with funds that are used to purchase additional back-to-school items. Volunteers then assemble and distribute the backpacks to local children ranging from grades pre-K through college.  Sammons Financial Group supports Project SOS by collecting supplies from employees and matching employee monetary donations for the program. In 2018, Project SOS provided 6,000 children with brand new backpacks filled with school supplies.

Learn more about The Banquet by visiting their website.

 

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