After the recession in 2008, people in Sioux Falls were struggling to feed themselves and their families. Pastor Jeff Hayes and the staff at Faith Temple Church would have people on a daily basis come into the church looking for money or food to be able to provide food to feed their families. In May 2009, the Faith Temple Food Giveaway began in the parking lot of Faith Temple Church. The first giveaway had 69 guests and the tables were constructed with sawhorses and plywood sheets of wood. There was one receiving line, and the total weight of the food was about 3,000 lbs.
Fast forward nine years to 2018, the Faith Temple Food giveaway feeds over 1,400 people each week with over 25,000 lbs of food. Over 40% of the population we serve feeds children under the age of 18. In total, over 9,000,000 lbs of food have been given away to feed over 900,000 people. The Faith Temple Food Giveaway is the largest agency in the Feeding South Dakota network. Who would have thought that in 2009 the giveaway would be at the level it's at now?