New poverty data

The Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program released its 2008 poverty figures last week. Nationwide, the rate of poverty increased from 13.0 percent in 2007 to 13.2 percent in 2008. The rate in South Dakota, on the other hand, dropped slightly from 13.2 percent to 12.7 percent.

Ziebach County, part of the Cheyenne River Reservation, is still the most impoverished county in the entire country with a rate of 54.4 percent. South Dakota has three counties among the top 10, with an additional four in the top 50:

• Ziebach County, 54.4 percent, #1
• Shannon County, 46.0 percent, #4
• Todd County, 40.1 percent, #7
• Buffalo County, 37.7 percent, #14
• Corson County, 34.9 percent, #27
• Mellette County, 34.3 percent, #35
• Bennett County, 33.8 percent, #38

The first five counties on this list are part of reservations; Mellette and Bennett counties formerly were a part of the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations, respectively. Both still have sizable Native American populations within their respective borders.

The Census Bureau published a thematic map displaying rates of poverty by county. It's interesting to not only look at the distribution of poverty throughout South Dakota, but also its concentration (or lack thereof) in particular areas of the nation.

Homeless... in Chamberlain

The Argus Leader published an article in today's edition about a homeless woman in Chamberlain. Judging by the reader comments, there are still many misconceptions about the presence of homelessness outside of metropolitan areas and the question of whether people choose to be homeless (or live in a hotel room or a car).

Homelessness is found in cities large and small, from New York City to here in Mission. And I will also add a cold climate does not lead to shelter for all. I used to live in Juneau, Alaska, and it was not hard to locate the "walkers" like the woman mentioned in the article, even during the winter.

Go Falcons!

Congratulations and best wishes to the Todd County High School football team. They defeated Pine Ridge 41-20 Monday night to win the Class A Region 3 title. Tomorrow afternoon, the Falcons will make their first state semifinal appearance since 1983 when they travel to Milbank to face the Bulldogs. The winner goes to the Dome next Saturday. Go TC!

Make A Difference Day

Make A Difference Day was October 24th this year, but since several VISTAs were out of town on that day, we did it before hand! Overachievers!

On October 19th, four VISTA members volunteered to help prepare and serve breakfast at The Banquet in Sioux Falls. According to their website, The Banquet "is a feeding ministry that serves hungry people in our community in the spirit of dignity and respect." Dinner is served Monday through Friday at The Banquet, in addition to a lunch every Saturday and breakfast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. On a given evening, 350 to 450 people show up for dinner. During our time on October 19th, I would estimate we served close to 200 people.

While volunteering, VISTAs tackled different duties, like Tami Francis pouring milk, water, and coffee, Melissa Fose washing dishes, and Amy Majeres being the "runner" for the food line. In addition to being a rewarding experience, serving at The Banquet gave VISTAs an opportunity to see povery in Sioux Falls up-close. Reality can be the best motivator, and I think I can say with certainty that every VISTA left The Banquet with a renewed sense of inspiration and more determination to "build capacity" and eliminate poverty.

It definitely moved me to "make a difference."

Check out some of what we did on the Flickr page.

Foundation Center

For those looking for grant funding, the Foundation Center is a good place to start. However, what the user receives for free is extremely limited. Instead of trying to convince your sponsoring organization to shell-out $1,295 annually (good luck!), visit one of the state's three cooperating collections - for FREE!!!

The South Dakota State Library in Pierre is home to one of the collections. I spent three hours there this morning seeking out funders I wouldn't have otherwise been able to locate with the resources available to me. The staff was extremely helpful, I didn't have to pay for printing, and there wasn't a time limit.

For most VISTAs here in South Dakota, a cooperating collection is close by. I called the State Library last week to learn more about what they had to offer. The only thing they asked of me was to please call or e-mail a day beforehand to ensure staff would be available to assist me. This request may have been because I live 100 miles away; however, I'd still give them a call just to make sure.