Morning Fill Up: Matt Gassen (In-Person)

402 Saint Joseph Street,Rapid City SD 57701

19 August, 2021

Description

Before his retirement at the end of August, Matt Gassen, CEO of Feeding South Dakota, will sit down for an in-person Morning Fill Up. Before his retirement at the end of August, Matt Gassen, CEO of Feeding South Dakota, will sit down with Matt Ehlman of The Numad Group for Morning Fill Up at 7 a.m. on Thursday, August 19, 2021. This will be the first time Morning Fill Up has been held in-person at The Garage in Rapid City since the COVID-19 pandemic began 18 months ago. Attendance will be limited to 50 people, and community members who are unvaccinated are asked to wear a mask while at The Garage. Matt will share his experiences leading the state’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization, reflecting on the lessons learned and opportunities for the future. Matt has served as the CEO of Feeding South Dakota since 1999. He successfully coordinated the merger of South Dakota’s two affiliate food banks, the Black Hills Regional Food Bank in Rapid City and the Food Service Center in Sioux Falls. Six years later, he facilitated the addition of a third food bank location in Pierre to meet the hunger needs in central South Dakota. In 2013, Matt successfully led a statewide capital campaign to raise more than $10 million to provide much-needed facility improvements and replacements in all three distribution center locations, dramatically increasing efficiencies, food safety, and food distribution. During his 22 years as leader of the organization, Matt oversaw the creation and implementation of multiple new programs that have provided food access to critical need groups and communities across our state. He currently leads a team of 45 staff members working to distribute over 17 million pounds of food annually to the one in nine South Dakotans facing food insecurity. Matt currently serves as the chair of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program State Set-Aside Committee, a board member for the South Dakota’s Partners Against Hunger and South Dakota Sportsman Against Hunger, a member of the Feeding America NAC (National Council) and is also a member of the South Dakota Non-Profit Association. Morning Fill Up is a monthly conversation series co-sponsored by The Numad Group and The Bush Foundation and held at The Garage - Rapid City coworking space.  The Numad Group is a national fundraising and communication firm based in Rapid City that dreamed up the idea of the coworking space, and this series. The Bush Foundation invests in great ideas and the people who power them across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and 23 Native nations. The foundation has made over one billion dollars in grants to thousands of organizations and individuals, including many in Rapid City.