Sportsmen Against Hunger drive collects bevy of food

The clean-out-your-freezer food drive just collected over 4,000 pounds of healthy meat for the needy. This was a record and I want to thank all of those involved. Half of the collection went to the Regional Food bank, which networks through out Western South Dakota, and they are a tremendous support to over 500 needy organizations, without them we would be lost. The other half went directly to the CornerStone rescue mission.

The Black Hills Sportsmen have been supplying labor to this project since the inception. Many thanks to all those who worked Saturday, and thank you Family Thrift for supplying us a great location to drop off the meat.

The most important thanks needs to go to those who supply the frozen goods. Thanks for taking the time to dig in your freezer and drive to the drop off location. The program could not run without you. You can continue to donate this fall as every sportsman can donate up to four antler less deer at a participating processor for no cost.

JEFF OLSON

Rapid City

Back To School celebration efforts a joint effort

A special thanks to the South Canyon PTA for hosting our back to school night for students, teachers, and parents!

We would also like to publicly thank the Howard Johnson Hotel, Bear Country, Econo Lodge, Quality Inn, Outback, Watiki Water park and Adam and Judy Vinatieri for their generosity in providing grand prizes for our literacy raffle that evening!

Kudos to Boston's Pizza, Flags and Wheels, The Ranch, Scheels, Pirate's Cove, Elks, Swim and Ice Center, My Girlfriend's Kitchen, Robbinsdale Bowling, Eileen's Cookies, Cold Stone, Pizza Hut, Ruby Tuesdays, 1880's Train and the Journey for donating raffle prizes to raise money for books.

We would like to recognize South Canyon for their hard work in earning AYP and to challenge the teachers and students to another year of academic success!

TARA BOECHLER, JAN ERNST, DALIA MCGRATH and KATHY PLANCHON

SOUTH CANYON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LITERACY TEACHERS

Rapid City

Pay not the reason to leave South Dakota, but …

This is a question that a lot of people wind up having to ask ourselves.

Rapid City, for all it's chaos, is home to a good number of people, hard working, wanting to have a better life. Time and again, we hear the rumors, that with each business that comes in, that better jobs will come to our city. Time and again, while maybe 5-10 percent of these companies will have high paying jobs, the majority of these positions are barely above minimum, even if the company is making millions.

Recently online, I was asked why don't I move, if other states are paying so much more, than South Dakota?

It's pretty simple. Rapid City has some beautiful views, you can't find anywhere else. Roots are planted … which is easier: uprooting a family or wanting the employers to pay a respectable wage?

If you don't think it's such a disparity between say, us and Minnesota, ask why the same phone person makes 2 dollars more an hour doing the same job as a person here?

Or ask why a skilled person, working in Wyoming, makes 11 dollars more, starting wage, than in South Dakota?

It's a hard choice to make.

JOSEPH BUDD

Rapid City

Door company's kindness goes a long way in helping neighbor

My neighbor is 86 years young. He and his wife could not get their garage door to open, and they needed professional help.

I called Black Hills Door Systems and spoke to a wonderful lady named Kathy Greene. I told her he was a war veteran and just had buried his son and he just needed HELP. And was there anyway that they could help him. And 2 hours later a GREAT crew from Black Hills Door Systems was at his house and fixed his door for free. As an act of kindness.

It showed A LOT about their company! And any further business my friends or my family have will definitely go their way! THANK YOU BLACK HILLS DOOR SYSTEMS!!!

JENNIFER TIPPMANN

Rapid City