Our History

The Vermillion Food Pantry was founded in 1984. A humble but hearty operation at Vermillion’s Trinity Lutheran Church, the Pantry included one volunteer who filled bags with groceries and another who handed them out to the 34 guests who used the Pantry in 1984. In 1998, the VFP became a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and has grown throughout the years. In 2021, the Vermillion Food Pantry provided food to over 8,000 citizens in Clay County, South Dakota. The Vermillion Food Pantry serves over 800 people in Clay County each month!

To read a comprehensive history of the Vermillion Food Pantry written by long time volunteer Evelyn Schlenker, click here!

The Welcome Table was started in 2001 by John Lushbough, initially serving meals once every month. In January of 2002 the program started serving meals every Monday night, including most holidays. The Welcome Table aims to provide a hot, fresh, nutritious meal and provide community members a space to engage with each other.

In 2019, United Way of Vermillion and it’s affiliated services moved to a new downtown location at 9 Court Street. The Tanager Take Out program moved from Vermillion High School to the location at 9 Court Street as well. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Welcome Table adapted by providing carry out meals instead of the dine-in experience.

In 2023, the Vermillion Food Pantry and the Welcome Table merged all programming into the non-profit organization Feeding Vermillion.