Sioux Falls Mutual Aid

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Community Resources

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Find community fridges, little libraries, and meeting spots on the map below, plus links to other resources.

Looking for work? That got long enough to need its own page. Places to find work in Sioux Falls, including which ones come with a Bible study attached.

Housing trouble? Housing in Sioux Falls, covering eviction, deposits, repairs and the 2024 law change that most tenant rights pages still get wrong.

No car? Getting around Sioux Falls, covering free bus passes, free rides to the door, and the fact that nothing runs on Sunday.

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Local & Immediate Help

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  • Help with your car. The Repair Committee runs oil change days where we do it and show you how, and takes requests for other projects. The work is free, and parts too when they have them. Printable oil change cards on that page.
  • 211 / Helpline Center. Dial 211 or call 605-339-4357, 24 hours. The fastest way to find what is open right now: food, rent, utilities, shelter, transportation. helplinecenter.org
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, 24 hours. Press 2 or text AYUDA for Spanish. Deaf and hard of hearing can use the 988 ASL videophone, or dial 711 then 988. Trained crisis counselors. They can send emergency services if they believe someone is in immediate danger. 988lifeline.org
  • Crisis Text Line. Text HOME to 741741, or HOLA for Spanish, 24 hours. The service is free; message rates may apply depending on your carrier. Trained volunteers, not clinicians. They can contact emergency services if they believe someone is in immediate danger. crisistextline.org

Food

  • The Banquet. Free meals, no questions asked. Downtown at 900 E 8th St serves breakfast 7 to 8am and supper 6 to 7:30pm weekdays, plus Saturday lunch 11:30am to 12:30pm. The Banquet West at 710 N Marion Rd serves supper 6 to 7:30pm weekdays. 605-335-7066. thebanquetsf.org
  • Feeding South Dakota. Mobile distributions around town plus a Sioux Falls center at 4701 N Westport Ave. Check the map on their site for the current schedule. 605-335-0364. feedingsouthdakota.org
  • Groceries, four Thursdays a month. Charis Ministry Partners runs a mobile food pantry that moves around town so it lands closer to where people live. Doors open at 5pm so you can wait inside, and the handout is 6 to 7pm. Everyone inside by 7 gets served unless the food runs out. Bring your ID. Once per calendar month. First Thursday at East Side Lutheran, 1300 E 10th St. Second at Messiah New Hope, 5001 E Madison St. Third at Augustana Lutheran, 235 N Prairie Ave. Fourth at St. John Lutheran, 1912 W 13th St. No distribution on a fifth Thursday. 605-271-2163. charissf.org/food-help

Shelter

  • Bishop Dudley Hospitality House. Day program from 8am with lunch, showers, laundry, and hygiene items. Overnight from 6:30pm. First 30 nights are free; after that there is a weekly fee that scales up, paid in cash. bdhh.org
  • St. Francis House. Shelter, meals, case management, and transitional housing. 210 N Sherman Ave, open 24 hours. 605-334-3879. stfrancishouse.com

If you are in danger

  • Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety. 24-hour crisis line 605-338-4880. Emergency shelter and advocacy for survivors of domestic violence, stalking, elder abuse, and sexual assault. Free and confidential. chssd.org
  • Solace. Formerly the Compass Center, now merged with Family Service and Move to Heal. Crisis care for survivors at no cost, plus therapy. 24/7 crisis line 1-877-462-7474, office 605-336-1974. seeksolace.care
  • If someone is watching your phone or accounts. Before you change anything: removing spyware, changing passwords, or turning off location sharing can tell the person you know, and that can make things more dangerous. It can also erase evidence you would need for a protection order. Read this on a device they have never had access to, a friend’s phone or a library computer, and talk to an advocate first. The National Network to End Domestic Violence has plain guides on phone and computer spyware, location tracking, smart home devices, cars, and what to write down. Free, printable, no account, with a quick exit button. techsafety.org
  • Falls Community Health. City-run clinic with medical, dental, and lab services on a sliding scale if you show proof of income. Takes Medicaid and Medicare too. Downtown plus school-based clinics at Hawthorne, Hayward, and Terry Redlin. siouxfalls.gov/falls-community-health
  • Doula care covered by Medicaid. Transitions: Doula and Life Services is a South Dakota Medicaid verified provider for birth and postpartum doula support. Medicaid covers prenatal visits, the birth itself, and postpartum support for up to a year after delivery, capped at $1,800 per pregnancy. Buuut, Medicaid will not pay without a referral, and it has to come from a doctor, PA, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife you have seen in person or by telemedicine in the last 90 days. You can call Transitions first and sort the referral out after. Call Renee at 605-496-2802 or email info@transitionsdoulaservices.com. transitionsdoulaservices.com/medicaid
  • East River Legal Services. Free civil legal help for evictions, protection orders, custody, debt collection, and benefits appeals. Covers Minnehaha and 32 other counties. 1-800-952-3015. erlservices.org
  • Plan C. A directory of ways to get abortion pills, including by mail to states with bans. What you need depends on the route: some involve a screening or a video visit, others are an order form with no prescription and no ID. plancpills.org
  • Power or heat about to be shut off. South Dakota’s Energy Crisis Intervention Program can help if you have a disconnect notice, less than 20% fuel in your tank, or an eviction notice tied to heating costs. Call 800-233-8503, weekdays 8am to 5pm. You can also email a photo of the notice to DSSHeat@state.sd.us, but call first: regular applications take up to 60 days. dss.sd.gov
  • Help with the heating bill (LIEAP). South Dakota’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program pays part of your heating costs if your income qualifies. Apply online or by mail with three months of income and proof of what you pay for heat. Weatherization is separate and free: insulation, weather-stripping, and heating system repairs. 800-233-8503, option 1 for status. dss.sd.gov
  • Health Connect of South Dakota. Free one-on-one help from a Community Care Coordinator who will sit down with you and connect you to medical care, housing, food, and whatever else you are trying to sort out. They also hand out household goods vouchers for Savers and keep a resource directory. Everything is free, Spanish materials available. Call 605-371-1000 or stop by 320 S 3rd Ave, Suite B. Call first, their hours are not posted. healthconnectsd.org
  • Felon-friendly housing list. Health Connect keeps a list of Sioux Falls landlords who rent to people with a record, and you can print it. They are upfront that it is incomplete, that many places decide case by case, and that they cannot promise a unit is open or the rent is reasonable. Last updated March 2026. Their smoke-free rental list is separate, on its own page. Free. healthconnectsd.org/felonfriendlyhousing
  • South Dakota Urban Indian Health. A clinic at 1200 N West Ave with primary care, behavioral health, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use, and help signing up for insurance. Walk-in clinic Mondays 8am to 4pm, otherwise Monday through Thursday 8 to 5 and Friday mornings. Sliding scale if you are uninsured, and they say they serve everyone. They also run cultural health programs: talking circles, sewing and beading, a walking group, and Red Road recovery groups. Call 605-339-0420. sduih.org
  • Wo’okiye Project. Street outreach in downtown Sioux Falls, run by South Dakota Urban Indian Health. They come to you: help getting housed, food, water, clothes, a replacement ID, and connections to counseling or treatment. Meant as a group to call instead of the police when nobody is in danger. Last year they reached 212 people and got 80 of them their ID back. 605-809-5636.
  • Protection orders in South Dakota. Plain-language explanations of the three kinds you can ask for here, including one for stalking that does not require a family relationship. South Dakota’s harassment law counts electronic and digital messages, so screenshots and logs matter. Free, no account needed to read. Updated August 2025. womenslaw.org
  • Getting off a shared phone plan. If your line is on an account the other person controls, the Safe Connections Act makes your carrier separate it within two business days, let you keep your number, and keep the request confidential. You have to show something first: a police report, a protection order, a court document, or a signed letter from a doctor, counselor, or victim advocate. If money is tight, Lifeline can discount the bill for up to six months. thehotline.org

Kids & Family

  • Free and reduced school meals. Sioux Falls schools take applications all year at myschoolapps.com. If you qualify for reduced price, meals cost you nothing this year. South Dakota started covering the reduced-price copay for both breakfast and lunch in 2026-27, so the old 30 cent breakfast and 40 cent lunch are gone. You still have to apply, and the application is per school year. The form wants everyone in your household and their income, your kids’ schools and birthdates, and a phone number. Child Nutrition, 605-367-7635.
  • School district food pantry. Two bags of groceries a month for any family with a kid in Sioux Falls schools. At sign-in they ask your last name, how many people are in your household, and which schools your kids go to. Nothing else is listed. Also hygiene supplies, winter gear, socks and underwear, school supplies, and a social worker on site. Spanish-speaking staff. 201 West Ave, Door M, at Axtell Park. 605-367-4547. Closed over the summer, and the posted hours disagree between sources, so call first.
  • Weekend food for kids. Feeding South Dakota sends a bag home for the weekend with kids at about a dozen Sioux Falls schools. There is no application. Feeding South Dakota lists the participating schools on its Find Food tool, and you ask your child’s school counselor, which is the whole process. 605-335-0364. feedingsouthdakota.org
  • WIC. Food benefits on an EBT card, plus infant formula, for people who are pregnant, gave birth in the last six months, are breastfeeding an infant, or are caring for a child under 5, if your income qualifies. You need proof of identity, residency and income, but the identity list is long: school ID, pay stubs, hospital records and more all count. A signed statement is accepted for residency and income if you cannot document them. Come with two of the three and they can start benefits the same day, with 30 days to bring the third. 1501 S Highline Ave. 605-367-5228. sd.gov/wic
  • Diapers, wipes, and formula vouchers. St. Vincent de Paul, free, once every 60 days. Walk in, no appointment. Bring an ID for yourself and some form of ID for the child, anything will do. You also need a South Dakota address. The distribution dates are posted as a picture that is hard to read, so call for the next one. Handed out at both thrift stores: 431 N Cliff Ave, 605-335-5823, and 3000 S Ellis Rd, 605-271-0239. svdpsd.org
  • Diapers and household supplies, monthly. Charis Ministry Partners hands out laundry detergent, diapers, toilet paper and hygiene products. Bring your ID. One household per person, and one location per month, not both. Third Tuesday at First Lutheran, 327 S Dakota Ave, 6 to 7pm. First Sunday at Peace Lutheran, 5509 W 41st St, 3 to 4pm. Everything is handed out inside. charissf.org/necessities-help
  • Boys & Girls Club, grades 6 to 12. Free for teens, and they provide a ride to and from the club plus meals and snacks. Sites at schools across Sioux Falls. The K-5 programs cost money, with scholarships for about 300 families a year and state child care assistance accepted. 605-338-8061. bgcsiouxempire.org

Mutual Aid & Organizing

Show organizing resources
  • Community Fridge Starter Guide. Toolkit from Freedge covering liability, health permits, food safety, shelter builds, and finding a host. freedge.org
  • Fridge Finder: Start a Fridge. A shorter five-step walkthrough. Written for New York City, so the specifics on permits and sourcing will not match South Dakota, but the basics on teams, siting, shelter, and money carry over. fridgefinder.app
  • Community Justice Exchange. Toolkits, zines, and curricula from a national abolitionist organization, written mostly for groups already running a bail fund, a court watch, or a legal defense fund. Several come as fold-and-print zines meant to be mailed to people inside. They also keep the National Bail Fund Network directory, which has no South Dakota entry. communityjusticeexchange.org
  • Critical Resistance. Zines, pocket guides, pamphlets, and their newspaper from a national prison abolition organization based in Oakland. Much of it documents specific campaigns in their chapter cities rather than telling you how to start one, and the site doesn’t date anything, so check before you rely on it. criticalresistance.org
  • Rooted in Community. A youth-led national network working on food, land, and climate. Toolkits split by who you are: young people, educators, and people building something. Their Youth Food Bill of Rights comes as a PDF with an audio version, and they have guides on making zines. Most useful if you’re doing garden or food work with young people. rootedincommunity.org
  • Repair Café Tips & Tricks. Guides for fixing specific things: coffee makers, laptops, electric heaters, furniture, toys, sharpening knives. Free to read, from the international Repair Café foundation in the Netherlands. repaircafe.org
  • Consensus Decision Making. A practical guide from Seeds for Change, a training co-op in the UK. How consensus works in a small group, where it falls apart, and when to use something else instead. Prints as a fold-up booklet on letter paper. The archive it lives in is listed further down. theanarchistlibrary.org/library/seeds-for-change-consensus-decision-making
  • South Dakota Voices for Peace: educational trainings. Two trainings anyone can book, both run by their COO Jen Dreiske.
    "Bystander to UPSTANDER" covers stepping in on discrimination and harassment in the moment.
    "The Spiritual Tapestry of South Dakota" walks through the religious and spiritual traditions in the state, including Oceti Sakowin, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism, and New Age. sdvfpeace.org/educational-trainings
  • South Dakota Data Center Transparency. A volunteer-run tracker following hyperscale data center projects across the state, county by county. Their Data Centers 101 explainer covers what these facilities mean for energy costs, water use, and tax breaks, which matters here because the same grid runs your house. They also publish a project database, a legislative scorecard, and a ballot lookup. southdakotadatacenter.org/101

Know Your Rights & Safety

Show rights & safety links
  • Safe Protest Tips. A collection of guides on staying safe at a protest: what to wear and carry, how to communicate, what to do about your phone, basic street medicine, and filming. Put together by volunteers, so it links out to other people’s guides rather than writing its own. safeprotest.tips
  • Migra Whistle. A free toolkit for alerting neighbors when ICE is nearby: three short chirps for ICE in the area, long whistles if someone is being taken. Printable zines in English, Spanish, and bilingual, plus files for 3D-printing whistles. Made in Oregon, and the hotline printed on the materials is a Portland number. There is currently no local number that we are aware of. The alerting and documenting part works anywhere. migrawhistle.carrd.co
  • South Dakota Voices for Peace: ICE observer resources. Printable ICE incident report, an online reporting form, and a list of South Dakota immigration attorneys. They do not currently have the capacity to help anyone who has already been detained, so this is for documenting and for finding a lawyer, not for emergency response. sdvfpeace.org/ice-observer
  • No Trace. What police investigation actually looks like and how people protect themselves from it: house raids, door knocks, forensics, informants, hidden tracking devices. Written by an anonymous anarchist collective for people facing state investigation, not for everyday privacy or an abusive ex. Actively updated, and everything prints as a fold-up booklet on letter paper. notrace.how

Digital Security & Privacy

Show privacy & security tools
  • The New Oil. Protecting yourself online: identity theft, data brokers, stalking, locking down your accounts. The place to start if you are not technical, written in tiers so you can do the important things and stop. Two things to know: it is one person’s project and he earns commissions from some of the companies he recommends, and the pages carry no dates, so there is no way to tell how current any of it is. thenewoil.org
  • Privacy Guides. A reference for picking tools: which browser, which password manager, which messaging app, with the reasoning written out. Run by a nonprofit that takes no affiliate money and says so. Their fiscal sponsor is a crypto-focused foundation and they accept Monero donations. Better for looking one thing up than for starting from scratch. privacyguides.org
  • Activist Checklist. Security checklists for specific situations: locking down Signal, getting ready for a protest, ICE watch, defending against doxxing, setting up a second phone. Plain language, about 45 minutes for the basics. The only resource here that puts a review date on every page, and most are from this year. Written by anonymous organizers, and the threat it assumes is police and ICE rather than a landlord or an ex. activistchecklist.org
  • Digital Defense. A checklist for locking down your accounts, phone, computer, and home network. Over 300 items sorted into essential, optional, and advanced. Free, no sign-up, no ads, no affiliate deals. Two catches: nothing on it is dated, so you cannot tell which advice has aged, and it saves your progress in your browser, so anyone else using that device can see what you have been doing. digital-defense.io

Art & Activism

Show art & activism links
  • Center for Artistic Activism. How to use art, humor, and spectacle so a campaign actually lands. Free PDF workbooks and campaign toolkits, one of them in Spanish, plus an archive of training exercises and ten years of recorded workshops. Their front page pushes paid trainings, so go straight to the resources page. c4aa.org/resources
  • Guante’s zines. Free foldable zines for people who want to do something and do not know where to start, from a Minneapolis poet and teaching artist. About fifteen of them, all printing on plain letter paper, plus a hub of resources aimed at new organizers. guante.info/showingup

Reading, history, and uncategorized things

Show reading and everything else
  • Dismantling Racism. A free workbook and curriculum for groups doing anti-racism work together, built for facilitated sessions rather than reading alone. Everything downloads as a PDF. Frozen since May 2021, and the site warns that its own links may be broken by now. Its best known piece, Tema Okun’s white supremacy culture list, is widely used and also widely argued over. dismantlingracism.org
  • The Anarchist Library. A free archive of anarchist writing, from practical organizing guides to political theory and history. Anyone can add to it and nobody edits it, so what you find ranges from useful to a hundred years old and angry. Every text prints as a fold-up booklet on letter paper, which makes it the easiest place on this list to get something you can hand out. theanarchistlibrary.org
  • Actipedia. A browsable collection of things people actually tried: creative protests, stunts, art projects, and how they turned out. Good for when you are stuck for ideas. Run by the same people as the Center for Artistic Activism above, and largely frozen, with most entries from 2023 or earlier. actipedia.org
  • The Red Nation. Podcasts and writing on Indigenous liberation, land, and anti-colonial politics, from a national organization founded in Albuquerque. Analysis rather than services, and openly socialist about it. Co-founder Nick Estes is an enrolled Lower Brule citizen and writes about Oceti Sakowin history, though the organization has no South Dakota chapter. therednation.org
  • Black Women Radicals Database. Profiles of Black women and gender-expansive organizers and activists, historical and present day, across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Americas. Free to browse, no account needed. A reference for reading and research rather than something to act on. Reusing the entries needs written permission. blackwomenradicals.com/database
  • Survivor Library. Not related to Violence or Abuse. A free archive of scanned how-to books from roughly 1850 to 1930: blacksmithing, canning, weaving, carpentry, livestock, well drilling, telegraphy. Run anonymously, built around keeping practical knowledge readable if the power goes out for good. Downloads have been patchy since a rebuild this year, so check that what you get actually ends in .pdf. The century-old medical volumes are history, not health advice. survivorlibrary.com