Shakopee Mdewakanton Members and Enterprise Employees Donate More Than 10,000 Pounds of Food and Nearly $13,000 to CAP Agency
Prior Lake, Minn. – Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) members and the team members of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, and the SMSC’s non-gaming enterprises completed a summer food drive yesterday that resulted in 10,149.5 pounds of food and $12,891 in donations for the Community Action Partnership (CAP Agency) of Scott, Carver and Dakota Counties.
Many of the families that the CAP Agency serves rely on school breakfast and lunch programs, leaving these families with an increased need during the summer. The CAP Agency distributes approximately 75,000 pounds of food each month over the summer – at the same time that fewer food drives are coordinated by the community. This creates a great need for summer donations.
“The CAP Agency relies on donations to help us keep up with the increased summertime demand,” said President and CEO Carolina Bradpiece. “The help we have received from the SMSC, its members, and the people who work for the SMSC’s enterprises over the past 15 years has been critical to making sure we meet our clients’ food security needs.”
This year’s summer food drive is one of the many efforts of the SMSC, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, and the SMSC’s non-gaming enterprises to support the CAP Agency. Their largest annual fundraiser is the holiday auction and food drive at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, which has raised $102,050 plus non-perishable food donations for the CAP Agency since 1998. New this summer, the SMSC’s organic garden – Wozupi – is donating fresh produce to the CAP Agency’s food shelf.
About the CAP Agency
The CAP Agency has served the community for almost 50 years and assists 50,000 people annually through 26 programs, including a food shelf, thrift store, heating assistance, senior dining, school readiness, crisis child care, parenting education, and holiday toy distribution, to name a few. The agency operates using comprehensive service delivery, which is used to identify multiple opportunities to meet client need. CAP believes that we are all connected, and this connection leads to a healthier, more successful community.
About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated nearly $272 million to organizations and causes since 1992, funds its own infrastructure, and contributes generously to regional governments and infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems, and emergency services.