SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Youth from the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation distributed 435 boxes of food to reservation families earlier this month.

The youth worked with the Church of Jesus of Latter Day Saints on the distribution, the Cheyenne River Youth Project said in a news release.

CRYP Family Services members received their boxes on Nov. 9, and members of the general public received theirs on Nov. 10.

“This was so much more than a holiday meal,” Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director said in the news release. “Each box contained ingredients worth more than $250. One of our elders told us this food will help her get through the winter.” 

Each family received items such as a whole turkey; ground beef, beef roast, and sliced ham; canned green beans, corn, spaghetti sauce, and pork-and-beans; fresh and instant potatoes, spaghetti noodles, stuffing mix, and rice; fresh squash, carrots and onions; canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce; cheddar cheese; white flour; brown, granulated, and powdered sugar; vegetable oil; butter; salt, black pepper, and cinnamon; hot cocoa, and powdered milk. The distribution also included household items such as plastic wrap and aluminum foil. 

Latter Day Saints church officials praised the Cheyenne River Youth Project and Garreau for their work in the community.

“Julie and the Cheyenne River Youth Project are making a difference in the lives of young people and families in the Cheyenne River community,” said Stake President Steve Osmond, from the Bismarck North Dakota Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ. “They help them connect with each other and have life experiences that lift and empower them, and help them move toward a more vibrant and secure future.