SIOUX FALLS, S.D (KELO) — A lot of people rely on Xcel Energy to keep the lights on, but today Xcel Energy employees were making a difference in another way.

Xcel Energy volunteers spent the day packing food at Feeding South Dakota in Sioux Falls.

“It’s an opportunity for our employees and the general public to be able to give back to those in need,” said Eric Pauli, volunteer & community relations manager for Xcel Energy.

Today, thousands of Xcel Energy employees are volunteering in their communities for the company’s annual Day of Service.

“We believe that the numbers are really the thing that makes the biggest difference,” Pauli said. “So we back we invite our friends from border states who we work with a lot of materials and so forth on a regular basis to serve our customers. Qe invite them to participate along with us.”

Feeding South Dakota Volunteer Coordinator Alyssa Albrecht says the additional support is appreciated.

“To have our volunteers so close to us and we get to meet them and talk with them and hear why they’re here. It just makes it all so fulfilling,” Albrecht said.

Throughout the day, volunteers packed close to 1,200 bags with soup, canned food and various snacks. Providing necessary meals to those in need.

“They’re not just helping from far away, but they’re coming in,” Albrecht said. “They’re seeing how we do things, how we work. They’re seeing the need the demand of food that just keeps increasing every single year.”

Volunteers also packed around 15 hundred pounds of food for Feeding South Dakota’s annual Thanksgiving event today.