Baseball leads to increased humanitarian relief

Another shipping container full of food packed by volunteers across the area is bound for refugee camps in Adr, Chad.
The founder of Helping Kids Round First this past week, along with more than a dozen long-time supporters as well as first timers to the organization, loaded a semi full of dry food packets to take to what the United Nations calls, the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. There are 14 million refugees and half of those are kids. So it doesnt get any more screaming out loud needful. Were talking about feeding kids here, said Craig Severtson.
Helping Kids Round First is a 15-year-old nonprofit organization that was founded in baseball and initially provided youth in impoverished Nicaragua with the equipment to simply just be kids and play a sport that is beloved across that country.
That one mission has led the organization into supporting other areas of need, including education, farming, and medical initiatives over the years. HKRFs ability to get things done in areas few others dare go had global leaders reach out and ask how they might help get food to refugee camps in one of the worst regions of the world.
Its a brutal trip, said Severtson, of where the shipping container will end up ultimately after leaving Flandreau.
Its in the Sahara. This will be primarily food, about 350,000-370,000 meals. Were also sending a pallet of solar ovens with pots inside so its going to camps with no electricity so women can cook food without having to go for wood.
The refugee camps in Adr have swelled in recent months as families flee the brutal civil war in Sudan. The conflict, which reignited in April 2023 between rival military factions, has devastated the country and led to mass displacement, starvation, and violence.
Millions have crossed the border into Chad with little more than what they could carry. Many are children and mothers, facing extreme heat, food shortages, and unsafe conditions in overcrowded camps.
The food packed locally is sourced through not only Helping Kids Round First but national organizations Then Feed Just One and Kids Against Hunger. The organizations have been working together for several years to create the biggest possible impact on the greatest need.
Longtime volunteer and board member for the organization, Tim Huber, head coach for the Augustana Baseball Team, brought up a group of his players to help load the pallets of food. Volunteering is a requirement of his players, what they choose to volunteer for however, is up to them.
I think at the end of the day, any time you can do some goodwill to help out people who are less fortunate, why wouldnt you try, said Huber.
Joshua Koskie, a 5th year senior on the team, said he didnt really know what he was signing up for, he just saw the opportunity.
Hes grateful he came.
Were super blessed to grow up in the United States and have all of the resources we have. We were just in the Dominican last year, actually, and it just gives you a whole different perspective that other people arent blessed with the same things we are and puts it into perspective were just happy to be out here, see all this stuff, and see that through baseball were making a little bit of a difference.
We didnt find these refugee camps, we were asked because they knew we packed food and they asked if wed consider going. It changes your life once you see your first refugee camps. Now we have six containers going so far this year, said Severtson.
Each container costs $35,000 to send from Flandreau to Chad. Anyone interested in learning more or supporting the organization financially or otherwise in its missions can contact Craig Severtson at (605) 864-1341.