Ellsworth family feeds Bolivian children

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lauren Wright
  • Black Hills Bandit staff
Word spread throughout the city dump that a fresh meal was on its way. When it came on the back of an old Volkswagen truck, courtesy of an Ellsworth Airman and his wife, 200 to 300 malnourished children were waiting eagerly; they arrived wearing the best clothes they could find.

These children of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, lived in the dump and desperately needed the small portions of chicken, potatoes, cheese and milk that Staff Sgt. David Nygaard, 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, his wife, Marcela, and others served to them.

“They surrounded the car; they rushed right to it,” said Sergeant Nygaard, who took 20 days of his own time to feed Bolivian children and visit family in his wife’s native country.

Sergeant Nygaard was part of a six-person team that included his wife, in-laws and two-year-old daughter. Together, and with occasional help from locals, they fed and clothed nearly 2,200 Bolivian children with $1,561 raised from squadron and church donations.

Sergeant Nygaard spent 20 days in Bolivia, but his wife had a head start. Mrs. Nygaard served children in depressed areas for four months while her husband was deployed to Guam with the 37th Aircraft Maintenance Unit.

“The plan was to do it together, but we compromised so he would feed some kids as well,” Mrs. Nygaard said. “(His deployment) was difficult, but it did give me time to focus on my purpose -- to feed children and focus on my daughter.”

Sergeant Nygaard, an assistant dedicated crew chief on the B-1, joined his wife and in-laws to complete the project they nicknamed Operation Bless the Bolivian Child. It was his fourth trip to the South American country.

“For the longest time we wondered, ‘what can we do?’” Sergeant Nygaard said. “Just as one person, one family, we can’t do much; we can only afford so much.”

Enter squadron support.

Sergeant Nygaard approached his first sergeant and other Ellsworth organizations for fundraising advice and approval. Eventually, the Nygaard’s received consent to host a squadron spaghetti feed and organize a car wash on base.

“Sergeant Nygaard had always shared with us how he enjoyed Bolivia and wanted to return to help some of the less fortunate children with clothes and food,” said Master Sgt. Richard Finsterwalder, 37th AMU debrief NCO in charge, who cooked at the squadron spaghetti feed. “I think everyone who knew about the trip thought it was great, and it showed during the fundraising.”

Most of the squadron attended the spaghetti feed, and some squadron members also volunteered to wash cars. The help was needed because nearly 110 cars came to the summer fundraiser. Airman 1st Class Reilly White volunteered for both events.

“Everybody wanted to help out for the good cause,” he said.

Donations for the two August events totaled about $540. The Nygaard’s said the squadron help was outstanding and some of the best support they had ever seen. Other financial aid came from the Nygaard’s local church, the Bethel Assembly of God, and in August of 2005, the Nygaard family left South Dakota.

One went to serve in Guam; two went to serve in Bolivia.

In her husband’s absence, Mrs. Nygaard visited areas her family and local friends told her might need assistance. Once she got to an impoverished area, she spread the word that she’d be back -- with food.

“They would come for hours; they were very grateful,” Mrs. Nygaard said. “It was amazing how a plate of food brought a smile to the kids.”

The Nygaard’s only tracked the number of children they fed, but no one was turned away.

“We never left a place without feeding everyone who was there; we cooked extra,” Mrs. Nygaard said. “If we had extra plates of food, we gave it to the kids on the streets on the way home.”

Roughly 70 percent of the money raised was used to feed children because other local organizations regularly donate clothes. The most difficult part, however, was organizing the children.

Hundreds of adults and children lined up, anxious for food. Once a child received food and clothes, Sergeant Nygaard stamped a sheep or smiley face on a hand so everyone was fed before people received seconds, but that too, was problematic.

“A lot of those kids don’t know when they are going to eat again,” Sergeant Nygaard said. “You’d be licking the stamp off or trying to hide your hand, too; it’s human nature.”

Bolivian dentists and doctors, organized by Mrs. Nygaard’s niece, also examined children and distributed toothbrushes in some towns.

“The kids were fanatic about it,” Sergeant Nygaard said. “The kids were just the happiest kids you could ever see on the face of this Earth.”

The Nygaards send $40 each month to Mrs. Nygaard’s brother-in-law in Bolivia; that money allows him to feed about 80 children.

Food bought in bulk and in the early morning is cheaper, Mrs. Nygaard said. During the trip, they often woke up before 5 a.m. to catch the delivery trucks as they pulled in.

Sergeant Nygaard and his family will head back to Bolivia to feed children in February; if the sergeant deploys this fall, his daughter and wife will make a trip then.

“I can’t wait to go back,” the sergeant said. “It was so much fun to see those kids finally with a smile on their face.”