For the past eighteen months, Rachel Petersen, a senior at Stevens High School has been providing the homeless population of Rapid City with a free nutritious meal every Sunday. She has helped to provide not just food, but has created a friendly atmosphere in which the homeless can eat and socialize free of worries. Rachel has also distributed clothing and other essentials to help the homeless throughout the year. For the past year, not a single Sunday has been missed; she is there whether it is 110 degrees or 20 degrees below zero.

During the week, Rachel recruits fellow students to help serve the meals; she is trying to feed the hungry but also to instill a sense of compassion, understanding and humility in her peers. The Breadroot Co-Op donates most of the food but she encourages private contributors, many of whom donate food from their gardens. Each week, Rachel picks up the donations, spends four to five hours making the initial food preparations, cooks a five gallon pot of soup, some form of bread, and a side dish if donations allow. On warm days, she provides ice water or ice tea and in the winter she brings hot tea or cider. At 11 am on Sunday mornings, Rachel and her volunteers' set up a feeding station and stay two or three hours until the food is gone.

Katie Bray and Linda Larson-Biers who nominated Rachel note that what is so remarkable about Rachel, is that no one would even know about this except for the fact that she asked to speak at a Community Outreach meeting at the school with the hopes that someone else will continue her work after she graduates this spring. She is a compassionate individual that does not seek recognition for her efforts.

Rachel is the daughter of James and Bonnie Peterson; has one brother, Mike and a sister Kate. Rachel is hoping to attend school in Massachusetts this fall.