The Rapid City Wal-Mart store recently gave $6,500 in grants to seven area charitable groups, store manager Mark Haberman said.

Receiving $1,000 each were the Children's Home Society in South Dakota, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (a sponsor of the Lakota Nation Invitational tournament), Black Hills Habitat for Humanity, the Helpline at Ellsworth Air Force Base, the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation and the South Dakota Veterans of Foreign Wars.

In addition, Wal-Mart gave $500 to United Way of the Black Hills under the company's "Volunteerism Always Pays" program. Under the program, Wal-Mart's cash donation augments its associates' volunteer hours for local groups.