Flandreau may be a small town, but when you’re on foot, it can feel like quite the trek from one end to the other.
Brian Bunker enjoys it, though. In fact, he’ll make the journey two or three times a day if the weather is good.
Bunker, or Bunky as most people know him, grew up in Flandreau and has spent nearly his entire life here.
“I never really left,” he told the Moody County Enterprise. “I moved away for a few months, but I came right back. I’ve lived here pretty much all my life.”
It’s been a good life, too, he’ll tell you. After graduating from Flandreau Public Schools, Bunky spent nearly 16 years volunteering for the county ambulance service. In 2000, he began working various farm and labor jobs in the area.

But in 2011, life took a sudden turn when he suffered a significant stroke. Doctors warned him to avoid stress to prevent another life-threatening episode.
Instead of slowing down completely, Bunky adapted — and with his trusty cart in hand to help steady him as he walks, Bunky has quietly become a fixture in Flandreau.
“I like to wander around, say hi to people, and keep the town looking nice,” Bunky said, humble about the role he plays.
“That’s just what I do. I’ve got several places I go. I pick up cans along the street. It’s been good for me. Every day I usually get a full container.”
Bunk stores his cans in a shed on one end of town. When he gets tired, he stops for the day. And when the shed fills up, a friend takes him to Sioux Falls to exchange them.
The “tin can man,” as locals affectionately call him, doesn’t do it for the money. For Bunky, it’s about giving back — keeping the streets clean, staying active, and building connections along the way. The pennies he earns per pound go into his savings account or toward supporting some of the only family he has left.
“It’s a little bit of spending money,” he said.
“I throw it into my savings account or spend some of it on my older brother Keith, but it’s not enough to amount to anything.”
In a quiet, unassuming way, Bunky has become a symbol of dedication and kindness in Flandreau. He asks for nothing in return but a hello and a smile — and perhaps a few of your used aluminum cans.
“I just do what I can,” he’ll tell you, with a smile.