Every year during Hunger Action Month, Feeding South Dakota joins our peers around the country to build awareness of food insecurity and the steps we can all take, today and in the long term, to help end hunger. This year, the need for South Dakotans to get involved and make a difference has never been greater.
As the CEO of our states largest hunger relief organization, one of my roles is to keep a finger on the pulse of food insecurity. Whether Im talking with one of Feeding South Dakotas food pantry partners anxiously watching the line grow, a working parent struggling to make ends meet, or a legislator working to solve pressing community challenges, one trend is clear: The need is growing while resources are shrinking.
Last year, the food insecurity rate rose again. Now 113,750 people dont have enough food to live an active, healthy life, including 1 in 5 children. At the same time, earlier this year Feeding South Dakota lost 1.5 million pounds of food to distribute to our partners due to federal cutbacks, forcing us to scale back some of our programming.
All this means the gaps are becoming harder to fillfor everyday South Dakotans trying to put food on the table and the organizations dedicated to serving them. So, where do we go from here? Today, on Hunger Action Day, I encourage you to learn more about the issue and all the ways you can take action at www.feedingsouthdakota.org/HAM.
To move the needle, it will take everyone getting involved in the ways they can make the biggest impact. Thats because there is no single, one-time solution to hunger in South Dakota, no silver bullet. Food insecurity impacts every county in our state differently. It means something different to a parent skipping a meal to feed their child than it does to a senior deciding between medication and groceries. And it continues to evolve within our ever-changing economic, political, and social fabric, as it has throughout Feeding South Dakotas long history.
As the engine behind our states food safety net, Feeding South Dakota is uniquely positioned to make a far-reaching impact. Weve developed a wide range of programs, from school pantries and senior boxes to wellness pantries and mobile distributions, to meet our families facing food insecurity where they are. And weve grown a strong network of 250 community agencies across the state who know their neighbors needs and the best ways to address them with our support.
This year marks 50 years of Feeding South Dakota, a milestone that reflects the collective effort of countless volunteers, partners, and supporters who have made it possible to provide hope and nourishment to those facing hunger. When Im asked what the future of the fight against hunger looks like,
I tell people its building on the strengths of these programs and partnerships and doing more to leverage the critical role Feeding South Dakota plays, from sourcing to distribution. Thanks to our scale and our industry relationships, we can already stretch our generous donors dollars further than anyone else, and we are working to become even more efficient and creative at sourcing food, including donations and nutrient-dense fresh produce and protein. We are working to ensure we have the space to safely store and pack this food before it can be delivered to our network of agency partners. And we are working to expand the capacity of those partners to better serve their communities, especially in rural and farm areas, where options for food access are often severely limited.
As we take these steps, we will continue to invite our communities to join us. Because if theres one other thing I can confidently say about the future of hunger-relief in South Dakota, its that we will only get where we need to go if we take action together.
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