Hunger Action Month is marked each September., and the Feeding South Dakota organization is publicizing this month.
The group says 20 percent of South Dakota’s children experience food insecurity placing the state in a place that needs to be addressed. Feeding South Dakota CEO Lori Dykstra said 130,000 total South Dakotans of all ages have food insecurity.
Some senior citizens struggle to afford food due to being on fixed incomes and with rising medications costs. Dykdstra said there is also an increasing number of South Dakota households with two incomes that still have food insecurity.
Dykstra said, “It’s just continuing to get more prevalent in our communities, and we want to bring more awareness to the work,”
Feeding South Dakota will hold a volunteer-a-thon over the rest of the month at their distribution centers in Pierre, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.
In related news, applications are now open for South Dakota’s free or reduced-price meals for eligible families for the 2026-27 school year.
The policy applies to children unable to pay the full price of meals or milk served under national school meals programs. Several factors determine a family's eligibility, including income.
