SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It is becoming harder for people in South Dakota to buy food, which has increased the need for food donations.
The Faith Temple Food Giveaway and Feeding South Dakota have had to feed a lot of people recently.
“The last time that we did the food giveaway, we had 1194 boxes of food given away, and usually, we’re averaging close to that every week,” Faith Temple Food Giveaway director Jeff Hayes said.
“In South Dakota alone, our food insecurity rates in individuals has increased by over 40%, and when we look at children specifically, that increase has been upwards of 55%,” Feeding South Dakota development director Megan Kjose said.
Both organizations are serving a wide range of people from many different backgrounds.
“There’s a lot of retired people that come. Their pensions don’t cause them to sustain life. Oftentimes, they’ll tell us, ‘We choose between our medicine and our food.’ Also, there’s people that work several jobs, and they find it in their day to be able to come,” Hayes said.
We see a variety of individuals and families at Feeding South Dakota through our programs, but more now than ever, we’ve seen one or two income, some dual income families more now than we ever had before,” Kjose said.
And management at The Banquet believes the increase in the cost of living might be to blame.
“They’re trying to make those choices. Do I buy groceries this month, or do I have enough to get by for my rent to get through the next month? Stuff that happens all the time as you see gas prices go up, as you see food costs go up, everything like that. There’s just more people leaning on us a little bit harder,” The Banquet director of development and marketing Andrew Hewitt said.
The Faith Temple Food Giveaway is every Friday from 4-6 p.m. at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds. Each box of food can feed about three people.
