In a Farm Bill year, organizations nationwide are vying to make their voices heard – including those aiming to reduce hunger. In South Dakota, an estimated 75,000 people experience hunger, and one in six of those are children.
Feeding South Dakota wants residents - and politicians - to remember the place of nutrition programs in the massive Farm Bill.
Stacey Andernacht is communications director with the organization. She said the Farm Bill is about more than just cows and corn.
“About 70% of the current Farm Bill’s budget was towards nutrition programs, and that’s really important to us because those nutrition programs provide funding for the food we distribute, but also for food assistance programs like SNAP,” Andernacht said.
Andernacht said that funding doesn’t go unused.
“About 30% of the food we distribute annually is funded by the Farm Bill and their USDA commodity programs. Part of it is the Farm Bill only renews every five years," Andernacht said. "So, you get a chance only once every five years to bring forward the things that are important.”
Andernacht said Feeding South Dakota is focusing on the human impact of hunger.
“So that when our lawmakers are making these decisions it is done in a way that they understand the impact that it has to people, and also it’s a bipartisan issue – hunger is," Andernacht said. "So, really to make an impact on the fight against hunger it’s going to take a partnership with our state and federal governments and working in tandem with serving individuals and making policy that can help individuals.”
Another priority for Feeding South Dakota this Farm Bill – simplifying and removing barriers to food assistance programs.