Food bank workers in South Dakota say there’s an increase in the number of people that can’t afford to feed themselves and their families. They say demand is up at food banks across the state as hunger is an issue for many South Dakotans.
So far in 2014 the Community Food Pantry in Spearfish has been busier than normal.
President and volunteer Bob Suwyn says he’s seeing a growing number of South Dakotans having trouble putting food on the table. Suwyn believes low wages and the rising cost of living make it difficult for many to just make ends meet.
“We feed about five-hundred families a month in Spearfish. When you first look around here, you don’t think there’s that many people in Spearfish that need the help. But there’s at least that many and we’re growing by about twelve families a month through 2013. The need is getting bigger and bigger,” says Suwyn.
Suwyn says people that have not needed help in the past are now finding themselves having to ask for assistance.
“A new thing I think is the working people that need help that just can’t make it even with an income - they just don’t have enough money to survive and pay the bills,” says Suwyn.
He says the elderly and kids are often among the hungry.
“Some of these kids haven’t eaten in three or four days when they come here. I had a young boy maybe seven or eight years old, came in with his family last December, and started eating his Ramen noodles raw before he was out of the front door,” says Suwyn.
Although demand for food assistance is up, Suwyn says the Spearfish Food Pantry has been able to keep up with the rising demand. He says donations are welcome year-round. Western South Dakota food banks are not the only ones seeing a spike in demand – the food banks in Aberdeen and Huron in the eastern part of the state are also reporting an increase in people seeking assistance.