Avera Health has announced a pledge of $175,000 to Feeding South Dakota, the state’s largest hunger relief organization, over the next three years. The donation will provide 525,000 nutritious meals to rural communities through the organization’s Mobile Food Distribution Program. Since 2014, Avera Health’s partnership with Feeding South Dakota has made a tremendous impact on hunger in the state. The number of counties the program serves has risen by 44, and the number of times families are served by the mobile food distribution has grown 9 fold to 100,000.
“Avera’s dedication to rural health extends beyond the care we provide within our facilities. Addressing basic needs, like access to healthy and nutritious foods, is essential for the overall health of people within our communities,” said Lindsey Meyers, Vice President of Public Relations for Avera. “We are proud to work with Feeding South Dakota to provide additional access to food in some of our most rural and underserved communities.”
Forty-three percent of South Dakota’s population resides in rural areas which tend to be more prone to hunger due to lack of employment opportunities, unavailable transportation, and minimal availability of grocery stores.
Feeding South Dakota’s Mobile Food Distribution Program serves 90 rural communities in South Dakota each month, of which half are within Avera Health’s footprint. The distributed food includes nutritious products like fresh and frozen produce, dairy, meat, breads, and other non-perishable food items that encourage a healthy diet. When incorporated into a person’s diet, nutritious foods help prevent and manage chronic disease.
“It’s partnerships like this that allow us to continue our efforts to make sure that no one in South Dakota goes hungry,” said Lori Dykstra, CEO of Feeding South Dakota. “We are so grateful to Avera for their continued partnership and commitment to fighting rural hunger in South Dakota.”
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