Oct. 30, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

The heart of good health comes down to some basics – eating good food is one of them.

Avera applies this simple truth in ongoing efforts to partner with organizations that get more people more access to foods that contribute to better nutrition and health.

“The facts are clear: Better diets, focused on whole foods, lead to better health,” said Dr. David Basel, vice president of clinical quality for Avera Medical Group. “At the same time, when people avoid processed foods, added sugars and too much salt, they live better.”

Healthy food is one of several social determinants of health – those factors that affect your health and quality of life, including clean water, housing, transportation, education and more.

Avera forms numerous community partnerships that help extend the health system’s work and mission to have a positive impact in the lives and health of people and communities. Avera’s efforts to get healthy and nutritious to more people include donations and support to several programs, such as:

• Feeding South Dakota, South Dakota’s only statewide hunger-relief agency. The Mobile Food Distribution Program has served over 100,000 families this year in 55 counties, including numerous distribution sites in Sioux Falls.
• The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire, which provides meals and snacks to children from infants to 18-year-olds as part of programming that includes child care, after- and before-school programs, summer programs, sports and recreation, and more.
• Lunch Is Served, an organization that provides free lunches to working adults in Sioux Falls via partnerships with temporary employment agencies and volunteer groups.
• The Banquet, a meal ministry that serves 16 meals each week at two Sioux Falls sites.
• Meals on Wheels, an Active Generations program that helps get hot food to people 60 and older.
• Sioux Falls Thrive, a group focused on helping school-age kids with challenges, including food security.

“These partnerships serve some of our most rural and vulnerable populations,” said Lindsey Meyers, Avera vice president of public relations. “We support people and groups who make overall better health possible through food, serving many communities, families and individuals.”

Lindsey Meyers (left) and Dr. David Basel (right) of Avera, with Lori Dykstra, CEO of Feeding South Dakota.

Avera has supported Feeding South Dakota since 2007 and has partnered in funding of the Mobile Food Pantry since 2015. This aspect of Feeding South Dakota later was renamed Mobile Food Distribution Program. Its timely deliveries allow for the distribution of free food to people facing hunger, including fresh or frozen fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products as well as shelf-stable items.

Through sustaining operations of the Mobile Food Distribution Program, this funding has had a powerful impact:

• Since 2014, the number of counties served has increased from 11 to 55.
• The amount of food distributed has increased from 463,000 pounds to over 5.3 million pounds.
• The number of families served has risen ninefold from 11,000 to 100,000.
• Since 2021 alone, seven communities in the Avera footprint were added as distribution locations.

Feeding South Dakota distributes food in Sioux Falls as well as almost 90 other communities. More than 14 million pounds of food went to families in South Dakota in 2022 in 66 counties. “Our partners are fantastic, and Avera’s donation truly fuels our efforts to feed families facing hunger,” said Megan Kjose, Feeding South Dakota development director.

One in 12 South Dakotans face food insecurity now, compared to one in nine in 2021 – yet a significant hunger gap still exists, especially in the underserved, rural areas of the state.

“We’re seeing real-time increases in distribution as big as 20 percent in some areas,” Kjose said. “We have great support, volunteers and others who can help us meet these needs and get food distributed. Good meals make for better health. Food can be medicine.”

Avera donates money to agencies who help with community nutrition. It also can help groups with the Avera PACE program, a group-purchasing effort that let groups like Lunch Is Served save money when buying necessities for its program.

“Our mission is simple: We support people who are working hard with a midday meal, so they can focus on their work and not have to leave,” said Kathy Junker, the executive director of Lunch Is Served. “A nutritious lunch nourishes the body, and our work is nourished by the support we get from Avera and other generous entities.”

Junker said the group distributes about 600 lunches each week.

Likewise, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire provides 1,500 children with a meal or snack as part of its programs.

“We focus on providing children and teens with a nurturing environment that will help create a foundation for lifelong success, and nutrition is an essential component,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire CEO Stacy Jones. “Food insecurity is unfortunately prevalent within our community, making partnerships like the one we have with Avera and our ability to provide youth with meals and snacks even more important.”

Donated funds, as well as food and time, can help any of the organizations that provide for basic needs, including food and shelter. Meyers said Avera understands the need for many hands – and many groups – working as one to lift others.

“Fighting hunger is one great way to boost better health,” Meyers said. “Yet it takes many people, many volunteers and many groups, all joining forces, to make daily differences and improve the lives of so many people.”

Learn more about Avera’s commitment to communities and rural health.