South Dakota
Feeding South Dakota celebrating 50 year while focusing on next 50
This year marks 50 years of Feeding South Dakota and the organization’s work in the state.
While the organization is celebrating the past, leaders say they’re focusing on helping South Dakota in the present and future.
After half-a-century, CEO Lori Dykstra said Feeding South Dakota’s goal remains the same: fight hunger every day.
“We can’t only just continue to feed the line; we need to get people out of that food line. And so, what does that look like?” Dykstra asked. “That means educating people, advocating for the people who can’t advocate for themselves and really making sure that we’re creating programs that are that hand up, that step out of poverty to hopefully to shorten the [food] line.”
She said though they can’t control every variable that puts people in food lines, they can do everything in their power to help.
Dykstra said, more importantly, the goal isn’t to be complacent at 50 years running. The goal is to continue to achieve more over the next 50.
Feeding South Dakota Board Chair Kim Tyler agreed. She said there’s a blueprint on how to do just that: working with the 250 partner agencies to improve rural outreach.
“I think in the next five years we want to make them more effective. Because we cannot just do it in Sioux Falls, and Rapid [City] and maybe Pierre or Aberdeen. We need every county to have folks that are helping their neighbors,” Tyler said. “And so I think we really have a lot of optimism about the partnerships that we have both from, frankly, the people who support us: donors and people who are very altruistic and want to help our cause, and then we have tremendous agencies that work with us to provide solutions in those rural areas, as well as our South Dakota cities.”
She said they aren’t acknowledging 50 years to pat themselves on the back, it’s to shed light on the food insecurity South Dakotans face every day.
“Not because we’re celebrating, Yeah, okay. We made it 50 years. It’s that we want to make sure folks know how much impact we make every month in our state. How many people we’re impacting and helping,” Tyler said. “It’s more that we’re trying to shout about the need and the really really important mission that we’re doing.”
Dykstra said it’s also an open invitation to everyone.
“We’re also hoping it invites people in to be a part of this mission, because we can’t do it without the volunteers who help us support it,” Dykstra said.
Volunteers like Whitney Heubrock and Rebecca Thompson. They are special education teachers with T-12 Thrive. They have brought students to volunteer at Feeding SD since 2017.
Heubrock said helping around the holidays especially resonates with students.
“The Thanksgiving box, or the project we do around Thanksgiving, is always fun because that always clicks with the students: that they’re helping a family have a good, big Thanksgiving meal,” Heubrock said.
Thompson said volunteering helps eliminate some of the stigma surrounding food insecurity.
“And I think being here and being physically present every week maybe takes away any shame or embarrassment if you ever do need the support,” Thompson said. “It’s like, ‘Yeah. It’s here. You know where it is. It’s not a bad thing. [Food insecurity] just happens.”
CEO Lori Dykstra said she’s seen firsthand how it can be hard to ask for help.
“It actually was in a farm community. And people roll down their window, we’re putting food in the back of the car,” Dykstra said. “And the gentleman immediately the first thing he says to me is, ‘You know, I don’t normally need the food line. I’m here because this happened with my job, and I’m switching jobs, and I’m in-between and as soon as I get my paycheck I won’t need to be here. I know this is bad, other people need this more than me.’ And I said, ‘No. We’re here for you.’”
She said they want to help people, no shame or judgement attached.
On the flip side, Dykstra said Feeding South Dakota also has plenty of happy stories to pass along. She told one of a single mother who brought her 4-year-old child.
“And she was asking her mom, ‘What are these? What are these?’ She had never seen them. And her mom was like, ‘I don’t know what they are either.’ And I said, ‘It’s a plum.’ And the woman running the pantry said, ‘Well you can try it.’ And so we washed it up and we gave it to her,” Dykstra said. “And the sheer joy on this little girl’s face. She had never tried it. And she was like, ‘That’s the best thing ever.’ And she just took a pile of them and put them in her bag. And she was so excited to try this fresh plum. Something the sheer joy that a plum can give to a 4-year-old, I mean, it was pretty amazing.”
Dykstra said in her time as CEO, she’s learned that people who aren’t food insecure may take things like a fresh plum for granted.
She added, while the organization is happy to celebrate 50 years, she hopes they can continue to fight food insecurity even further in the future.
(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Democrats are running for 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats — leaving 56% of seats without a Democratic candidate.
That doesn’t bode well for the party ahead of November, said Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.
“It doesn’t put them in a position to actually put forward their ideological policy preferences and have much of a success at getting those enacted,” Card said.
In the state Senate alone, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 22 seats, which is nearly two-thirds of the chamber. In the House, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 38 seats, which is 54% of the chamber.
There is only one Democratic legislative primary in the state: a state Senate race in District 26, which includes the Rosebud Reservation.
There are no statewide Democratic primaries, after announced candidates for governor and U.S. House dropped out or failed to gather enough petition signatures to make the ballot, leaving one Democrat in each of those races.
Statewide candidates will have less name recognition than Republican candidates ahead of the general election, since they didn’t have primaries, Card said. In the Legislature, Card said Democrats “are guaranteeing they won’t get a majority.”
In contrast, Republicans have primary races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Five legislative districts do not have Republican primaries, but do have Republican candidates. There is a Republican candidate running for every legislative seat, except for one House seat in District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Card said there are several factors leading to poor candidate turnout among Democrats, including a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.
“A lack of winning makes fewer people willing to take a chance on running for office,” Card said. “Why run if I think I’m going to lose?”
Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015, and they haven’t held a majority of either legislative chamber since 1994.
Joe Zweifel, deputy executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said the organization worked “really, really hard” to convince Democrats to run for office.
“But you can’t force people to run for office,” said Zweifel, of Sioux Falls, who’s running for a legislative seat himself in District 12.
He’s heard the open seats called a “failure.” But he disagrees, choosing to focus on the Democrats who did step forward.
“We’re running quality, good candidates in those races,” Zweifel said.
The South Dakota Democratic Party hopes to build on legislative successes, such as a new law from Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, that commits state funding to cover the family portion of reduced-price school meals.
“That specifically is a return on investment for our donors, and it shows that Democrats are doing good things for the people of South Dakota,” Zweifel said.
Wittman’s success helped inspire Democratic District 13 House of Representatives candidate Ali Rae Horsted, of Sioux Falls, to take a second run at the Legislature. Horsted ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Sen. Sue Peterson in 2024, garnering 42% of the vote.
Horsted plans to build on that success and the name recognition she already has in the district. She hopes she’ll have “better odds” in this election, since there are two House seats for every district.
Horsted said it would better serve South Dakota if the state had a more balanced Legislature. While the latest Legislature was 92% Republican, 52% of voters in South Dakota are Republican. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats, 7.6%, in the Legislature nationwide.
“I think it’s important that people have options on the ballot,” Horsted said, “and people are able to vote for candidates that represent their values and their vision for the future of South Dakota.”
Makenzie Huber is a lifelong South Dakotan who regularly reports on the intersection of politics and policy with health, education, social services and Indigenous affairs. Her work with South Dakota Searchlight earned her the title of South Dakota’s Outstanding Young Journalist in 2024, and she was a 2024 finalist for the national Livingston Awards.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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From East River to West River, South Dakota communities share a common goal: creating places where people of all ages can live, work and thrive. AARP’s Domains of Livability provide a framework to help communities do just that. Through the AARP Community Challenge grant program—designed to spark quick, impactful local projects—South Dakota communities are turning big ideas into visible, people-centered improvements.
Read the South Dakota Community Challenge Grant Report, which showcases grant-funded projects across the state designed to build more livable communities.
What Are AARP’s Domains of Livability?
AARP’s approach to livable communities is rooted in eight interconnected domains that together support quality of life at every age:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings – Safe, accessible parks, streets and public buildings
- Transportation – Affordable, accessible options for getting around
- Housing – A range of choices that support independence
- Social Participation – Opportunities to connect, learn and have fun
- Respect and Social Inclusion – Communities that value people of all backgrounds and ages
- Civic Participation and Employment – Meaningful ways to engage and contribute
- Communication and Information – Clear, accessible ways to stay informed
- Community Support and Health Services – Access to services that support well-being
These domains work best when addressed together—something South Dakota communities are embracing.
Turning Vision into Action with Community Challenge Grants
AARP Community Challenge grants fund short-term, “quick-action” projects that can ignite long-term change. Across South Dakota, these grants have helped communities pilot ideas, build momentum and demonstrate what’s possible when residents put people first.
Here’s how local projects are bringing the Domains of Livability to life:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: Communities have used grants to enhance parks, create pop-up public spaces, add benches and shade and install wayfinding signs. These improvements invite people to linger, gather, and enjoy shared spaces—supporting both physical activity and social connection.
- Transportation: Small, thoughtful transportation projects can make a big difference. Community Challenge grants have supported safer crossings, improved walkability and bikeability around key destinations and the planning or installation of transit amenities like shelters and seating—especially important for older adults and people with mobility challenges.
- Housing and Community Support: Some projects focus on helping residents age in place by improving access to information about home modification resources or by testing neighborhood-level solutions that connect people to services. These efforts strengthen independence and peace of mind.
- Social Participation and Inclusion: Murals, community events and creative placemaking projects funded by AARP grants have sparked community pride and social connection. By involving residents in design and implementation, these projects foster respect, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging across generations.
- Communication, Civic Participation and Opportunity: From hosting community conversations to creating new tools for sharing local information, South Dakota communities are using grants to engage residents in shaping their future. These efforts elevate local voices and encourage ongoing civic participation.
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