South Dakota
Feeding South Dakota prepares to meet growing need
RAPID CITY, S.D. — With the start of November this Saturday — 40-million Americans who rely on snap food benefits will see them reduced, or stop altogether — if the government shutdown continues..
As the deadline approaches — local food banks are preparing for what could be another strain on their resources.
Snap is intended to stretch a grocery budget, not cover all food costs, and provide low income families access to healthy food.
In South Dakota, about 75,000 people receive snap benefits.
“It’s really hard to know what that could look like for us when it comes down to numbers of people. We’re spending some time this week getting very planful about contingency plans and and making sure that we can do all that we possibly can in the communities coming into November with those benefits changing,” said Stacey Andernacht, Vice President of Public Relations, Feeding South Dakota.
Feeding South Dakota distributes food to every county in South Dakota. providing nearly 12 million meals a year.
Snap benefits being withheld is one more stressor on the organization.
In April, Feeding South Dakota was notified they would not receive 11 expected loads of food through a federal program.
In July, cuts to federal food assistance programs resulted in more pressure on food banks.
“It is a challenging time right now as a food bank, you know, we are the food safety net for South Dakota. Our goal, our mission, our focus, is making sure that every South Dakotan has access to the food that they need to thrive, and especially in times of uncertainty and and we’re looking at a couple of different, you know, groups of folks who are feeling some uncertainty right now, and we want to make sure that they don’t feel uncertain about putting food on their table,” Andernacht said.
Feeding South Dakota is navigating the changing landscape.
Donations of cash and food to the organization like the recent South Dakota Farmers Union donation of 35,000 pounds of pork will help Feeding South Dakota meet its mission in South Dakota.
“Really, as we come into November, we’re going to need community support in order to bring us across that finish line, in order to help us, you know, bring an influx of food into the community and across the state. I can’t tell you exactly what that looks like, but it’s going to be food, for sure. It’s going to be dollars to purchase food that’s going to be our greatest need, if the shutdown continues into November,” Andernacht said.
Jerry Steinley has lived in the Black Hills most of his life and calls Rapid City home. He received a degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from Metropolitan State University in Denver in 1994.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.
HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.
Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.
“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.
“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”
You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.
Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.
She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”
Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.
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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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