Sanford Health fights hunger with $3 million donation

The pandemic has exacerbated hunger, and the health system is responding

Written by
October 19, 2020
4 min read
Sanford Health fights hunger with $3 million donation
To help fight hunger across its communities, Sanford Health donated $3 million to seven food banks. In Bemidji, Minnesota, Sanford Health employees volunteered to sort food as part of the donation announcement. (Photo by Sanford Health, video by Simon Floss, Sanford Health)

There’s a lot of worry that’s come with the pandemic.

But Sanford Health is doing its part to make sure families impacted by the pandemic don’t have to worry about one thing: food.

The health care provider donated $3 million to food banks across Sanford Health communities, including a $1 million donation to Feeding South Dakota. Both Feeding South Dakota and Sanford Health’s corporate headquarters are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Meeting a need

According to Feeding South Dakota, 1 in 9 individuals don’t have enough access to food to lead a healthy life.

And, that’s just in South Dakota.

“We know that our region is not immune, and we want to support and help fix the problem. Hunger has been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Dr. Joshua Crabtree, vice president for Sanford clinic operations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“So, because of that, we wanted to make a significant gift. Something that would make a real dent, or make a real impact,” he added.

Feeding South Dakota CEO Matt Gassen says the positive impact of Sanford’s donation will be felt for years.

“This check is going to help us change the trajectory of some of our distribution models. And, also be able to help people for many, many years to come,” he said.

Across the Midwest

Feeding South Dakota, headquartered in Sioux Falls, was not the only food bank to receive donations from Sanford Health. The health system donated to food banks across South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa as well.

Taylor Syvertson is the impact manager of Great Plains Food Bank’s Ending Hunger 2.0 campaign in Fargo, North Dakota.

She says since the pandemic began, she’s seen a big uptick in families needing food assistance.

“We’ve served 10.8 million meals, and we’ve seen an increase of 45% more clientele than last year. It’s no surprise that people are struggling. This incredible $1 million gift from Sanford will help us provide more than two and a half million meals across our state,” she said.

The $3 million gift will be split among Feeding South Dakota, Great Plains Food Bank, North Country Food Bank, Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Second Harvest Heartland, Food Bank of Siouxland, and Food Bank of Iowa.

Learn more

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Posted In Community, Company News, COVID-19, News, Rural Health, Wellness

Simon Floss
Simon Floss produces multimedia stories for Sanford Health News. A former Emmy nominated TV news anchor, reporter, producer, and photographer, he brings nearly a decade of experience to the team at Sanford Health News. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his fiancée and their two animals Tobias (cat) and Winnie (dog). You'll also likely find him on a stage somewhere - he's a member of The Goodnight Theatre Collective, a Sioux Falls based professional theatre company, and also fronts a local rock cover band, Bangers and Mash. You can reach him at simon.floss@sanfordhealth.org.