SIOUX FALLS – Coach John Stiegelmeier, the winningest football coach in South Dakota State University history, has built the Jackrabbit program into a yearly contender within the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Football Championship Subdivision. On a more personal level, Stiegelmeier and his wife, Laurie, are tackling another rival: child hunger in South Dakota.
Beginning July 11 and continuing through the end of the month, John and Laurie will match every donation made to Feeding South Dakota’s Childhood Hunger Programs, dollar for dollar up to $10,000.
Donations can be made online at FeedingSouthDakota.org, mailed to 4701 N. Westport Ave., Sioux Falls, 57107, Attn: Jennifer Robertson (reference Stiegelmeier matching gift in the memo line), and over the phone by calling 605-335-0364.
Children at risk of hunger are provided free or reduced meals through the National School Lunch Program. While this program effectively combats hunger during the school day, it does not address the needs of children when school is not in session. This is where Feeding South Dakota’s Child Hunger Programs step in.
One such program is the BackPack Program, designed to fill this gap by providing at-risk children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare foods during weekends and holidays. When asked through a survey, “In the last month, did you ever worry that the food in your house would run out before you were able to buy more?” 76 percent of parents whose children receive BackPacks responded with often or sometimes.
This program fills a significant gap for 5,200 children in South Dakota who experience food insecurity.
“When the bell rings Monday morning, it’s incredibly difficult for a child to focus when she hasn’t eaten since Saturday and her stomach is rumbling with hunger pains,” Allison Struck, BackPack Program coordinator, said. “We want to provide for these kids nutritionally so they can excel academically.”
“There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that each one of us can do something so small to help some of the most vulnerable in our communities. A gift today can make a huge impact in the life of a child in need,” said Coach Stiegelmeier.
These Child Hunger Programs do not come without a cost. Currently, Feeding South Dakota budgets nearly $800,000 to provide food assistance to more than 5,200 children who participate in the BackPack Program. Timing is critical to raise the needed funds to ensure that every child in need receives a BackPack for the 2017/18 school year.
