How neighbors are teaming up to fight hunger

Simplified: A two-day forum this week brought food producers, restauranteurs and nonprofits together to find some fast, tangible solutions to food insecurity in Sioux Falls.

Why it matters

• The main goals of the Urban Food Forum this week were to make connections and find some tangible solutions to food insecurity that can be relatively quickly executed.
• The forum was hosted by Jordan Deffenbaugh of the Community Revitalization Collective (CRC) – a group working to bring more resources and community building to the Whittier neighborhood.
• Deffenbaugh said the event was a success because it brought different perspectives together to share knowledge and make connections. There's already at least one action item: a meeting next month to plan ways to help get excess produce from farmer's fields to people who need food.

"We all have the same goal," said Christy Carr, chief operations officer for Feeding South Dakota, who attended both days of the forum. "I think we've come up with different ways to work together and be more consistent."

Tell me more

About two dozen people attended the forum this week, which took place at the Union Gospel Mission.

They discussed the various challenges involved in food insecurity, from transportation issues to finding volunteers to getting food donations where they need to go.

The biggest takeaway was sharing knowledge from different perspectives, including food producers, restauranteurs and nonprofits.

"We have to be way more transparent about the complexity (of food insecurity)," Deffenbaugh said.

How can I help?

The CRC will continue to host meetings on this issue. You can follow on Facebook for the latest information and ways to show up and help.