September is Hunger Action Month – a month where people all over America stand together with Feeding America and the nationwide network of food banks to fight hunger.

It’s a month to spread the word and take action against the hunger crisis, and Gage Brothers is teaming up with a longtime design partner to help the food-insecure population of South Dakota.

To help raise awareness for the 1 in 9 people who struggle with hunger in South Dakota, Gage Brothers will host a food drive in partnership with Architecture Incorporated to benefit the Feeding South Dakota Food Pantry Program.

This is not the first time that Architecture, Inc. and Gage Brothers have joined forces. The two companies have worked together on more than 150 buildings projects in the past 40 years.

“Hunger remains a major concern throughout the Sioux Empire, and we are proud to team up with Architecture, Inc., to help tackle this important issue,” said Gage Brothers president Tom Kelley. “We encourage our employees, clients, construction partners and local residents to show their support and help those in our community who are in need.”

Feeding South Dakota is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, leading the movement to end hunger throughout the Mount Rushmore State. For more than 40 years, Feeding South Dakota has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need.

In 2018, Feeding South Dakota distributed 15.4 million pounds of food in the fight against hunger. Every single week, Feeding South Dakota assists in providing emergency food assistance to approximately 2,400 hungry individuals and families in South Dakota, while their BackPack Program gives food every weekend to more than 5,000 kids in Rapid City and Sioux Falls who otherwise might go hungry.

September marks the twelfth year the Feeding America network of food banks has organized this annual call to action and twelfth year that Feeding South Dakota has participated in the Hunger Action Month movement. This year the campaign will focus ending hunger, one helping at a time. This year, Feeding America is asking everyone to take action during Hunger Action Month. This September, they’re seeking 40,000 actions – a donation, a volunteer shift, a social media post – to end hunger one helping at a time. Every action counts: (HungerActionMonth.org)

Statewide, Governor Kristi Noem has issued an Executive Proclamation to reflect that Thursday, September 12th, 2019 is “Hunger Action Day” in South Dakota. This proclamation signifies the importance that hunger awareness has in all 66 counties in South Dakota and the support Governor Daugaard grants Feeding South Dakota to continue to feed those who are struggling with food insecurity.

Want to help? You can drop off nonperishable food items at Gage Brothers (2810 North Bahnson Avenue) until Friday, September 27. You can also drop items off at Architecture, Inc. (415 S Main Ave).  

Most Needed Items for Feeding South Dakota include:

Peanut butter & jelly
Canned vegetables
Canned fruit and fruit juices
Canned Soup
Rice, beans, and pasta
Spaghetti sauce