March 17, 2026
This piece is sponsored by Evora Health.
Food is plentiful in America, but not for everyone. And especially healthy food that we all need to feel our best.
March is National Nutrition Month. For Avera, nutrition was an important health issue, especially for women and children.
“We can’t take for granted that adults and children alike have access to healthy foods,” said Dr. Cara Bruning, an Avera pediatrician.
“More than 113,000 people in South Dakota don’t know where their next meal will come from,” said Lori Dykstra, executive director of Feeding South Dakota. “This includes one in five children, and when a child is hungry, it affects everything: how they learn, how they grow and how they see their future. Ensuring that children in South Dakota have reliable access to food is not just about meeting a basic need; it’s about giving them the opportunity to thrive.”
In the past few years, Avera has started screening questions for social determinants of health in annual exams, and one such question is “Are you worried about your future diet?”
Access to healthy food is one of the many social determinants of health, which are non-health care factors that contribute to health and well-being such as housing, education and transportation.
As a way to address food insecurity and its impact on health, Avera has established six health pantries to distribute food, expanding to additional rural communities.
Avera’s Wellness Pantries are funded in part by a federal Health Start grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration and operated in collaboration with Feeding South Dakota, the Avera Research Institute and the Avera Community Partnership Program. Nutrition South Dakota provides food through donations and generous donations, and the grant funding supports some staff for tracking and reporting.
Since the program began in early 2025, Avera has ordered 32,000 pounds of food from Feeding South Dakota, and more than 2,000 bags of food have been delivered at eight locations. These packages have mostly affected women, children and their families.
How food affects health
Diet in early pregnancy affects the health of the baby. As children grow, a healthy diet is important for their overall well-being. Good nutrition supports brain development, proper growth, healthy teeth, strong skin, muscles and bones, immunity and good digestive system function.
“When a family is struggling economically, they’re looking for less expensive options. Unfortunately, some of the cheaper options are high-carb, high-fat, high-sodium, high-sugar, and low-nutrient,” Bruning said, such as sugary cereals, white bread and white pasta like ramen noodles and boxed pasta.
Experts recommend a diet that focuses on fresh, lean, unprocessed protein options; Fruits and vegetables, preferably fresh or frozen, or canned options with low sodium and no added sugar; fresh dairy products; whole grains; and healthy fats.
“If children grow up with fast food and highly processed convenience foods, it affects their health and well-being, including their ability to learn in school,” Bruning said.
“We’re seeing more children with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 used to be mostly limited to adults. But we’re seeing an increase in the disease among children, teenagers and adults.”
“You wouldn’t think obesity would be an indicator of food insecurity, but it can be. Children become obese when they don’t have access to healthy foods that naturally prevent obesity, opportunities and space for physical activity,” Vogel said.
Children with poor diets can also experience nutrient deficiencies such as iron deficiency, or behavioral health issues such as anemia.
Introduction to food safety
Because eating insecurities may not be readily apparent at a doctor’s visit, screening questions open the door for patients to speak for themselves in a private and confidential setting.
If someone identifies a need for food, the clinic-based pantry provides them with emergency supplies, including shelf-stable products, non-perishable items and dairy products that can last them until they can access an ongoing source. Families are also referred to food pantry options in their community.
In Sioux Falls, the Avera McKinnon Campus Plaza 1 has a health pantry for pediatric and fertility clinics, the Avera McGreevey Seventh Avenue Clinic, the Community Resource Center, and the Avera 69 and Cliff Clinic. Pantries are also located in Pierre, Parkstone and Lake Indies, with plans to expand to other rural communities in the near future. And, the Evora Research Institute hosts a health pantry that reaches mothers and babies through community-based research projects.
Learn more about women’s and children’s services at Avera.
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