Going Beyond SNAP in Anti-Poverty Advocacy

This document is a guide to a variety of data concerning a range of issues affecting South Dakotans. It is meant to be an introduction to the layout of the state’s policy landscape and to create a demographic and political profile. Future Emerson Fellows or anyone interested in policy work in South Dakota will find the section on community organizations and leaders useful, and it can be used by anyone interested in a primer on federal nutrition programs and advocacy around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This document is not a formal report—practicality and usability, as well as resources for future information, are prioritized. As are philosophical musings. It informs the reader about a variety of issues and makes a case for a broad-based advocacy around the interrelated issues of food assistance, wages, racial disparities, housing costs, healthcare costs, and other issues instead of a myopic focus on hunger that allows corporations and non-profits alike to ignore issues that might hurt their bottom line or their funding sources. Instead of treating hunger as a standalone issue, this report highlights the impact of corporate influence in exacerbating existing societal disparities and food insecurity.