More healthy food options for kids expand into rural South Dakota - Kotatv

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) -Youth and Family Services impacts 14,000 children and adults through its long standing Child and Adult Care Food Program. It aims to give kids more healthy food options, and now it’s working to expand its reach in the 29 South Dakota Counties it serves.

Childcare providers get reimbursed for buying healthy meals and snacks through the program, but these treats are not the only benefit. Some of the remote locations Childcare Coordinator, Karen Malone travels to are Buffalo, Eureka and Hoven. There, the importance of healthy eating is being taught at a young age.

”Nutrition is always a need, for kids especially in the rural areas because the food is harder to come by, then say Rapid City where we have several outlets where they can get the food, it’s a little bit tougher for those rural communities,” Malone said.

Now that the program has expanded to reach counties as far east as Brule, Malone says they have been getting a lot of interest from other rural areas.

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