Preserve & Prosper: LSS partnership addresses food insecurity

This piece is sponsored by LSS.

A casual conversation between two friends about canning became a community-driven collaboration empowering people with skills in gardening, food preservation and local food systems to foster self-reliance, wellness and economic opportunity. And in just a few months.

It all started in March when Jacque Johnson, the Older Adult Resource Network project coordinator for LSS of South Dakota, was chatting with a friend about how she spent her afternoon. She had canned apples and made apple butter and apple pie filling. The Lake Andes mother of five taught herself how to can when her children were young and has always appreciated self-sufficiency, even grinding her own flour.

“When I told her I had been canning, she replied, ‘Others would like to learn how to can,’” Johnson said.

That friend happened to be Shelly Saunsoci, who runs the food kitchen in the south-central South Dakota community.

“She feeds people who can’t feed themselves,” Johnson said. “The conversation got our wheels turning.”

LSS of South Dakota in collaboration with Lutheran Services in America developed the Older Adult Resource Network in 2022 in Charles Mix and Douglas counties.

In 2025, the program expanded to Hutchinson and Bon Homme counties. OARN aims to help older adults live in the place of their choice by developing needed resources and connecting people to community resources to make independence possible. Through this work, OARN has completed assessments of older people to identify gaps they see as barriers to remaining in their homes. During these assessments, 263 people reported food security as a concern.

Johnson and Saunsoci reached out to Mary Jo Parker, a well-respected retired teacher who now runs the Lake Andes Food & Wellness Council, library and community garden, and began conversations with SDSU Extension, Rural Office of Community Services, Wagner Area Growth and Yankton Sioux Tribe.

“All these organizations were doing little pieces of this work, but no one had put it all together,” Johnson said. “We all got together and wondered if we could pool our resources and offer something impactful to the community to help address food insecurity.”

And Preserve & Prosper was born.

The original meeting that kicked the idea into full gear included Ethel Cournoyer, Yankton Sioux Tribe Early Childhood Program; Jacque Johnson, LSS of South Dakota; Rebecca Beeson, SDSU Extension; Mary Jo Parker, Lake Andes Public Library, Lake Andes Food & Wellness Council and Lake Andes Community Garden; Leah Antelope, master canner and trainer; Stephanie Cournoyer, Yankton Sioux Tribe Early Childhood Program; Gail Estes, Yankton Sioux Tribe; and Carla Pesicka, Rural Office of Community Services.

Workshops ignite local interest

The group decided to offer a series of open houses in Lake Andes, Wagner and Marty in March and April to gauge public interest. All three meetings were packed with community members interested in learning how to garden, can and eat healthier. The open houses also offered attendees the opportunity to start seeds that eventually could be planted in a garden.

Then in June, a workshop was scheduled to teach people how to make and preserve salsa. The team got the word out through newspaper articles, radio interviews, posters, a booth at the local farmers market and a Facebook group.

Because only eight jars fit in the canner the team was using, space was limited to eight attendees, but the interest was so great that they offered three sessions so all 24 registrants could participate. The canning teachers were community members who demonstrated the recipes and taught attendees how to can. At the end, everyone could snack on the results.

The limits on attendees also kept the classes small enough to be completely hands-on. “We want them to do the actual work and ask questions and learn to do everything safely,” Johnson said. “The whole goal was to have the older adults pass on the skills they have.”

The second workshop took place in August, when more than 30 people signed up to can dill pickles. Yes, that meant there was a waiting list. In September, they plan to can chokecherry jelly.

Along the way, Master Food Preserver volunteers became involved, and a grant is being written to provide funding for more people in the community to go through that training so there are more canning teachers.

Growth takes root

The results have been clear and quick. Lake Andes has a beautiful community garden that largely went unused until now. This year, the garden saw a 700 percent increase in its use.

The Lake Andes Public Library now offers canning kits people can check out just like a book.

A survey also was offered to attendees of the open houses and workshops. Reviews are glowing, with one exception: Attendees want the classes to be longer. Organizers have listened and added more time to each workshop.

The collaboration and contributions of all the partner entities has been critical to the program’s success.

“Before the first open house, I was sure no one would show up,” Johnson said. “It’s been a perfect storm that it fit the specific goals of each of the entities. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. It just all fell together.”

And it occurred at a time when food prices continue to rise and in an area where it can be a trek to reach affordable groceries.

“When you learn how to grow your own food and preserve it, you increase your ability to weather whatever comes your way,” Johnson said. “And who doesn’t want to eat healthier and save money?”

Learn more about the services LSS offers to older adults here.

Follow Preserve & Prosper on Facebook here.