The South Sioux City Library participates with a variety of community groups on getting fresh garden produce to people who are hungry in the area. The SSC Library teaches classes on food preservation to the hungry and how to grow garden crops to new gardeners. Presenter: Dave Mixdorf, Director, South Sioux City (NE) Public Library.

1. Feeding the Hungry at
the Library
South Sioux City Public Library

2. Programming
• 1,200 programs will be offered this
year.
• 4 full time staff, 6 part time staff
• Volunteers
• Other agencies

3. Strategic Plan

4. Look outside the library
Town Hall Meetings
In-House Library surveys
Surveys left with the school district
Surveys left at area businesses

5. Met with area service
organizations
Dakota County Connections
Dakota County Health Department
Dakota County Extension
Mary Treglia Community House

6. 246,000 Nebraskans are food insecure, and 97,000 of those are
children. Food insecurity is identified as families who don’t know
where their next meal is coming from.
Dakota County has food insecurity rate of 11.5%, meaning 2,410
people in Dakota County don’t know where their next meal is
coming from.
Dakota County ranks 78th out of 79th in Health Behaviors and Social
Economic Factors
Poverty and Hunger Issues

7. Community Garden

8. Community Orchard

9. Dakota County Voices for food met at the Iowa Nebraska Bank
meeting room. Attending: Marion Cain, Charles Davis, Bill Garvey,
Gina Gile, Jan Hawk, Corrinna Lenort, Dave Mixdorf, Brenda Sale,
Alyssa Silhacek, Morgan Hartline, Vanessa Wielenga, Yolanda Garcia,
Alexandra Krula, Jen Heil

10. Voices for Food
Facebook

11. Attention Home Gardeners:
Do you garden and have extra produce that you
don't use?
Do you wish you had a way to help someone in
need?
Do you know that over 2,000 people in Dakota
County don't know where their next meal is
coming from!

12. Voices for Food Plot

13. Cooking Classes

14. Canning Classes

15. Garden Classes
Meets once a month
Covers different topics:
Square foot gardening
Seed Starting
Companion Planting
Herb gardening
Vermicomposting
Good Bug, Bad Bug

16. After School Meals

17. Processing/Pick-Up Sites
First Luthern Church 3601 Dakota Ave South Sioux City, NE
1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month from 11am-2pm
United Methodist Church Locust Dakota City, NE
Sunday 12pm-1pm Wednesday 1pm-3pm
Salem Luthern Church 1753 G Ave (Highway 35 West) South Sioux City, NE
Sunday 9am-12pm Wednesday 9am-3pm
St. Paul Methodist Chruch 2003 A Street South Sioux City, NE
Monday 4pm-6pm Friday 4pm-6pm
Goodwill Camp 570 152nd Street (Highway 20 West) South Sioux City, NE
Tuesday 9am-12pm Wednesday 9am-12pm

18. Volunteer Groups

19. The garden program has
collected and distributed
Approximately 9,000
pounds of produce this
summer.

20. Future Plans

21. Continued expansion
of education programs
for growers.

22. Recruitment of
new growers

23. Library as a food
distribution site that
stays open past 5pm