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I’ve spent my entire life in grocery stores. I am a fourth-generation grocer and President & CEO of GF Buche Co., serving rural and tribal communities in South Dakota for 120 years. Some of our customers are the poorest people in the United States and live in the most remote areas of South Dakota. I know exactly what role local grocers play, and right now, that role has never been more critical.
The government shutdown has thrown SNAP benefits into uncertainty. Families are anxious, wondering if and when they’ll be able to put food on the table. Children should not feel the stress of parents deciding whether to skip meals. And even if benefits land this month, the scheduled cuts coming in 2026 keep me up at night. I know who will pay the price: parents working multiple jobs, children whose school lunches may be their only full meal, elders choosing between food and medicine, and veterans who served their country but now struggle just to eat.
When Washington plays politics, real families go hungry.
Midnight on SNAP Day
On SNAP disbursement days, we keep our stores open late. If you stand inside at midnight, you’ll see a parent pushing two carts, one for groceries and one with a sleeping child wrapped in a blanket. Hunger. Exhaustion. Relief. For many, it’s the first real food in days.
This isn’t hypothetical. It happens every month in South Dakota.
Rural Hunger Looks Different
In places like Pine Ridge, Mission, Marty, and Lower Brule, hunger isn’t about poor choices, it’s about barriers built into geography and economy: long distances, limited transportation, fewer jobs. More than *113,000 South Dakotans, including 1 in 5 children, struggle with food insecurity. *https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/south-dakota/how-nonprofits-are-teaming-up-to-fight-hunger-in-south-dakota These aren’t statistics in my stores. They are customers.
This Isn’t Political. It’s Personal.
I’m not here to point fingers. I’m here to say that kids shouldn’t go to bed hungry while Congress argues over shutdown leverage. Treating food access as a bargaining chip is a moral failure.
South Dakotans take care of each other. When one neighbor struggles, the rest of us step up. That’s not charity, that’s who we are. But right now, decisions made thousands of miles away are pushing families to the edge.
SNAP Works, And Cuts Will Hurt
SNAP is not a luxury. It is the backbone of food access for:
• Working parents
• Seniors stretching limited income
• Kids who deserve nourishment to learn and grow
• Veterans deserving more than survival mode
SNAP dollars spent in a rural store support the entire community, keeping doors open, jobs local, and shelves full. Cutting this support is not responsible governance.
We’re Stepping Up – Washington Must Too
Through our nonprofit Team Buche Cares teambuchecares.org, we aim to provide 50,000 meals at Thanksgiving and another 50,000 at Christmas. We respond to urgent needs when families reach out. But philanthropy cannot replace federal responsibility. Donors help thousands. SNAP helps tens of thousands.
Hungry Children Can’t Wait
This isn’t a policy debate. It’s dinner. Stability. Survival.
Here’s what I’m asking Congress to do:
• End the shutdown
• Fully fund SNAP for November
• Reverse the cuts planned for 2026
• Remember the families living with the consequences
My family built our grocery stores on one belief: food is love, food is dignity, and food is hope. In the United States of America, in the heart of South Dakota, no child should have to worry about eating.
South Dakotans take care of each other. Caring for our neighbors, sharing in times of plenty and ensuring no one is forgotten, those are the values that make our state strong.
It’s time for Washington to do the same.
AUTHOR BIO
RF Buche is the President & CEO of GF Buche Companies buchefoods.com and Founder of Team Buche Cares teambuchecares.org. He is a fourth-generation grocer serving rural and tribal communities across South Dakota, where his family’s business has operated for 120 years.
Contact:
RF Buche
Phone/Text: 605-491-0789
Email: RF@gfbucheco.com
