Washington, D.C. –Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), and Val Hoyle (D-OR-04) led the reintroduction of the Feeding Our Rural Kids (FORK) Act, which would help summer meal program sponsors purchase, retrofit, or repair vehicles that expand access to summer meals for children in rural communities.
In addition to Merkley, Salinas, Lawler, and Hoyle, the bipartisan, bicameral FORK Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“Every child—everywhere—deserves delicious and nutritious meals all year long,” said Merkley. “Communities in Oregon and across the United States are finding innovative ways to make sure students do not go hungry during the summer months. The bipartisan FORK Act builds on those efforts by helping rural communities expand meal delivery and meal pick-up at sites closer to where families live, so geography is never a barrier to feeding kids nationwide.”
“Summer should not mean losing access to a healthy meal. But for too many children in rural Oregon, long distances and limited transportation make it harder to reach summer meal sites when school is out. The FORK Act offers a practical solution by helping schools bring meals directly to the children who need them. Every child deserves reliable access to nutritious food all year long, no matter their ZIP code,” said Salinas.
“Every child deserves access to a healthy meal, regardless of where they live, and many of our rural communities face transportation challenges that can make it harder for children to access summer meal programs. This pilot program gives schools and community organizations the tools they need to bring meals directly to kids, helping ensure that no child goes hungry simply because they live too far from a meal distribution site,” said Lawler.
“No child should go hungry because school is out for the summer,” said Hoyle. “The FORK Act is an important step toward making sure every child can access the meals they need to grow, learn and thrive.”
“Thousands of Oregonians are being denied food assistance under Trump’s draconian cuts to SNAP and other federal programs,” said Wyden. “This bill would help restore critical food assistance to kids, helping meet them exactly where they are to end the ongoing hunger crisis in Oregon’s schools.”
“Vermont has the highest percentage of rural students in the nation–that means food-insecure students in our state have a harder time participating in summer meal programs. Investing in food delivery programs that transport students to and from summer meal sites has to be part of the solution,” said Welch. “Our bill works to close the summer meal gap and ensure rural students in Vermont, Oregon, and across the country can access nutritious meals all year long.”
The FORK Act is inspired by Oregon ingenuity. To ensure students could access healthy, nutritious meals during the summer, Umatilla School District Superintendent Heidi Sipe and Child Nutrition Director Rikkilynn Starliper purchased a van and retrofitted it into a food truck that is used to bring meals to parks throughout their community, reducing travel time and transportation barriers for children and families in rural areas.
The FORK Act would help replicate that model across the nation. Especially because vehicle purchases are not otherwise allowed under the Summer Food Service Program, the bipartisan, bicameral legislation would establish a three-year pilot grant program to help summer meal program sponsors reduce transportation barriers and bring nutritious meals closer to children and families during the summer. The bill would also build on existing rural non-congregate summer meal flexibilities by helping sponsors acquire transportation infrastructure to fully utilize those options.
The bill is endorsed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Alliance to End Hunger, FoodCorps, Marion Polk Food Share, Oregon Food Bank, Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Save the Children, School Nutrition Association, Share Our Strength, Umatilla School District, Woodburn School District, and AASA, the School Superintendents Association.
“Summer meal programs do more than feed students; they offer vital spaces for nutrition, connection, and growth during the break. Our district’s food truck has allowed us to replace basic sack lunches with a variety of hot, complete meals. This opportunity has also allowed us to partner with other organizations to team up for activities and community building while also providing such services in multiple locations due to the flexibility of the mobile truck option. Fueling learners across the Nation with the Feeding Our Rural Kids (FORK) Act is a strong investment in all students,” said Heidi Sipe, Umatilla School District Superintendent.
“For too many children, summer break means losing access to the healthy school meals they count on all year. The Feeding Our Rural Kids (FORK) Act would provide critical funding to deliver nutritious summer meals to children in need, removing transportation barriers for families across rural America and ensuring students return to school nourished and ready to learn,” said Ashley Powell, PhD, RD, FAND, SNS, School Nutrition Association President.
“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics strongly supports the Feeding Our Rural Kids (FORK) Act. This legislation will help ensure that children in rural and underserved communities have greater access to nutritious meals during the summer months by providing meal sponsors with the tools needed to reach families facing travel and access barriers. We applaud the bill’s sponsors for advancing solutions that help children thrive by keeping them connected to nutritious food when school is out,” said Tamara Randall, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics President.
“We need to help the children in our care, no matter where they live, in cities or rural areas, be able to access enough food every day, in every season, for a healthy life so they can learn to their fullest potential. Let’s invest in making sure that children in rural areas have opportunities for meals to get to them,” said Eric Mitchell, Alliance to End Hunger President.
“Rural non-congregate meals have been a lifeline for families during the summer. Before this expansion, far too many kids missed out on nutritious meals because of barriers that made it difficult to access summer meals programs. Now this bill will unlock new opportunities so resources reach farther, rural communities are more connected, and more kids can be fed,” said Claire Borzner, director of federal government relations for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign.
“Summer meal programs are an essential part of supporting the health, well-being, and continued success of children in Woodburn and other communities. When the school year ends, a child’s need for nutritious food does not. For many families, summer meal programs provide an important source of stability and help ensure that children remain healthy, active, and ready to learn when they return to school. Delivering summer meals to rural communities would allow more children to be reached and reduce barriers for families. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of where they live,” said Juan Larios, Woodburn School District Superintendent.
Full text of the FORK Act can be found by clicking here.
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