Community support for FORK programs making a difference

As Feed Our Rural Kids (FORK) closes in on its “Phase I” Legacy Fund goal of $1 million, it becomes increasingly clear that the food insecurity challenge is bigger than imagined and that the greater community is dedicated to helping the nonprofit conquer it head-on.

Realizing early in its five-year history that financial stability and sustainability are vital to the many programs needed to feed children long-term, the FORK board of directors established the Tomorrow’s Kids Endowment Fund — which has since been renamed the FORK Legacy Fund.

It’s that commitment to the long game, regardless of how the economy and donors might be situated in any given year, that propelled the board to look beyond its initial successes.

We believe the Legacy Fund to be a brilliant idea. The time is likely to come when a recession or economic downtown increases food insecurity, while also driving down the public’s ability to provide support, and that’s when Legacy Fund backup will ensure programs can match the public need — and not just FORK’s programs.

One example of that support is that since the Legacy Fund’s inception, FORK has been able to provide the churches running Northwoods Backpack programs more than $70,000 in financial support through its annual Backpack Challenge.

Getting full public use of the food insecurity programs is yet another challenge, both in getting guardians to accept the help their kids need and in making the public aware of how to access help when life events create unexpected food shortages at a moment’s notice.

Board members say the year ahead presents FORK the opportunity to reach more children with the nutritional support they need.

“To be bigger, in that sense, requires us to be better at all we do,” said Perry Pokrandt, president of FORK. “Our plan is to continue to expand program benefits, reach out to more families in support of their children, and develop more partnerships while inspiring more donors and volunteers.”

That’s a tall order and we wish FORK well. To donate or learn about how contributions are put to work, people can go to FeedOurRuralKids.org.