Five-year reflection on FORK shows enormous progress; fast-growing Legacy Fund

As another year comes to a close, the end of the year marks five years of service to the community for Feed Our Rural Kids (FORK) — founded to fight well-documented problems involving food insecurity in area school districts.

“Reflecting back on this organization’s journey, thus far, is a source of great satisfaction,” stated FORK President Perry Pokrandt. “With an honest look back, we are able to see how far we’ve come, while at the same time gain a measure of all there is yet to do.”

The FORK board of directors has measured progress against four critical success factors, including the creation of impactful FORK Meal programs, building collaborative relationships within the community, public awareness of FORK and the food insecurity issue, and working toward financial sustainability.

As 2025 comes into view, Scott Foster, Northland Pines School District administrator and FORK vice president, said a look back makes clear the impact of FORK’s four food programs.

“FORK Cares has provided the equivalent of over 70,000 meals to children during their winter, spring, and summer breaks from school, and time away from school during the pandemic,” said Foster. “And, our FORK Now program continues to offer children emergency food support during times of declining food security for their families.”

In December, the FORK Pantry program will celebrate the opening of its 12th location, said FORK Pantry Chairperson Jean Arndt.

“Through this program, we invite food insecure families with children to ‘take what they need’ from the pantry location nearest to them,” she said.

Pokrandt added that by year’s end, they hope to have introduced nearly 80 children to the benefits of the local food pantries through incentives provided to their families during the first year of the FORK Extra program.

He said a review of all FORK’s collaborative relationships shows the importance of these partnerships as they affect the success of each of their food programs.

“To serve the needs of the children, FORK relies on relationships formed with our area’s school districts and churches, as well as civic, governmental and fraternal organizations,” he said. “Together, they are the difference makers in all of FORK’s efforts.”

Biggest impact

But the most widely impactful of FORK’s collaborations is the foundation of FORK’s Family Food Helpline.

Made possible through its relationship with the Vilas and Oneida County Departments of Social Services, the Family Food Helpline means that food support is now only a call away at 888-479-FORK (3675).

“Through the Family Food Helpline, we are able to direct local residents in need of free food support to programs available to them both on a state and local level,” explained Vilas County Director of Social Services Kate Gardner. “Help is now just a call away for all the residents of Vilas and Oneida counties.”

Improving the community’s awareness and understanding around the issue of rural food insecurity is the most difficult challenge, explained FORK Education Director Rick Miech.

“To tell the story around food insecurity we rely on our area newspapers, radio and television stations, as well as spreading the word via Facebook and other creative efforts,” offered Meich. “But even though we tell the story, we can not know who makes the effort to read and to understand. Success in this endeavor will only be achieved through FORK’s commitment to the long game.”

In order to secure the fourth and final measure of organizational success — financial stability and sustainability — the FORK board of directors created the Tomorrow’s Kids Endowment Fund. The name has since been changed to the FORK Legacy Fund.

Pokrandt said the fund’s goal was and is to provide a “Legacy of Hope” by providing financial support and long-term sustainability to all of this community’s efforts to feed children, not just those of FORK as an organization.

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

“This coming February marks the end of FORK Legacy Fund’s four-year capital campaign. We are very grateful that the community has stood with us to take on this forward-looking challenge,” said FORK Legacy Fund Chairman Ben Rabenn. “As we close in on this endowment’s ‘Phase 1’ financial goal of $1 million, we can see more clearly all of that which FORK’s Legacy Fund makes possible — both for today and years into the future.”

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 that we do,” added Pokrandt. “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.”

To learn more about how this community’s financial contributions are put to work by FORK and its programs, people can go to FeedOurRuralKids.org.
Feed Our Rural Kids is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.