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FORK Act of 2026

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 30, 2026

Feeding Our Rural Kids Act of 2026 or the FORK Act of 2026

This bill establishes a summer meal delivery vehicle pilot program as part of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). (The SFSP is a federally funded, state-administered program that reimburses providers that serve no-cost, healthy meals and snacks to children and teens at summer sites in low-income communities.)

Under the bill, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award one-year grants of up to $100,000 for service institutions (e.g., school food authorities) to purchase, retrofit, or repair vehicles to facilitate noncongregate meal distribution. This is meal distribution outside of the typically required group, or congregate, setting (e.g., grab-and-go meal service).

Among other things, USDA must give priority to service institutions located in an area in which poor economic conditions exist and that serve a high proportion of students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. USDA must also ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that service institutions receiving grants are located in different states.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
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Who introduced it

Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · D–OR

Committees

  • Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

  2. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Sep 15, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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