The Sconi

Perry Pokrandt has enjoyed a successful career in sales, providing a good life for his family.

He said some people chose a different path in life, not driven by economic success, such as his wife Becky, a teacher for 35 years. She often spoke with him about her students and her concern for them.

“I listened to words about food insecurity and the challenges children faced for 35 years,” Pokrandt told The Sconi. “Like a good husband, I really wasn’t listening.”

But some of the words and ideas seeped through. After he retired Pokrandt realized he needed something else to fill his day.

“I found out that doing nothing was more work than doing something,” he said.

In early 2019 Pokrandt decided to try to do something to help feed kids in Vilas County. From that desire, Feed Our Rural Kids (FORK) was cooked up.

The 501(c)(3) entity was started in May 2019. After one year, Pokrandt said, support has been widespread as people in northern Wisconsin have rallied to raise money to feed school-aged children in the Northland Pines School District (NPSD).

Northland Pines School District administrator Scott Foster serves on the FORK board. It wasn’t a requirement, and like all school district officials, he already had a full schedule. But he said FORK matches his desire for helping kids, especially with food insecurity issues.

“It is aligned exactly with our passion and needs for our students,” he said.

The district has about 1,300 students, and about half were classified as being in food insecurity situations. Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, that figure could b closer to 75 percent, according to Foster. Hungry kids have difficulty focusing on education.

“If you’re worried about eating, it hurts you developmentally but it also hurts your dreams and goals,” Foster said.

He is in his 20th year with the district, the second as the administrator. It’s a massive district, the state’s largest with 464 square miles spread across a tourist area lined with trees and dotted with lakes.

Restaurants, bars and vacation homes ring the lakes, and most residents work in related businesses. Pokrandt said jobs are often seasonal, with work available in the summer and again in the winter. Income is 23 percent below the state average, but food costs are 28 percent higher.

He said homes are often 15 to 20 miles from stores that sell healthy, nutritious and affordable food. Pokrandt said there are “more trees than people” in the district and getting around is a challenge, with every road circling lakes, since the county has more lakes than any other in the nation.

It’s easy to end up living in a remote area with little access to food. With income instability added to the mix, there are many children who aren’t sure what is on the menu for the week.

There were, anyway. FORK has raised both money and hopes, and filling hungry bellies across the region.

Pokrandt said it launched new programs, including FORK Cares, which provides food for kids during the summer and on school breaks, Meals Now, an emergency program for students who were suddenly in peril of having no food because of family disruption, homelessness or some other unexpected development.

The COVID-19 crisis has increased the need for Meals Now, he said. 

FORK also launched JumpStart, which provides nutritional support such as fresh fruit and vegetables to women, infant and children (WIC) recipients who are 130 percent under poverty level.

The Emergency Formula Support Program makes sure mothers have formula when they need it; Pokrandt said the WIC staffers know when this is needed.

FORK has raised money from individuals, businesses, organizations and events, including a concert that has been shown online and is “mega-cool,” Pokrandt said. The concert earned a $20,000 match.

“We’ve been hugely successful at raising money for our programs,” he said.

Board members include Pokrandt, Foster and other community members. They have a specialist in writing grants and a registered dietitian.

Pokrandt said matters are going well, even with the unexpected challenge of COVID-19. But what will happen this fall and in the years ahead?

“The key is sustainability,” he said. “The difficulty we have now is COVID-19, [which has] changed the game literally. But will it be there this fall?”

Pokrandt said FORK will exist as long as the need does and it has the resources to assist the district. 

“Our commitment to the school district is we will be there for them as long as we have the funds,” he said. “We’ve made an impact and we’ve just begun.”

On the FORK website, he noted what drove him to start the organization.

“You have to live life with passion," he said. "As a retired individual, you need to find a way to channel the energies that defined you within your real world job/career. FORK is a now endeavor, the need is immediate as will be the impact of our fundraising on children from food insecure homes within the Northland Pines School District. I believe that my skill set from life makes me uniquely qualified to be a part of this community-wide effort.”

Foster said FORK has been “a real blessing” to the district and the students know it. The National Honor Society and the Class of 2020 raised money to support it.

“I know they’re appreciative,” he said. “The little kids who may not say it in words say it with smiles and hugs.”