Submitted Photo Rural school superintendents in North Dakota say various federal funding cuts over the past year put more pressure on their budgets, including working with vendors that provide healthy foods for school meals. Photo from Adobe Stock.

The intersection between healthy meals and schools is poised to be a big conversation throughout North Dakota this year.

In one rural area, a celebrated grocer initiative is doing its part to stock local schools with quality foods. Statewide, voters could decide whether North Dakota should provide free school meals to all students, regardless of household income, if a citizen-led coalition succeeds in getting the question on the ballot. In the meantime, food access efforts remain a priority in areas where grocery stores have a hard time staying open.

Jenna Gullickson co-owns Hoople Grocery, part of the Rural Access Distribution Cooperative. Under the program, local stores share and purchase bulk items together, and Gullickson said a handful of rural schools are on the delivery route.

“They get all their fresh produce from us. They get their milk through us,” she said. “Our RAD Co-op brings that to their schools every week.”

She said the schools still work with other food vendors, but partnering with the co-op helps overcome issues with distributors. The Food Research and Action Center has said school meals are a critical component of the U.S. safety net, noting accessible lunches are linked to a 14% reduction of food insufficiency risk.

Gullickson and her husband also are raising two kids in Hoople. She holds a strong desire for the community to succeed, whether its schools or local businesses. Her operation has long-term plans to be a community anchor, and a new grant will fund a store expansion.

“My problem now is that we have outgrown our space,” she said. “I have every inch of my wall covered with products, and I need more space. So, that is a very good problem for us to have.”

Gullickson shared these thoughts as part of a conversation led by the CDC Foundation. Last year, the superintendent of the Fort Ransom School District touched on broader resource barriers in an op-ed through the Rural Schools Collaborative. He said smaller districts face declining enrollments, aging infrastructures and tight budgets. He added that the cancellation of a U.S. Department of Agriculture program left many rural schools without access to fresh, locally sourced food.