A student holding a blue lunch tray.

Spring is here, and it’s a good time to recap the winter season and look ahead to what’s next. Early 2026 showed steady momentum for policies that could expand school meal access, strengthen farm to school programs, and deepen students’ connections to food through hands-on learning. Here’s what you need to know—and how you can help. 

What Shaped the Season

This winter brought good news in several states where leaders are working to strengthen meal access, meal quality, and local procurement. 

In Oklahoma, S.B. 985 passed the Senate unanimously and moved to the House. The bill would establish the Oklahoma Local Food for Schools Program, helping schools buy more food from Oklahoma producers while strengthening local supply chains. 

In West Virginia, H.B. 4982 passed both chambers. This bill would implement and fund a sustainable farm to school program, identify in-state vendors, and prioritize grants that help schools expand farm to school participation. 

In Rhode Island, lawmakers introduced S. 2663, a bill that would phase in free school breakfast and lunch for all public school students statewide over three years. The bill would also require schools to improve meal quality, including through scratch cooking and increased local purchasing. 

FoodCorps Advocacy in Action

This winter, FoodCorps members and partners showed up to advocate across the country.

In Massachusetts, FoodCorps’ partners gathered for Ag Day at the State House on March 11 to celebrate the Commonwealth’s agricultural sector and speak directly with lawmakers about the issues shaping its future. Advocates organized and encouraged support for H.565 / S.311, legislation that would establish a permanent Massachusetts farm to school program. These bills would create a farm to school grant program to support local purchasing and food literacy in schools. 

In Mississippi, FoodCorps joined partners at the Food Systems Day at the Capitol, also on March 11, to uplift equitable, sustainable, and community-centered food systems, as part of a larger coalition effort to address long-standing disinvestment and build a stronger local food system in the state. 

In Oregon, FoodCorps advocates sent emails in support of the state’s Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program, which helps farmers, ranchers, seafood harvesters, and processors buy the equipment they need to sell to schools and other child nutrition sites.  Thanks in part to advocates who participated in FoodCorps’ advocacy alert, the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s reconciliation budget passed with the Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program fully funded, despite a proposed cut of more than 50%. The program continues in the 2025–27 biennium.

FoodCorps also supported School Meals for All in Oregon as part of the campaign Steering Committee, calling on supporters to email and call their legislators, and submitting testimony on behalf of HB 1581. While the bill did not pass this session, our community helped prevent $27 million in proposed cuts to Oregon’s Hunger Free Schools Account, and we expect maintained momentum for reintroduction in the 2027 session.

What We’re Watching

At the federal level, House Agriculture Committee leadership released the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, known commonly as the Farm Bill, in February, which the committee reviewed in early March. It’s unclear what the final legislation will look like, but we’re keeping a close eye on its progress as this bill has the power to shape how local food systems, school food purchasing, and child nutrition programs operate. 

Advocacy Actions

In California, advocates are heading into School Garden Advocacy Day on April 9–10 in Sacramento with two major priorities: securing $25 million for K–12 garden-based education through the state Department of Food and Agriculture’s Farm to School Program, and advancing a Senate bill to move the outdated Instructional School Garden Program into the Department’s Office of Farm to Fork. FoodCorps is proud to be working alongside the School Garden Coalition organizing the day of action to build better supports for school gardens, including expanding hands-on food education. 

Live in California and want to help? Email your legislators in support of both priorities, or join us in person by registering to attend the advocacy day.

In Massachusetts, An Act to Promote Food Literacy (S.392 / H.735) would ensure more students learn about nutrition, agriculture, food justice, and culinary skills in school. This bill would help schools teach food literacy by identifying strong lesson resources, supporting educator training, and creating a trust fund to offset costs of introducing food literacy programs. 

Live in Massachusetts and want to help? Submit testimony supporting the legislation using this template and email instructions.

To stay on top of these and more ways to support school meals, farm to school, and food education in your community, create your profile on FoodCorps’ Policy Action Map.