North Dakota Group Collects Over 57,000 Signatures for Free School Meals Proposal

Together for School Meals aims to ensure every K-12 student has access to free breakfast and lunch.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 8:20pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a stack of school lunch trays repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the push for universal free school meals in North Dakota.A grassroots campaign to provide free school meals for all North Dakota students gains momentum through a successful petition drive.Fargo Today

A North Dakota advocacy group called Together for School Meals has collected over 57,000 signatures in just over 100 days in an effort to get a constitutional initiative on the ballot that would provide free school meals to all K-12 students in the state. The group exceeded the required 31,000 signatures by over 26,000, demonstrating strong public support for the proposal across political and geographic lines.

Why it matters

Providing free school meals is seen as a direct way to invest in the wellbeing of North Dakota's students and strengthen communities. The measure has garnered support from a broad coalition of parents, educators, labor leaders, and community organizations who believe it is a commonsense policy that addresses issues of student hunger and family financial hardship.

The details

The proposed measure would guarantee every enrolled K-12 student in North Dakota access to one free breakfast and one free lunch every school day. While the measure doesn't specify the funding source, it ensures lawmakers will use the state's Legacy Fund earnings if other resources aren't sufficient. The group collected the signatures in just over 100 days, demonstrating the strong public support for the initiative.

  • Together for School Meals delivered the signatures to the North Dakota Secretary of State on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
  • The Secretary of State has until May 14, 2026 to determine if enough valid signatures were collected for the constitutional initiative to appear on the ballot.

The players

Together for School Meals

A North Dakota advocacy group that organized the petition drive to get a constitutional initiative on the ballot to provide free school meals to all K-12 students in the state.

Amy Jacobson

Board leader with Together for School Meals.

Robin Nelson

Fargo School Board member and Chair of Together for School Meals.

Michael Howe

North Dakota Secretary of State.

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What they’re saying

“This is what it looks like when people show up for something they believe in. We saw an outpouring of support in every corner of the state with people asking to sign, volunteers stepping up, and organizations leaning in. Collecting this number of signatures so quickly speaks to how much North Dakotans want to see this move forward.”

— Amy Jacobson, Board leader, Together for School Meals

“Providing school meals at no cost is one of the most direct ways we can invest in our kids. This measure resonates across political and geographic lines because it's about kids, families, and fairness not politics. It's a commonsense policy that supports students and strengthens our communities.”

— Robin Nelson, Fargo School Board member and Chair, Together for School Meals

What’s next

The North Dakota Secretary of State has until May 14, 2026 to determine if the petition drive collected enough valid signatures to get the free school meals initiative on the ballot.

The takeaway

The overwhelming public support for this initiative, as demonstrated by the rapid collection of over 57,000 signatures, highlights the broad consensus in North Dakota that providing free school meals is a critical investment in the wellbeing of students and communities. If approved by voters, this measure could set a new standard for student nutrition access nationwide.