BOSTON ~ Boston Mayor and U.S. Representative Visit Local Farm to Promote Healthy School Meals

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Representative Jim McGovern made a special visit to the Joe Czajkowski Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. The purpose of their visit was to highlight the success of Boston Public Schools' (BPS) farm-to-school program.

Accompanied by State Senator Joanne Comerford, State Representative Daniel Carey, and Deputy Commissioner Winton Pitcoff of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, as well as BPS Director of Food and Nutrition Services Anneliese Tanner, Mayor Wu and Representative McGovern were given a tour of Czajkowski Farm.

This visit by Mayor Wu is a testament to the City of Boston's commitment to using its purchasing power to invest locally and ensure that young people in Boston have access to healthy and nutritious food. "Serving nutritious, local food to our young people creates the best possible learning environment for our students, while nurturing healthy eating habits and also contributing to our regional economy," said Mayor Wu.

During their tour of Czajkowski Farm, Mayor Wu and Representative McGovern learned about the farm's production of several tons of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes each year for BPS. The City purchases approximately 19,000 pounds of butternut squash from Czajkowski Farm annually for use in school meals. In addition to this partnership with Czajkowski Farm, BPS also sources produce from other local farms in Massachusetts and across New England.

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Through these partnerships with local farms like Czajkowski's, BPS is able to fulfill the National School Lunch Program requirement of serving red and orange vegetables with locally grown produce. This not only supports local farmers but also allows BPS Food and Nutrition Services staff to prepare culturally relevant meals with fresh ingredients.

In the past year, BPS has made significant progress in increasing scratch cooking in school kitchens. This school year, 98 school sites are now using scratch cooking compared to 85 schools last year. Scratch cooking not only allows BPS to spend more of its food budget locally but also supports the Biden-Harris administration's National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

BPS Director of Food and Nutrition Services Anneliese Tanner expressed her pride in the district's commitment to sourcing food locally. "Boston Public Schools is the largest restaurant chain in New England and we're proud to be a farm-to-table restaurant chain," she said. "Thanks to Farmer Joe and with support from Mayor Wu and our partners, BPS students eat fresh, nutritious breakfast and lunch made with ingredients grown right here in Massachusetts."

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The partnership between BPS and Czajkowski Farm has also had a positive impact on the farm's workforce. By providing a consistent purchasing market for their produce, Czajkowski Farm has been able to grow its year-round workforce, providing more stable jobs for those who work outside year-round to grow the state's food. This not only supports Massachusetts' rural economy but also helps keep land in agriculture and protect the climate.

Mayor Wu's visit to Czajkowski Farm serves as an example of how partnerships between schools and local farms can create a sustainable food system that benefits both students and farmers. Representative McGovern praised this partnership as a model for other communities across the country. "I'm so grateful for the Mayor's leadership and commitment to ensuring that every student in Boston has access to locally produced meals," he said.

With plans to increase local sourcing from 15% to 30%, BPS is dedicated to continuing its support for local farms like Czajkowski's while providing healthy meals for its students. Through these efforts, Boston is setting an example for other cities on how they can use their purchasing power to invest in their local communities and promote healthy eating habits for their youth.

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