Mayor Wu, U.S. Representative McGovern Visit Joe Czajkowski Farm to Highlight BPS Farm-To-School Partnerships

BOSTON - Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - Yesterday, Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Representative Jim McGovern visited the Joe Czajkowski Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts to highlight Boston Public Schools’ (BPS) farm-to-school program. Mayor Wu and Representative McGovern were joined by State Senator Joanne Comerford, State Representative Daniel Carey, and Deputy Commissioner Winton Pitcoff of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and BPS Director of Food and Nutrition Services Anneliese Tanner for a tour of Czajkowski Farm. The Mayor’s visit to Czajkowski Farm builds on the City of Boston’s commitment to use the City’s purchasing power to invest locally and ensure that Boston’s young people have access to local, healthy, 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 Michelle Wu. “I learned so much from Farmer Joe Czajkowski at his family farm, which provides several tons of butternut squash, sweet potatoes, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes to BPS each year. I’m thankful to all our farm-to-school advocates, Congressman Jim McGovern, Senator Jo Comerford, Rep. Daniel Carey and all our partners at the state for joining this learning trip today and partnering with our City teams to make sure Boston students and our region can thrive.”

“It was such an honor to welcome Mayor Michelle Wu and her team to Western Massachusetts,” said Congressman McGovern. “The incredible partnership between Boston Public Schools and farmers in my district can serve as a nationwide model for how to build a robust, sustainable food system that brings together farmers and schools to deliver healthy, local produce to cafeterias 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. I’m committed to supporting this incredible partnership as we work together to carry out the Biden-Harris administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.”

The Czajkowski Farm grows black beans, butternut squash, zucchini, grape tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips that are served to students in BPS schools. Every year, the City buys 19,000 lbs of butternut squash for BPS schools from Czajkowski Farm, and includes squash on its school lunch menus twice a month for students of all ages. Through the partnership with Czajkowski Farm, BPS fulfills the National School Lunch Program requirement to serve red and orange vegetables with locally grown, flavorful produce. 

Over the last year, BPS has made significant progress increasing scratch cooking in school kitchens, starting this school year with scratch cooking at 98 school sites compared to 85 schools last year. Scratch cooking allows BPS to spend more of its food budget locally, from farms in Massachusetts and across New England. This year, BPS is sourcing 15% of its food locally, with plans to reach 30%. Farm-to-school sourcing also enables BPS Food and Nutrition Services staff to prepare culturally relevant meals with fresh ingredients – a key recommendation of the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health supported by Mayor Wu and organized by McGovern, alongside the Biden-Harris administration.

“Boston public schools is the largest restaurant chain in New England and we’re proud to be a farm to table restaurant chain,” said Anneliese Tanner, BPS Director of Food and Nutrition Services. “Thanks to Farmer Joe, and with support from Mayor Wu and our partners in Boston, across the Commonwealth, and in Congress, BPS students eat fresh, nutritious breakfast and lunch made with ingredients grown right here in Massachusetts.”

Through partnerships like the one with BPS and other school districts and higher education partners, the Czajkowski Farm has been able to grow its year-round workforce, providing more stable jobs for the people who work outside year round to grow the state’s food, and supporting Massachusetts’ rural economy. Additionally, providing a consistent purchasing market in Boston supports agricultural production throughout the state, keeping land in agriculture and protecting our climate.