Why Eat Local?

The concept of local food is central to our mission of promoting healthy eating in Chicopee. We make a point of sourcing local at every opportunity, and highlighting these "farm fresh" options on our menu. We are also focused on building school gardens across the district so that students have the opportunity to grow their own food and eat it in the cafeteria. Read on to discover why sourcing local is so important and what criteria we use to select our local vendors. 

Promote Environmental Stewardship

Purchasing local food drastically reduces transportation miles and also protects farmland and green space in the community.  

Support the local economy

Dollars spent on local food benefit hard working farmers and get reinvested back into the community. Visit your local farmer's market to show support for local agriculture!

Enjoy Safe & Nutritious Food

Local food is harvested at the peak of ripeness and close to home, giving it a higher nutrient content, better flavor, and less chance of contamination.

How We Define Local

​ChicopeeFRESH defines “Local/Regional” as “grown and processed 1) within 250-miles of the school system or ​2) within the New England states.” For products that are not local but may otherwise be considered sustainable, ChicopeeFRESH defines “Sustainable” as products that are 3rd party certified according to the guidelines of the Real Food Challenge (including USDA Organic, MSC-Certified, Fair Trade, Certified Humane, etc.)

1) Grown and processed within New England: This criterion aligns with Food Solution New England’s “50 by 60” regional campaign, a vision outlining how New England can locally produce at least 50% of clean, fair, just and accessible food for all New England citizens by 2060. 

​2) Grown and processed within 250 miles of Chicopee: This criterion aligns with a standard for locally sourced foods that has been adopted and promoted by a growing network of food advocates such as the Real Food Challenge and school districts and colleges/universities within New England, such as the University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA); University of Vermont (VT); Wesleyan University (CT); and Hartford Public Schools (MA). 

Find Our Local Vendors

Use the interactive map below to learn about our local vendors from Massachusetts and all over New England!