Chicopee FRESH

Over the past few weeks, some of our Chicopee FRESH staff have participated in a hands-on culinary training series in partnership with Project Bread. These workshops have focused on scratch cooking, maximizing seasonal produce, and developing fun, student-friendly menu items that can be incorporated into our school meal programs. 🧑‍🍳

So far, staff have prepared recipes like savory bread pudding made with local eggs, milk, and vegetables, peaches and cream parfaits, homemade sofrito, pesto, roasted vegetable bases, quesadillas, and more! 🍅

We are incredibly proud of our staff for their willingness to learn new skills, experiment with fresh ingredients, and continuously look for ways to make school meals even better for Chicopee students. 🍽️

A special thank you to our friends at Project Bread, particularly Chefs Barrett, Sam, and Sherry, for partnering with us to provide these valuable professional development opportunities! ❤️

☀️🍎 Chicopee Summer Eats is Back! 🍉☀️

We’re excited to announce that FREE summer meals will be available for all children and teens ages 18 and under from June 29 through August 14, 2026!

📍 Meals will be served at schools, parks, and community locations throughout Chicopee. Check out the site schedule and menus attached to find a location near you!

🎉 Summer Kickoff Party 🎉

Join us as we celebrate the start of summer and the launch of both Summer Eats and the Chicopee Public Library’s Summer Reading Program!

📅 Wednesday, June 24, 2026
⏰ 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
📍 Chicopee Public Library, Front Street

Come enjoy fun activities and a FREE meal, get information about summer programs, meet community partners, and learn more about how to access free meals all summer long!

🍽️ Important Summer Meals Information 🍽️

✅ Meals are free for all children and teens age 18 and under
✅ No registration, application, or ID is required
✅ Children must be present to receive a meal
✅ Meals must be eaten on site (per USDA Summer Eats regulations)
✅ Menus and meal sites are subject to change as needed

🧡 Special Opportunity for Families 🧡

Thanks to grant funding, we are also able to offer free meals to adults accompanying children at our meal sites this summer! Up to two adults per child may receive a free meal while supplies and funding remain available.

🍓 Eat Chicopee FRESH This Summer! 🥒

Look for the “FF” symbol on our menus to identify locally sourced fruits, vegetables, and other local items featured throughout the summer.

Help us spread the word! Share this post with friends, neighbors, and family members so no family misses out! 💚

🍎 June menus are here! 🥦

We’re gearing up for both the end of the school year and the start of Summer Eats! Take a look at this month’s menus AND mark your calendars for some exciting summer events!

Save the date for our Summer Kickoff Party, in partnership with the Chicopee Public Library!

📅 June 24
⏰ 3-5PM
📍 Chicopee Public Library

Join us for a fun afternoon as we celebrate the start of Summer Eats and the library’s summer reading program with activities, resources from community partners, a free meal for all from our food truck, and more!

Our first day of free summer meals for kids will be June 29th- stay tuned for final details on meal sites, schedules, and menus. We can’t wait to see you this summer! ☀️🍉

We wanted to try something new with our local fish sticks from , so yesterday our middle and high schoolers had Hawaiian-style “poke” bowls on the menu! They got to customize their rice bowls with toppings like cucumbers, edamame, and pineapple, plus homemade sriracha mayo and poke sauce!

We love that our partnership with Red’s Best allows us to take a school meal favorite like fish sticks and elevate it with high-quality local seafood 🐟 Ms. Weiss from Bellamy loved loading up her own bowl for lunch! ❤️

When Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo fall on the same day, you may see an actual “walking taco” getting walking tacos at lunch! 🌮 Harper and Nora really got into the spirit today! ❤️

Today we celebrated School Lunch Hero Day across Chicopee Public Schools!

Our incredible cafeteria teams were recognized for the hard work, care, and dedication they bring to our students every single day. From early mornings preparing breakfast to serving thousands of lunches with a smile, they are the heart of our schools.

We are so grateful to the teachers, school staff, administrators, and especially our students who took time out of their day to say thank you through kind words, drawings, gifts, and smiles. Those moments mean more than you know!

To our school lunch heroes: thank you for showing up every day, for nourishing our students, and for creating welcoming spaces in our cafeterias. You make a difference in ways that go far beyond a meal! ❤️

Shout out your favorite School Lunch Hero in the comments! ⬇️

Did you know that every week, our crew at CHS bakes thousands of homemade muffin loaves that are then delivered to all the schools in the district? Just one of these racks of raspberry peach muffins is taller than our assistant cook, Kim! 👩🏻‍🍳