Chicopee FRESH

05/15/2026

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! ❤️

05/05/2026

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! ❤️

05/04/2026

05/01/2026

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! ⬇️

05/01/2026

We have some BIG news to celebrate in Chicopee! 🎉

Our very own Diana Barabani, Cook Manager at Bowie Elementary School, has been named the School Nutrition Association Manager of the Year for both the state of Massachusetts AND the entire Northeast region- an incredible and well-deserved honor! 👏

Diana brings creativity, passion, and heart to everything she does. From her vibrant “rainbow bar” full of fresh fruits and vegetables, to her work with the school’s hydroponic grow tower, to scratch-made recipes and daily sample trays that get students excited about school lunch, she is constantly raising the bar for what school meals can be.

Her work makes a real impact by creating welcoming cafeterias, building connections, and helping students feel excited to make healthy choices.

Please join us in congratulating Diana on this incredible achievement!! 👏🎉

04/28/2026

Chicopee FRESH is getting ready for another summer of FREE meals for kids, and we want to hear from YOU! ☀️🍎

Your feedback helps us plan meals, locations, and programs that actually work for our families.

👉 Take our quick survey and help shape this summer’s program!

https://forms.gle/QyVPixGuidRtra928

04/16/2026

Our farm to school team, Bri and Ana, helped to lead a Pen Pal Seed Exchange with Litwin School over the past couple of months! Our students were paired with students from classrooms in New York, New Hampshire, and California to write letters about our school gardens, learn about theirs, and to exchange seed packets! The program is a wonderful way to connect students from around the country and to learn about their growing spaces, climates, and more. Our students wrote some fantastic, descriptive letters! Big thanks to Bri, Ana, and all of the students and teachers who participated! 🪴🪏📝

04/07/2026

April Fool’s, our scheduled post didn’t post 🙃 here are the rest of our April menus! As always you can also find them posted on chicopeeps.org!

01/16/2026

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! 👩🏻‍🍳