Homegrown Springfield presented its annual culinary nutrition report to the school committee, highlighting program growth, participation gains and a districtwide expansion of halal menu options.

“Our mission is to eliminate student hunger here in Springfield,” a Homegrown presenter told the committee, summarizing the program’s three guiding goals: improve meal quality, increase participation, and expand student learning opportunities. Presenters said the district’s culinary nutrition center has produced more than 50,000,000 meals since opening in 2019 and reported meal participation rising from about 80% to over 89% of students in attendance this past year.

The Homegrown team outlined a number of program components—breakfast‑in‑the‑classroom, second‑chance mobile carts, fuel‑up after‑school meals and a weekend backpack program funded by donations—and described community partnerships that support operations. The presenters credited student feedback, thousands of survey responses and dozens of community events for shaping menu improvements.

The committee also heard that the district is expanding halal options across schools. Andrew Stratton said the program has conducted weekly halal recipe taste tests with students and is working with multilingual liaisons and vendors to source halal‑certified beef and chicken. “We’re working to do that across the entire district and not just have two different kinds of meatballs, but one meatball that everybody likes,” Stratton said. Staff plan to introduce expanded line labeling in cafeterias—including local sourcing, halal designation and allergen information—by the end of the school year.

Committee members praised the program’s responsiveness, noted the role Homegrown played during recent emergencies and asked about weekend backpack logistics; staff said backpacks are packed by volunteers and distributed through school coordinators and donations.

Next steps: Homegrown will continue taste testing, expand halal labeling and share handouts/data with committee members; committee members encouraged continued community engagement and noted the program’s role in instructional success.