Homegrown food services coming to Boston Public Schools

Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday a new food services agreement for Boston Public Schools that represents the largest non-construction contract the city has awarded to a certified Black-owned business.

Beginning July 1, City Fresh will provide breakfast, lunch, after-school meals, fresh snacks and summer meals for BPS. The contract carries a projected value of more than $17 million, according to the mayor’s office.

“City Fresh is Roxbury based and a majority of their employees are Boston residents, meaning that the people feeding our communities are from our communities and the ... hard-earned taxpayer dollars that we are investing in this contract go right back to our communities,” Wu said, adding that many of the company’s employees are also immigrants and people of color.

The announcement comes as the mayor enters her sixth month in office after campaigning on a progressive agenda of reforming problematic city systems and fostering equity across racial lines, an idea Wu alluded to when announcing the contract.

“With this investment, we are leading by example, showing that it is possible to invest in local businesses, that value workers, that strive and live racial equity and still receive higher-quality food,” she said.

Sheldon Lloyd, City Fresh co-founder, recalled opening the business 28 years ago in a small kitchen within the heart of Roxbury with fewer than 10 employees.

“And look at City Fresh now,” he said. “We produce and deliver thousands of meals every day to residents of the city of Boston.”

Lloyd, who established the business with his twin brother Glynn Lloyd, said the company now has 160 employees.

Outgoing BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she is proud to roll out the historic contract for the school district with the “added bonus” of foods that match the cultures of BPS students.

“Not only will BPS students continue to have nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch and school during their summer, but they’ll also have access to a wide range of culturally relevant foods,” Cassellius said.