Bedford Avenue Meat Shop and the James River Day school, both in Lynchburg. Hopefully it will set a precedence for other schools in the area. Read the full story at: the News & Advance
“This week, James River Day kicked off a new school year and a new partnership with Lynchburg’s Bedford Avenue Meat Shop, which snagged a contract to provide all the food for the school on Boonsboro Road. The idea, school officials said, is to emphasize nutrition using local and organic items. Head of School Mary Riser said James River Day School started doing a program called “Farm to School Week” a couple years ago, culminating in a farmers market. Local food potentially is fresher, less processed and carries a smaller carbon footprint, Riser explained. “It tastes better — that’s kind of the bottom line,” she said. School officials asked the Bedford Avenue Meat Shop, a local butchery and specialty foods store, with a range of organic and local items, to bid on the school lunch contract this year. They have been impressed with the shop’s catering of parent events in the past, they said. BAM won the job, beating out larger food service providers. The shop is using an additional facility to prepare the meals, Mays said, and created a separate catering arm for legal purposes.”]]>