The Buffalo Public School District is just a few months into work on a new commissary facility, but the district already is looking ahead to what the project's completion will mean for student and faculty.
Expanding the district’s ability to serve meals is a major project, as an operation that serves 28,000 meals on school days and 3.2 million breakfasts each year, BPS Chief Operating Officer Louis Petrucci said. One of the top priorities is an increased ability to buy fresh, local food and prepare it in-house.
“So that's a big thing, allow us to accept more, store more. But more importantly, one of the big things that we can do, like cook-chill, where we'll be able to cook things and chill them down really quickly so they will taste as fresh as can possibly be,” Petrucci said.
It will also allow schools to expand the total menu options available to students, he added.
Riverside Institute of Technology senior Desire Mahirwe won’t be around to see the finished product, but he says it’s important that students know they have access to quality food every day.
“I see some students be like, ‘I don’t want to eat lunch today because it looks horrible. They say ‘Oh, it makes my stomach feel pain.’ So when they come in and they see they start seeing some improvements, I think they're going to be, you know, very happy.”
The district’s goal is to have the new building completed by the spring of 2027.
BPS will have a public meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday at the current commissary building at 1055 East Delavan Avenue to discuss the project with community members and allow them to ask questions.
The public meeting is an important opportunity for students and their families, since many might not even realize the commissary project is happening, Mahirwe says.
