Created in 2020 by the Shah Family Foundation, Local Lunchbox rethinks how USDA funding for child nutrition is used to feed kids. Based in Boston, the Shah Family Foundation has been working on food access since our beginnings in 2015. One of our early projects was working in partnership with the Boston Public Schools, supporting their transition from vended meals to scratch cooking through the My Way Café program.

The success of the My Way Café program showed us the enormous potential of the USDA child nutrition programs to bring healthy, delicious, freshly prepared meals to kids. We have expanded our work to include partnerships across Massachusetts with local food businesses, community nonprofits, and charter schools. We strive to pilot creative, sustainable models that bring the best food possible to kids while investing in local businesses.