Colonial School District: Local Beef equals Big Impact thanks to PA Beef to PA Schools Program

Plymouth Meeting, PA. December 10, 2025. - At Colonial School District, a simple menu change has made a big difference—both in taste and in community impact. Now in its second year with the PA Beef to PA Schools (PBPS) program, Colonial has become a model for how local sourcing can transform school meals. 

Food Service Supervisor Lori McCoy first learned about PBPS in 2023 after seeing an article about the growing program and reaching out to Nichole Hockenberry, Executive Director of the PA Beef Council. “I wanted our district to be part of it,” McCoy recalls. “It seemed like a great opportunity to bring high-quality, local food to our students.” 

Working with Happy Valley Meat Company, the district began ordering 450 pounds of Pennsylvania-raised beef each month. That number quickly grew to 750 pounds as students—and staff—took notice of the quality. “We use the beef for burgers and tacos,” McCoy explains. “We hand-form our burgers and grill them on flat tops. Burger day has become one of our biggest participation days.

better nutrition with beef

Switching to local beef has improved more than just flavor—it’s also made meals healthier. “By making our own burgers from local beef, we’ve been able to serve a fresh, high-quality product.” 

The district, which spans Plymouth Meeting, Conshohocken, and Whitemarsh, includes five elementary schools, one middle school, and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Local beef is now on menus in every cafeteria across the district.

Participation in the program has also led to award-winning menu improvements. In 2024, Colonial School District received the Healthy Meals Incentive Award for Innovative School Lunch Makeover from the USDA and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in partnership with Action for Healthy Kids. Their winning entry? That reimagined school burger made with local beef.

“Our project showed how a simple change—making homemade burgers with local beef—can improve nutrition and support local farmers,” McCoy says. 

 The response from students has been overwhelmingly positive. “We’ve even interviewed a few who said the burgers taste fresher,” McCoy says. “They love knowing it’s local.”

To help students make that connection, the district proudly promotes the program on menus and signage. “We think it’s important for kids to know where their food comes from,” McCoy explains. “It’s not just about what’s on the tray—it’s about the story behind it.” 

The district also hopes to partner with the PA Beef Council on future classroom education programs to help students understand the environmental, nutritional, and community benefits of eating local. For McCoy and her team, the benefits of the PBPS program are clear. “It’s been such a positive experience,” she says. “Our students are happy, our staff is proud, and we’re supporting Pennsylvania farmers. It’s truly a win all around.”

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The Pennsylvania Beef Council is a producer-controlled and funded organization, which administers the Beef Checkoff Program in Pennsylvania. The Beef Checkoff Program assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.