News
June 13, 2016Vanderheyden Partners with Capital Roots
Vanderheyden has announced a collaboration effort with Capital Roots in Troy, where local fruits and vegetables will be supplied and delivered by the Virtual Veggie Mobile for the more than 230 meals served on a daily basis at our Main Campus in Wynantskill.
The fresh, local produce will be used for both our lunch and breakfast programs at our school cafeteria in the Richard A. Desrochers Educational Center. In the near future, produce from Capital Roots will be served in our Group Homes at several locations in the Capital Region.
“This is just the type of collaborative partnership that Capital Roots envisioned when we created the Virtual Veggie Mobile,” says Amy Klein, Executive Director of Capital Roots. “Our online marketplace is filling an important niche in our community, and we are happy to be providing a service that will help organizations, such as Vanderheyden, improve the quality of the meals they provide to constituents.”
Vanderheyden’s President and CEO Karen Carpenter Palumbo states “This united effort will serve both our organizations well, and we are thrilled to begin using the program. The Capital Roots produce will also enable us to increase the fresh, healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables we serve our students and staff, at more affordable prices.”
Vanderheyden’s Food Service Manager John Piombino says the program is beneficial in many ways. Piombino says “the Capital Roots website is user friendly, and provides great detail on each produce item, as well as the exact farm the produce is coming from.” He adds “the quality of the produce has been outstanding.”
Piombino says “when using these produce items, we will be serving local produce from local farmers. The exact growing location of these items will be known. This program will also enable us to serve our students and staff fresh, healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables.”
