Farm Fresh Goods At Affordable Prices
The fifth season of the Long Island City Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is continuing every Wednesday through Nov. 7, it was announced by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.
“Our CSA’s mission is to ‘make fresh, healthy produce, direct from the farmer available and accessible to any Long Island City resident, regardless of economic status,'” said Joel Berg, the coalition’s executive director. In addition to fresh, organic, affordable vegetables, the Long Island
City CSA will be offering a variety of optional shares to its members, including a fruit share.
The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program has awarded a $50,000 grant to the coalition to help it subsidize shares set aside for lowincome members at this site, as well as similar sites in all five boroughs of the city, including those who pay with their food stamp benefits. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations to fight hunger through 2015.
Each CSA member receives a “share” of vegetables: a full share will feed three to four people and a half-share will feed one to two people depending on their typical diet. Only have a limited amount of shares available for everyone, and the coalition advises that applications should be sent in as quickly as possible.
To ensure that the shares are affordable for everyone, the CSA offers flexible payment options for low-income households, and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (food stamps) are also accepted to purchase vegetable and fruit shares.
In addition to providing more fresh produce for consumers, CSAs also support local farmers. The Long Island City CSA will once again partner with the Farm at Miller’s Crossing, a 200-acre family farm in the Hudson Valley of New York.
The fruit share will be provided by the Hepworth Farms, a seventh generation, family-owned farm in upstate Milton. Each week, Hepworth Farms will provide a selection of locally grown fruits that are cultivated using practices as close to organic as possible in this region.
The farmers bring the harvest every Wednesday through Nov. 7 at Hour Children, located at 36-49 11th St. in Long Island City. Members pick up their shares from 5 to 8 p.m.
For more information, send an email to longislandcitycsa @gmail.com or call 1-212-825-0028 for a membership application. Visit https://liccsa.wordpress.com to download the application. In addition to fresh organic food, there are also opportunities for cooking and nutrition workshops, farm visits, and food policy advocacy information.
