In Your Congregation “"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name." Psalm 100 What is a CSA? According to the USDA a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Typically, members or "share-holders" of the farm or garden pledge in advance to cover the anticipated costs of the farm operation and farmer's salary. In return, they receive shares in the farm's bounty throughout the growing season, as well as satisfaction gained from reconnecting to the land and participating directly in food production. Members also share in the risks of farming, including poor harvests due to unfavorable weather or pests. By direct sales to community members, who have provided the farmer with working capital in advance, growers receive better prices for their crops, gain some financial security, and are relieved of much of the burden of marketing. Find out more about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) from the USDA website. What does a CSA membership involve? Membership arrangements vary among CSA farms. For instance, some CSA operations deliver food to the neighborhoods where members live, while others arrange for members to come to the farm and help make deliveries. Some CSA farms expect members to work on the farm at least once during the season while others only expect members to support the farm with their membership. Although each CSA farm makes its own arrangements with its members and has its own expectations of them, being involved with a CSA operation always means sharing the rewards as well as the risks of farming. The rewards include: enjoying the freshest produce available, often harvested the same day you receive it; knowing where, how and by whom your food is being produced; having a direct connection with the people who produce your food; and supporting the kind of stewardship that is good for the land as well as its people. The risks include weather and pests. Though formidable for small, self-sustaining farmers, these risks are bearable when shared by a group of subscribers. By linking together through CSA operations, farmers and consumers alike can benefit from an agriculture that provides bountiful food while preserving the ecological and social basis necessary for coming generations to be so blessed. CSA and the Environment There is also an environmental benefit conferred by CSAs—the food doesn't have to travel very far. In the US, the average grocery store item travels 1,500-1,800 miles to reach you. With a CSA, that distance is typically reduced by a factor of 100, with the corresponding reductions in fuel use and air pollution. How Can Churches Get Involved? In Genesis 2:15, w are called by God to till and keep the Garden. Although most Americans know little about farming, and do not directly till God's soil, we can support those farmers who do in the choices of how and where we buy our food. Becoming involved in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement, churches are able to provide a powerful ministry to the whole community, as well as God's garden. CSA is a way churches can support farming that cares for Creation and ensures the productivity of the land for many future generations. To find a CSA farm near you, visit the following websites: Local Harvest The Wilson College CSA database Examples of Churches that Buy CSA Shares Below are a list of the few churches who have become CSA members. Ascension Episcopal Church, Stillwater, Minnesota and First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater contribute toward the purchase of shares for two CSA farms for low-income families and a residential facility for AIDS patients. First United Methodist Church, Stillwater, Minnesota: created "Mission Garden" where church members (6) sell homegrown produce after services to parishioners with proceeds going to mission projects and local emergency needs. Grace University Lutheran, Minneapolis; White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church, White Bear Lake, Minnesota: approximately 20 families support CSA. Food not picked up at a neighborhood drop off site is donated to a women’s shelter or food pantry. Guardian Angels Church, Lake Elmo; Mayflower Community Congregational Church, Minneapolis; Redeemer Lutheran Church, Winona: members started a garden on church-owned land with food distributed to a local food pantry for elderly and low-income families. Up to 50 parishioners participate in gardening, harvesting, and distributing produce. Trinity Presbyterian Church, Woodbury, MN: volunteer to support CSA at the Minnesota Zoo which provides work for inner-city youth and produce for their families; and purchased a share of a CSA donated to a food pantry. First Universalist Church of Minneapolis: the church supports the transportation of inner-city youth to work at a CSA with produce sold at a youth neighborhood market. Central Presbyterian, Trinity Presbyterian of South Washington County, Mayflower community Congregational Church and Minnehaha United Church of Christ sponsor soup gatherings where church members and families feast on organic meals while learning about healthy food choices from CSA farmers. Funds are raised for low-income families in Minneapolis. Anderson Hills United Methodist Church, Cincinnati, OH: Twnety church members and a Scout troop raise 2 1/2 tons of food on 1300-sq. ft. garden behind the church with donations of food preferred by recipients going to a regional, inner-city food bank. Bedding plants are donated by a horticultural therapy program and seeds purchased wholesale from the civic Garden Center which runs the community gardening program in town. Upper Sand Mountain Parish, Sylvania, AL: 17 Methodist churches organized to provide self-sufficiency programs conduct a gleaning program with a statewide network of volunteers and truckers who can quickly coordinate a load of fresh produce with a recipient agency. A "Gardens’ of Plenty" program provides seeds and fertilizer to an estimated 2,000 neighbors who live off the produce and share excess with less fortunate people. Turned an abandoned church into a cannery preserving gleaned produce for wider distribution and providing employment. Plan to start a coop to grow, process, and sell high quality organic produce.