Supporting CSA's
Workplace CSA
HDFFA paired local farmers with busy office employees to provide fresh local food at the convenience of their workplace. Employees sign-up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share through their employer and during the summer they receive fresh vegetables delivered each week.
How it Worked
HDFFA plays the matchmaker.
- Connected businesses directly with a Farmer and/or Rancher
- Provided on-site CSA Organizer
- Provided a pre/post program meetings
Your Business identifies a CSA Organizer.
- Identify an outgoing, engaged employee to be the on-site CSA Organizer
- Approve weekly drop-off site at your company
- Give on-site CSA Organizer the support they need during the season
The farmer will:
- Coordinate and communicate with the on-site CSA Organizer
- Deliver the CSAs on the same day/time each week
- Deliver pre-washed, pre-bagged produce for easy pick-up from employees
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way for farmers to get “buy-in” from consumers before the growing season starts.
- The farmer benefits from the upfront capitol which allows them to crop plan for their growing season.
- You benefit from getting the fresh produce delivered weekly, supporting local food from the convenience of your office.
Supported CSA
How it Worked
From 2019-2021 HDFFA offered VeggieRx and took a year-long break to develop a sustainable funding model. In 2022, we were funded by the USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. During the break, we still wanted to offer fresh food for residents with limited incomes and developed a one-time program, Supported CSA. We collaborated with our farmer Partners (who offer SNAP as a payment option) and with the Pacific Northwest CSA Coalition (PNWCSA) to process SNAP payments for farmers, and potentially, double your SNAP benefits with the use of Double Up Food Bucks. Residents can still partner with famers who accept SNAP. Click ont the PNWCSA link to find a farm near you.
Our Impact
- Served 38 program participants in Bend, Redmond, Sisters, and Prineville
- Paid $12,000 to our 8 partner farmers
- Distributed cookbooks, nutrition information and recipes to share with all program participants for the CSA season
- Developed a newsletter for food access program participants – if you are a current or past participant in Supported CSA, VeggieRx, Fresh Harvest Kits, or another HDFFA food access program, sign up here to be on our Food Access Newsletter mailing list!
