Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Makes Eating Locally Easy
Burlington Community Food Pantry to Benefit from Surplus
Burlington, MA, March 26, 2010 –
Burlington Presbyterian Church and Farmer Dave’s, a sustainable farm in Dracut, MA, have teamed up the first time to bring locally-grown, freshfruits and vegetables to the town of Burlington with a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. In the CSA program, consumers become shareholders of the farm for the season the season by paying for their share of the harvest upfront, and in return will receive a share of freshly-harvested produce for 20 weeks from mid-June through late October. Shares will be conveniently boxed and ready for pick-up on Monday afternoons from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Burlington Presbyterian Church. Payment plans are available.
Every week, from mid June through October, CSA members will receive a share of fresh vegetables grown exclusively at Farmer Dave’s fields in Dracut and Tewksbury, available in small, regular, and “super-family” sizes to suit the produce needs of individuals to large families, vegetarians and omnivores. Every share includes generous portions of the season’s bounty, each in its due time, including summer favorites such as tomatoes and corn, cooking staples like onions, carrots and potatoes, as well as chefs’ picks like chard, beets, and other novelties to experiment with throughout the season.
Farmer Dave employs sustainable farming methods to ensure products that are healthy, nutritious, tasty and responsibly grown.The CSA also offers a fruit share featuring strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, melons, peaches and apples. The fruit is perfect for breakfast, a snack on-the-go, or a healthy dessert. Businesses will often purchase a fruit or vegetable share to split amongst the employees in the office or subsidize shares as a Health and Wellness benefit.
In an effort to relieve hunger in the Burlington area, Burlington Presbyterian Church and FarmerDave’s will donate surplus produce to the Burlington Community Food Pantry each week. In addition, CSA members will have the option of donating funds towards the purchase of sharesfor the food pantry. Farmer Dave’s donates hundreds of pounds of produce to hunger relief organizations in the greater Lowell/Boston area every year. For more information about 2010 CSA membership including pricing, payment plans, and more,contact Farmer Dave’s at (978) 349-1952 or visit http://www.farmerdaves.net to register.
Farmer Dave’s (http://www.farmerdaves.net) is based in Dracut, MA. Farmer Dave Dumares grew up working on farms in Dracut. Through the Peace Corps and other agencies he has helped farmers in Ecuador, and other Latin American countries become more sustainable. In 1997 he returned to Dracut to farm. In 2006 Farmer Dave purchased and helped to preserve a 30 acre farm in Dracut that will remain as productive farmland for future generations. Farmer Dave is committed to growing high-quality, healthy food that is good for the people who eat it, the workers who tend it, and land that provides it, year after year. In addition to serving the Burlington community, Farmer Dave’s offers CSA shares in Dracut, Tewksbury, Lawrence, Somerville, Gloucester, Beverly, Jamaica Plain and Boston.
CONTACT: Bethany Bellingham, Farmer Dave’s (978) 349-1952 farmerda@farmerdaves.net
Burlington Presbyterian Church is located at 335 Cambridge Street in Burlington. In addition to partnering with Farmer Dave’s to offer CSA Shares, Burlington Presbyterian Church demonstrates a commitment to social justice by preparing and serving monthly dinners at the Dwelling Place in Woburn, regularly participating with the Burlington Community Food Pantry and People Helping People, and a yearly housing mission trip. Burlington Presbyterian Church uses fair-trade coffee for its weekly coffee hours through the Presbyterian Coffee Project, and uses environmentally-friendly alternatives to Styrofoam. Burlington Presbyterian also makes its parking lot available to weekly commuters as a park-and-ride location.
CONTACT: Brenda Flynn, Burlington Presbyterian Church, brenda@tiltedworld.com (or comment on this post)
Presbyterian Church in Burlington 
Great articile! Well presented and put together. I just recently learned about Farmer Dave’s Community-Supported Agricutural program at the Burlington Presbytarian Church last Sunday April 11th. It is great to read an article online about this collaboration, and everything else that Farmer Daves and the Burlington Presbytarian Church does in their respective communities. We are new to the town of Burlington as we just bought our first home. Thank you to the individual(s) who put such vital information on the web for all.
Beatrice – thanks! We try to keep as much of our doings online as possible, so other people can join us if they are interested. I look forward to getting to know you and your lovely family more!
-Brenda