Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Makes Eating Locally Easy
Burlington Community Food Pantry to Benefit from Surplus
Burlington, MA, April 13, 2011 – Burlington Presbyterian Church and Farmer Dave’s, a sustainable farm in Dracut, MA, continue to bring locally-grown, fresh fruits 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 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 Farmer Dave’s will donate surplus produce to the Burlington Community Food Pantry each week. In addition, Farmer Dave partners with Groundwork Lawrence to make CSA shares more accessible by accepting flexible payment plans, subsidizing the cost of shares for those needing financial assistance and accepting SNAP (EBT/Food Stamp) payments for CSA shares. These efforts are funded through donations to the Groundwork Share-a-Share program(tm) from CSA members, individuals, businesses, or non-profit organizations. 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 2011 CSA membership including pricing, payment plans, and more, contact Farmer Dave’s at (978) 349-1952 or visit http://www.farmerdaves.net to register. For more information about the Groundwork Share-A-Share Program(tm), or to make a donation, visit http://www.groundworklawrence.org/shareashare or contact Anna Rickards at (978) 974-0770.
Farmer Dave’s (http://www.farmerdaves.net) is based in Dracut, MA. Farmer Dave Dumaresq 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, Malden, and Boston.
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:
Bethany Bellingham, Farmer Dave’s
(978) 349-1952
farm@farmerdaves.net
Anna Rickards, Groundwork Lawrence
(978) 974-0770
arickards@groundworklawrence.org
Rod MacDonald, Burlington Presbyterian Church
(781) 272-9190
burlpres@aol.com