The McBurney YMCA is offering a Community Supported Agriculture program to neighborhood residents who want to buy farm-fresh produce during the growing season and at the same time help support a family-owned farm.
Produce for the McBurney C.S.A. comes from the family-owned Stoneledge Farm in South Cairo, N.Y., about two and a half hours from the city. Members would pick up their shares of the farm harvest from the Y at 125 W. 14th St. on Tuesdays from 4-7 p.m. from mid-June through mid-November.
Participants buy shares of the harvest and pay the farmer before the growing season. Members, who receive whatever the farmer harvests weekly, are also expected to volunteer six hours per season to the program for tasks like setting up and dismantling the distribution site, helping with a benefit dinner and other services.
The cost is based on a sliding scale. For family incomes over $30,000, share price is $420, the equivalent of $17.50 per week. For family incomes below $30,000, share price is $310, the equivalent of $12.90 per week. Most payments are made in installments before the growing season.
Community Supported Agriculture started 30 years ago in Japan and was introduced in the U.S. in 1985. Today, there are more than 1,000 groups nationwide.
For information, phone Judy Ouziel at 212-741-6365 or e-mail jouziel@ymcanyc.org.
