FAQs

Long Island City CSA FAQs

Picking up Shares:

Q:  How long is the LIC CSA season?

A: The season is 22 weeks long beginning on June 8th and ending on November 2nd.

Q: How often is pick up?

A: All shares are picked up every Wednesday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at Hour Children Food Pantry, located at 36-49 11th Street (11106).

Q: What should I bring when picking up my shares?

A: A shopping bag and a few smaller bags to separate the different items in your share.

Q: What if I cannot pick up a share?

A: Ask a friend to pick up for you. If no one can pick up for you, your share will be donated to the Hour Children Food Pantry. We do not have the space, refrigeration, or manpower to hold your shares, and you will not be refunded for any shares that you do not pick up.

Q: I pay weekly, what if I fail to make payments?

A: For weekly payers, if you miss two consecutive payments and fail to bring your account up to date by the third week, then you forfeit the share and it will be resold to someone on the wait list.

Volunteer Requirement:

Q: What are the volunteer requirements?

A: As an all-member run organization, our members are required to volunteer 4 hours during the season. Most fulfill this role through volunteering at distribution while others contribute by writing for the newsletter, planning events and farm trips, organizing outreach, coordinating extra items, managing volunteers, and many other things that need to be done to keep us running smoothly. Please let the core group know if you are interested in any of the above or another role at longislandcitycsa@gmail.com

Q: If I want to volunteer at distribution, how do I sign up?

A: Our volunteer sign ups are managed online at VolunteerSpot and you can get access to the LIC CSA schedule by going to http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/110-62435705849 and following the prompts. If you have any trouble accessing the schedule or signing up for shifts, please contact our volunteer coordinator Abby at longislandcitycsa@gmail.com.

Q: What do I do as a volunteer at distribution?

A: In the first shift, you help set up materials needed for pick up such as tables; arranging boxes of veggies and the extra items; writing on the board what’s in the shares; and weigh out veggies and fruits where needed. When members start arriving, you help them sign in and answer any questions they may have; keep the bins filled with veggies; break down and put away empty boxes. In the second shift, you continue what the first shift has been doing then help put away all the materials, clean up and box up the food that is to be donated to the food pantry.

Q: What if I cannot volunteer at a shift I signed up for?

A: You can ask another member to switch shifts. If you cannot find anyone to replace you, please email the volunteer coordinators with sufficient time for them to find a replacement.

Extra Shares:

Q: Can I purchase extra items without purchasing a vegetable share?

A: No, you can only purchase extra items in addition to purchasing the main vegetable share. We offer half and full shares of vegetables. New this year, we’re also offering beef, chicken, eggs, cheese & yogurt shares.

Q: How do I order extra items?

A: To order a fruit share, the application and payment information is on the main membership application. Those who have enrolled in this year’s CSA will have the chance to partake in the beef, chicken, eggs, coffee, cheese & yogurt shares. Please click here to download the extra shares application.

Q: What are other items I can purchase?

A: If you would like to purchase dairy, meat, eggs, honey, breads and other items, a la carte you can do so through our partnership with the Lewis Waite. Instructions on how to log on and order can be found under the “Members Link” item “Lewis Waite” at http://liccsa.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/lewis-waite-farm/.  Items from Lewis Waite can be ordered once per month and are delivered on Tuesdays at the LIC Market located at 21-52 44th Drive, LIC, NY 11101, http://www.licmarket.com.

Staying in the loop:

Q: How can I stay updated and connect with other CSA members?

A: Stay tuned to our website: http://liccsa.wordpress.com/.  Also, we are working on establishing a Google group for all of our members.

Being a Mixed Income CSA:

Q:  What makes the LIC CSA a mixed income CSA?

A: The LIC CSA works with its partner, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, to offer full and half shares of vegetables at differing price ranges based upon a variety of income levels.  We also offer our members a variety of personalized payment options, including the ability to purchase vegetable shares using SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits.

Q:  What role does the New York City Coalition Against Hunger have in the CSA?

A: Although the Long Island City CSA is a community-organized effort of Long Island City residents, we are able to provide low-cost shares for residents through the Farm Fresh Initiative, a program run by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

The Coalition works to meet the immediate food needs of low-income New Yorkers and enact innovative solutions to help them move “beyond the soup kitchen” to self-sufficiency.

The Farm Fresh Initiative is a city-wide program model that addresses this issue by providing families with choices while connecting small local farms to low and middle income New Yorkers in traditionally under-served communities.

The centerpiece of this citywide program is a unique mixed income Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model that makes healthy, organic, fresh vegetables accessible to community members of all income levels by offering a variety of personalized payment options, including the ability to purchase vegetable shares using SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits.

NYCCAH’s involvement in the Long Island City CSA is to support the mixed-income and community building aspects of the CSA, provide funding for the subsidized share prices, outreach and administrative support.

If you would like to learn more about NYCCAH and support its efforts by keeping programs like ours running, please visit www.nyccah.org or www.nyccah.org/donate.