The Foodshed Network has filed a pre-application with Greenwich Planning and Zoning for a CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.
They seek to use the parking lot at North Greenwich Congregational Church at 606 Riversville Road to for the operation.
According to the applicant’s narrative, customers who subscribe to the CSA would purchase food grown by farmers in Connecticut and pick it up at the church on a weekly basis.
The CSA would be a partnership between consumers and local farmers where members purchase a share of the farm harvests in advance, typically before the growing season, in exchange for regular deliveries of fresh produce throughout the season.
An objective of the CSA is to make local food accessible to all Greenwich residents including low income individuals and families. It also seeks to build relationships and connections between Connecticut farmers and Greenwich residents and provide a reliable market for farmers in the state. In addition it would raise funds for The Foodshed Network to help sustain the program and advance its mission.
How Would it Work?
CSA participants would go online to pre-order seasonal subscriptions for a weekly box of farm produce.
Pre-assembled boxes would be delivered in a refrigerated van to the church. Pick up from subscribers would take place during a three-hour window in an underused section of the church’s lower parking lot at Riversville Road and John Street.
The applicant would set up two eight-foot tables, chair, one or two signs, and a pop-up tent 30 minutes prior to the 3-hour window. The set up would be broken down at the end of the 3-hour window and stored.
The application estimates the number of subscribers per week at 25 and about 20 cars driving through the lower parking lot over the three hour period. The CSA would be seasonal and run 8 months a year.
Unclaimed boxes would be donated to Neighbor to Neighbor, The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County or other food security assistance programs through Food Rescue US – Fairfield County.
The Foodshed Network would also give subscribers the option of donating their weekly box if they can’t pick it up on a particular week, or buying an extra box or CSA subscription to individuals or families who experience food insecurity.
A letter from Reverend Karen Halac at North Greenwich Congregational Church to P&Z director Pat LaRow said the church leadership supports the application from Third Sector New England Inc on behalf of the Foodshed Network.
She points out that the church has readily shared its buildings with many non profit organizations including Neighbor to Neighbor, Kids in Crisis, and Jewish Family Services to name a few.
