Project GROWS, a non-profit farm located in Augusta County, recently announced that it is offering the community another season of fresh, local produce through its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program in 2014.
Project GROWS is partially funded through a grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and a multi-year grant from the Augusta Health Foundation. Project GROWS is a host organization of the Allegheny Mountain School Phase II fellowship. Members who sign up for the CSA program purchase a “share” of vegetables and receive weekly baskets straight from the Project GROWS farm for 18 weeks starting on Tuesday, June 3rd. The CSA program supports Project GROWS’ mission to improve the overall health of children and youth in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County through nutrition education and increased access to healthy food.
Following a successful 2013 CSA program, Project GROWS is expanding the number of memberships available for 2014. “We had an incredible first year – I was blown away by the support from our members and the quality and abundance of the vegetables we were able to share,” said Jenna Clarke, Project GROWS’ Director of Operations.
The 2014 CSA will be an additional source of funding for the continued programming of Project GROWS. With an increase in staffing, the organization is able to scale up its production of vegetables as well as the amount of youth education it offers.
“Project GROWS will be vastly diversifying our systems this coming year,” says Sam, the Manager of the Verona farm. “We are excited to push even further into a tightly integrated farm scheme including green manures, intercropping, and the start of our 8-year crop rotation plan.” Growing techniques like these put Project GROWS on the forefront in the field of sustainable agriculture.
What can a CSA member expect in their basket? The Project GROWS CSA basket will generally include: root vegetables, cooking greens, salad greens, alliums (onions, leeks, garlic), herbs and seasonally available fruits (tomatoes, squash, peppers). All produce is grown ecologically, without the use of harmful pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The amounts and types of vegetables will vary each week depending what is available seasonally and what has been successful in the garden.
What does it cost to buy a membership? This CSA membership fee amounts to about $19 per week for fresh vegetables plus an $8 per week donation to support our work in the community. The total cost, which must be paid by April 1st, is $500, $150 of which can be considered a tax-deductible donation. Project GROWS will accept a non-refundable deposit of $150 to secure a spot until the full payment is made by April 1st. The option to pay in installments is available.
For more information contact Project GROWS (540) 480-0371 or visit online www.ProjectGROWS.org andhttps://www.facebook.com/
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