As noted, some CSAs offer work-share opportunities for low-income members. In addition,
many CSAs offer free or reduced-price shares for low-income community members and many
donate surplus food to community organizations including food banks, senior meal programs,
battered women shelters, homeless shelters and clinics serving terminally ill patients. CSAs also
encourage members to purchase shares for the above-mentioned organizations or to provide
scholarships for low-income community members. Some CSAs also invite groups such as Senior
Gleaners to gather produce that has not been harvested.
While these efforts may only address the “tip of the iceberg,” they represent an important first
step in the right direction. As a farmer in the Willamette Valley explains,