The First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of San Rafael’s statement of welcome begins “We are a people of hope on a shared journey to wholeness, opening our hearts to God and transforming the world through spiritual healing and social justice.” One way that they are walking the journey to wholeness is to be a Community Support Agriculture (CSA) pickup point for their neighborhood and people within their congregation. They began their CSA project in 2014 after meeting Jesse Pizzitola from First Light Farms through Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative, determining that their congregation would be a good central location for the neighborhood. When asking Pastor Alison Hendley what has worked well with the CSA project, her response: “The veggies! The food is high quality and local, and there is a lot of it.”
In addition to being a dropsite for the neighborhood, FUMC also houses Marin Head Start, a low income preschool program. The church has supported the school in many ways, including an ongoing food drive at the church, and members will bring excess food from their gardens. To add to this, First Light Farms donates one CSA box per week. Head teacher Penny Wendell shares, “The box of fresh, organic produce that we receive every week has had a great impact on our children and families. We encourage parents to take some of the fruits and vegetables home, so that they can add them to their daily meals. We really encourage them to take vegetables that they may be unfamiliar with, or are unaware that their children eat at school. The children are using the vegetables in cooking projects. They may add chard to a soup we are cooking, or fresh broccoli to a pasta dish. We talk about how the food comes directly from a farm, not from a store. We have a garden here at school, and the produce boxes allows the children to try different items that we can later plant in our own garden. I know that our families appreciate the donation. I also am thankful for the kindness shown to my class, as it helps us promote healthy eating.”
As FUMC enters their second year as a CSA drop site, they are looking for ways to expand the program, such as higher promotion in their neighborhood and to other congregations. They are also exploring with First Light Farms, the possibility of accepting CalFresh (aka “food stamps”) for the CSA boxes to enable low income people greater access to fresh, locally grown produce.