What is Community Supported Agriculture?
How is this program related to Community Supported Agriculture?
Who owns the Food Hub? Who profits from the Food Hub?
What benefits do I get from becoming a Food Hub member?
How do I become a member and sign up for a CSA share?
What is the purpose of the "Member Sign-in"?
What benefits do farmers receive from being part of the Food Hub? What have Food Hub members said about their experience?
Where is the Food Hub located? Where do the products come from?
Is the food local? Is the food organic?
Can I choose what I want each week?
Can I visit a farm as a member of this program? What happens to my share if I do not pick it up during the designated pick up hours or if I am away on vacation on the distribution day?
What does the Intervale Center do?

What is Community Supported Agriculture?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new model of food production, sales and distribution. People from the community pledge to support their local farms by becoming members or “shareholders” of a farm. They receive shares in the farm’s harvest throughout the growing season and provide the farmer with a consistent market for his or her goods. This helps to develop and strengthen an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable food system. Growers and consumers in turn provide mutual support and share the risks and benefits of local food production.

How is this program related to Community Supported Agriculture?
The Food Hub is modeled after a Community Supported Agriculture program but differs from the traditional model in two key ways. 1) The Food Hub is a multi-farm program in which produce and products from about 20 core farms are combined to create the weekly shares. 2) Members of the Food Hub are not shareholders of any of these farms; meaning that while they are supporting local farms, they do not share in the bounty or scarcity of any particular crops. Farmers receive fair prices for their crops while members receive the retail-equivalent of the value they pay for in those crops, delivered to their workplace. Included in the prices of the shares is a small service fee.

We do not wish to compete with existing Community Supported Agriculture programs; instead we see this program as an alternative market for consumers and nontraditional CSA farmers. We encourage every consumer to explore the different direct market options (i.e. CSAs, farmstands, farmers’ markets) that are available before purchasing shares with us.

Who owns the Food Hub? Who profits from the Food Hub?
The Food Hub is currently owned by the Intervale Center. However, the income brought in by the Food Hub benefits our farmers by paying them fair prices for their products. We are hoping to become a self-sustaining business by 2012, with a goal of farmer ownership.

What benefits do I get from becoming a Food Hub member?
As a member, your benefits include: Access to high-quality, locally grown food — Support for Vermont farmers — Contribution to the local economy — Convenience of a workplace delivery — Weekly newsletters with recipes

How do I become a member and sign up for a CSA share?
It is easy to sign up for a Food Hub CSA share.  Simply review our CSA policy on the "How it Works" page, choose a share season on the navigation menu on the left (spring, summer, winter or student), review the share options and click on the "Sign up now" button on that page. 

What is the purpose of the "Member Sign-in"?
The member sign in allows members to access their account via our website, view any CSA orders that they have placed, view details on their pick up location and time, view current current balance, payments and history. Members should also sign in to temporarily change their pick up location to the Intervale Center if they will not be able to make their designated pick up time.

What benefits do farmers receive from being part of the Food Hub?
For farmers, participation means: Fair prices — Advanced working capital — Guaranteed market — Widespread marketing of their products — Networks with other farmers

What have Food Hub members said about their experience?
"It was a treat to try things that I never have tried. It gave me some new ideas to try together. It was extremely convenient to have it go to work!"

"I really appreciate the quality of both the products and the people that make this happen!"

"Great program! Wonderful opportunity to learn about local producers and to try different foods we would normally not seek out. Thank you for a great service."

"Great program! Great people! Great food! Loved it!"

Where is the Food Hub located? Where do the products come from?
The Food Hub is currently located at the Intervale in Burlington. All products come from small or medium-sized farms located all over Vermont. To learn more about our farmers, visit Our Producers.

Is the food local? Is the food organic?
All product offered through the Food Hub is locally grown and/or produced. In addition, all of the vegetables, berries, and melons available through this program are grown using organic methods. However, all participating farms are not certified organic; the cost and volume of record keeping necessary to obtain federal certification is prohibitive for many small farmers. Apples, peaches, and plums are particularly difficult to grow organically in Vermont so those fruits are grown using Integrated Pest Management, an ecologically sensitive method of pest and disease control. The meats and eggs are all pasture-raised but not all are certified organic, again due to the cost of certification paired with the high cost of organic grain.

Can I choose what I want each week?
No, all shares are set each week. Your choices lie in the various share options available.

Can I visit a farm as a member of this program?
Absolutely! Let us know if you need contact information for any of the participating farms.

What happens to my share if I do not pick it up during the designated pick up hours or if I am away on vacation on the distribution day?

Members are responsible for picking up their weekly share of food from their chosen distribution location during the designated time frame.  Members who do not pick up their share within the distribution time frame will not be refunded or credited for their lost share.

If you are out of town and cannot pick up your weekly share, it is your responsibility to choose one of the following options:

• Make arrangements to have a friend pick up your share.
• Make an arrangement with Food Hub staff to pick up at another time.
• Choose to donate your share. Shares will be donated on behalf of the Intervale Center to local social service agencies. 
  

Members are responsible for contacting the CSA coordinator at least two days prior to their delivery day to communicate any distribution changes.

What does the Intervale Center do?
The Intervale Center is a Burlington-based nonprofit whose mission is to strengthen community food systems. The Food Hub is just one of the many programs at the Intervale Center.