First 'Vote with Your Fork!' drop-off unites businesses and CSAs
The Oregon Environmental Council partnered with our neighbor across the street, NW Natural, to have Love Farm Organics deliver weekly harvest boxes to NW Natural’s office.
Sweet, tender, spade-size swiss chard leaves and pink and white radishes are not my usual afternoon snack at work. Too often it’s coffee and chocolate and the resulting caffeine and sugar crash.
But last Wednesday I was feasting on swiss chard and radishes from my Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) box from Love Farm Organics which was delivered to me at work. They’d just been picked that morning, and tasted sweet and alive. Is it possible for something so good for me to taste this delicious?
The Oregon Environmental Council partnered with our neighbor across the street, NW Natural, to have Love Farm Organics deliver weekly harvest boxes to NW Natural’s office. Between the two organizations, 45 people are having just picked produce and berries delivered to them at work every week through October.
The healthy afternoon snacks are just a bonus. The main
benefit is that in my busy life, I don’t always have time to make another stop
at a farmer’s market, and I often don’t get home until after they close during
the week. On weekends, particularly in the summer, it seems I’m gone half the
time exploring our beautiful mountains, rivers or coastline, or visiting
friends in another city. Getting a harvest box at work means I’ll always have
fresh, local fruit and veggies no matter my schedule and travel plans. And,
Love Farm Organics offers half-shares, which is perfect for my family of one,
and for fitting in my bike bag. Providing a central drop-off point at a
workplace with a lot of subscribers also benefits Love Farm Organics, cutting
down on their trips into the city.
My delicious snack is the result of a program at OEC that offers Vote with Your Fork! presentations at local workplaces, educating eaters about the effects of their food choices. Understanding how our food choices shape our food system empowers eaters to use the power of their fork and their dollars to vote for the kind of food system they want. OEC also connects interested workplaces with local Community Supported Agriculture farms to create a harvest box pick-up spot at the workplace. To learn more, visit our website at www.oeconline.org/fork.
