A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is an alternative food network, consisting of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme, and sometimes includes dairy products and meat.
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Today, our spotlight shines on Bonnie Sorak, Garden of Eden CSA Program and Volunteer Coordinator for the Columbia Jewish Congregation and Centennial CSA for the Centennial High School PTSA in Howard County, MD. Bonnie uses VolunteerSpot to coordinate the volunteers who help with the weekly food distribution.
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What is your role as volunteer leader? And what are your volunteer needs?
I am the Volunteer Coordinator for two CSA groups; The Garden of Eden (for my synagogue) and Centennial High School, in conjunction with the PTSA. I am also the co-chairperson for our synagogue's Green Team. I am in charge of volunteer recruitment, CSA publicity, and am the primary point of contact with the farm.
The CSA is active for 26 weeks every year. The farm delivers the food to one central location once a week, and then the families who have signed up come by and pick up their food. We use VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to coordinate volunteers, whose roles vary from putting up signs in the morning, to greeting people as they come in, to handing out the baskets. We also need people to call families who forget to pick up their baskets. Ideally we would like to have about 8 volunteers per week, but usually it's more like 5 or 6. We have two shifts, once a week for about an hour and a half.
We also have volunteers who deliver donated and left-over baskets to needy families in our community. For every 15 shares that we sell, the farm donates one share which are then delivered to needy families, the local homeless shelter, or the domestic violence center.
How did you get started as a volunteer leader?
We are vegans, and I have a reputation as someone with a "can-do" attitude, so when this idea was raised at a PTA meeting, my name came up as someone who might be a good match to run the program. Once I learned what it was all about, I was all over it, and it has become my baby! We're in our third year of doing this, and it has been the most amazing experience!
Do you have any advice for other volunteer leaders out there?
Talk about your project to everyone you know! And, ask for what you need. Most people want to help, but aren't sure what they can do. Be very specific when asking for help, and let people know that even just 30 minutes once a week can be a huge help. Try to break each task down into small chunks of time.
Volunteer leaders should delegate as much as they can, so that they can better manage the whole program instead of worrying about the details.
How did you find out about VolunteerSpot?
Someone was using it to coordinate the Spring Fair at our school, and suggested that I try it out. I was hooked immediately! Trying to organize volunteers can be stressful and difficult, which is why it can be a challenge to find people to do it. Tools like VolunteerSpot take so much of the stress and busy work off my plate, it has become a much more enjoyable experience for me and for my volunteers. People can now sign up when it is convenient for them, change their commitments if necessary, and the automatic reminders are wonderful!
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To learn more about Zahradkafarm, visit www.zahradkafarm.com To learn more about CSAs in your area, check out http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
We salute Bonnie and all the other volunteer leaders out there making a difference. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].
