Orchard Village is starting a new component of our urban farm: a CSA Membership program. A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program is essentially a share of our harvest. We are piloting this program to a few local businesses (Woodward, Inc. and Baird & Warner) for their employees to take part in. With a pre-season payment, customers purchase a share of our summer’s harvest. They will receive a weekly box of our fresh, local, seasonal produce during the course of the 12-week harvest season, from mid June to early September.
The CSA program is actually a paid internship opportunity for individuals in the InnOVations program at Orchard Village. Produce will be processed, packed and delivered by the internship participants. This internship will provide training and experience for individuals interested in food production and customer service.
The majority of the produce grown on the farm still goes to our residential homes. A portion of our produce is also sold at the Skokie Farmer’s Market and the rest is delivered to the Niles Township Food Pantry to support those in need.