Vision

Hazon CSA and Hazon's "Vision"

There are two main reasons that Hazon founded Hazon CSA:

First, we care deeply about supporting sustainable agriculture and local farmers. In 2009, more than $950,000 went to our Hazon CSA partner farmers - and we believe that alone makes Hazon CSA a worthwhile endeavor.

In addition to providing people with the opportunity to purchase and eat local, organic produce, Hazon CSAs helps to protect land from development and urban sprawl by supporting the work of small farmers.

Secondly, we are interested in creating vibrant Jewish communities and educational opportunities. Hazon CSA offers a powerful and unique way to foster pluralism and inter-generational connections in the Jewish community. It is an innovative educational platform, which allows members to explore contemporary food issues from a Jewish perspective. The Jewish tradition has a long history of thinking about what is kosher (literally, "fit") for us to eat. Hazon CSA offers a chance to re-examine and potentially redefine what it means for food to be "fit" - not only for us, but for the community and the earth as well.

Hazon CSA is a perfect match for the Jewish community because it provides the opportunity to:

• Put Jewish purchasing power behind local family farms.
• Bring healthy, locally-grown food into Jewish homes.
• Create engaging, high-quality adult and family Jewish education around food and agriculture.
• Encourage Jewish participation in the sustainable agriculture movement while both broadening the Jewish commitment of those already Jewishly involved and creating an accessible gateway into Jewish life for those who have less or no involvement in the organized Jewish community.
• Build a cadre of volunteer leaders in the Jewish community.
• Spur Jewish people to re-examine what it means for food to be kosher – “fit” for us as well as for the community and the earth.
• Work towards a better understanding of just food systems, informed by the Jewish agricultural mitzvot of Pe’ah, Leket, Shekecha and increasing access to healthy food.

Hazon warmly welcomes you to join or start a Hazon CSA--whether your own passions lie with eating healthy, organic food, or supporting sustainable agriculture, or building and being part of a vibrant Jewish community. Starting your own CSA

2009 Program Impact: At a Glance
• Supported the work of more than 28 local, sustainable farms across the country.
• Enabled more than 2,500 member households to connect Jewish values to their food choices.
• Engaged members and educated Hazon CSA host site communities with over 120 programs.
• Increased access to sustainable food by offering subsidized shares in 7 communities, and donating over 35,000 lbs of food to local emergency food providers.

 

 

	2009 in Numbers 9 – Types of CSA shares offered – Vegetable, Fruit, Flower, Egg, Meat, Cheese, Honey, Maple syrup, Grain 13 – States with Hazon CSA sites 28 – Number of partner farms 32 – Number of Hazon CSAs (29 in the US, 2 in Canada, 1 in Israel) 78 – Percentage of members who said they ate local produce "frequently" or "very frequently" during the season (as compared to 46% prior to the season) 80 – Percentage of members who responded to the end-of -year survey who said they had never belonged to a CSA before Hazon CSA 120 – Total number of educational and community-building activities 1,000 – Total number of people attending educational and community-building activities 2,529 – Total number of Hazon CSA member households 6,149 – Approximate number of individuals eating Hazon CSA produce 30,305 – Approximate number of Tuv HaShavua newsletters read during the season 35,000 – Estimate pounds of food donated to Emergency Food Providers 305,350 – Estimated pounds of food going to members across the 32 sites $951,946 – Total income farmers received from Hazon CSA members