WFSP Logo
Partnerships

Partner Shares Program

In Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) , farmers grow food directly for consumers. Farm members purchase a share of the harvest at the beginning of the growing season. Then, farmers distribute a portion of the weekly harvest to members.

The Partner Shares Program links CSA farmers with low-income and special-needs households. Participants can receive either a regular CSA share, or they may choose to develop community "buying clubs" where distribution is handled by participating households. In the Partner Shares Program, CSA share prices are lowered through financial assistance from one of the following.

Congregation Supported Agriculture where members of a religious community join a CSA farm collectively. A special tithe helps cover the cost of one share for a low-income household. Congregation members develop a connection with an area farm while acting locally to address needs of the hungry in their community.

Community or student groups, such as the UW-Madison's Rural Sociology Undergraduate Student Group, raise money to help cover the cost of CSA shares for low-income households while they learn about sustainable agriculture. Participants get sponsors for a "farm-a-thon," a special day of work at a CSA farm. The money earned is contributed to an assistance fund to lower the price of CSA shares for needy households.

Businesses, foundations, and community groups can donate money to an assistance fund to subsidize the cost of CSA shares for low-income households. Money from this fund is used to pay CSA farmers for the full cost of shares in the spring. Recipients pay a reduced monthly rate -- typically 30 to 50% of the full share price -- back into the fund. This way, the fund has seed money for the following year's subsidized CSA shares.

For more information contact Sarah Lauffer at phone: (608) 226-0300.