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Work Shift Requirement

The Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA is run and maintained by the CSA core members, Garden of Eve Farm, and the CSA member community. Moreover, a CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters. Because of this relationship and the responsibility it entails, the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA requires that each member work at the GWCSA distribution site, at the Garden of Eve Farm Stand at the McCarren Park Farmer's Market, or by driving leftover produce to the soup kitchen at the end of distribution (on either Saturday or Wednesday). Work shift requirements are described below.  

SATURDAY MEMBERS:  

If you're a Saturday member (i.e. you pick up your share on Saturday), as part of your commitment to the GWCSA you must work 1 workshift, either at the Saturday CSA distribution site or at the Saturday farm stand (the Garden of Eve stand at the McCarren Park Farmer’s Market). Or, if you have a vehicle, you can fulfill your workshift requirement by driving the leftover produce to the soup kitchen, at the end of distribution, 3 times (see below). 

Saturday Distribution Workshifts: The distribution workshift begins at the GWCSA distribution site. Once all the vegetables, fruits, eggs and flowers have been received and set out, work shift members will then help the distribution coordinator by checking members off lists or manning the produce bins. At the end of distribution, around noon, work shift members will help load left over produce into the farm's truck. The Saturday distribution workshift runs from 8:30 am - 12:15 pm. 

Saturday Farmstand Workshifts: The main mission of the Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA is to support local family farms. The large size of the Saturday distribution allows us to really fulfill our mission by lending a helping hand at the Garden of Eve stand in the McCarren Park Farmer’s Market. Work shift members help run the stand, stocking vegetables and helping customers. Our assistance allows the stand to function with fewer employees, keeping costs low for our farmer. Because shifts at the market tend to be more intense than distribution, we have split market shifts into 2 hour allotments: 8:30 - 10:30 am; 10:30 - 12:30 pm; 12:30 - 2:30 pm 

WEDNESDAY MEMBERS: 

If you're a Wednesday member (i.e. you pick up your share on Wednesday) you have two workshift options. You can work 2 workshifts at the Wednesday GWCSA distribution, or, if you have a vehicle, you can fulfill your workshift requirement by driving the leftover produce to the soup kitchen, at the end of distribution, 3 times (see below).  

Wednesday Distribution Workshifts: There are two time slots for the distribution work shift: 5:30 pm - 7:15 pm and 6:45 pm - 8:20 pm. You can work both time slots in one night and complete your workshift requirement that way; or if you're sharing your CSA share with someone you can both come in and work at the same time, work just one of the timeslots, and complete your workshift requirement that way; or you can work one time slot on each of two different days. (The time slots are split in two on Wednesday because some people are not able to arrive by 5:30 pm.) The crates of vegetables, fruit, eggs and flowers are dropped off for Wednesday distribution at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah sometime during the day on Wednesday, and work shift members arriving for the first shift set up and get ready for distribution by organizing the produce. Once all the vegetables, fruits, eggs and flowers have been and set out, work shift members will then help the distribution coordinator by checking members off lists or manning the produce bins. Another wave of work shift members arrive at 6:45 pm, and finish up distribution by cleaning up and removing the empty crates to the side yard. 

SOUP KITCHEN DRIVERS: 

Finally, if you are either a Wednesday or a Saturday member and you have a vehicle, you can fulfill your workshift requirement by driving to the soup kitchen 3 times, at the end of the Saturday or Wednesday distribution (extra produce left after the distributions gets donated to the soup kitchen on Milton Street in Greenpoint). You would need to arrive at the distribution site the end of distribution (12 pm on Saturdays or 8 pm on Wednesdays), have your vehicle loaded up with the crates of extra produce, and then drive to the soup kitchen, where the crates will be unloaded.