In the Spring of 2021, Come to the Table helped launch its first ever Farm and Faith Partnership Project in Wake County, North Carolina. The pilot project, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) partnership, was organized with three local farmers of color and eight Wake County churches, and included 80 shares of produce, netting approximately $20,000 in sales for the trio of farmers.
Since then, the Wake County CSA hasn’t slowed down. On April 22, 2023, the Wake County CSA kicked off its third year of partnership with nine faith communities, nine farmers, and over 200 shareholders. Since its creation in 2021, the CSA has grossed over $120,000 for participating farmers, and critically, created tight bonds between the farmers and churches.
Before the kickoff of the Spring season, Come to the Table staff went to each participating church and dropped off Come to the Table tote bags for CSA shareholders to use throughout the year. Check out our photo essay below to see photos from that day and learn more about what our partners regarded as their favorite part of the CSA below.
Come to the Table staff delivered over 200 of these tote bags to Wake County CSA shareholders to use when they pick up their produce each week! We stopped over at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh where CSA shareholder Donna Doran had this to say: “I think the CSA has brought something to many that is much bigger than the numbers…. human connection. We often hear about the urban/rural divide and racial division within our communities. I believe that RAFI’s CSA initiative goes a long way toward bridging that divide. West Raleigh Presbyterian church liaison Beth Harris showed us the church garden and said her favorite part of the CSA was getting to know their paired farmer, who has even come and presented for a Sunday School class. Our next stop was with Peter Van Dorsten at Umstead Park UCC. Peter said he loved seeing his church work together in community to “support redressing historical racial inequities” that farmers of color have and still do face. At Christ the King Lutheran Church we spoke with two shareholders who talked about how much they loved the relationship they built with their partnering farmer, how they had been to house his house and land, understood the greater struggles of dealing with drought and pests, and grew a greater appreciation for his work. They continued, “People’s eyes and ears are awakening to what’s going with the climate and helping small farmers plays a huge part in helping.” It was great seeing our friends at Community UCC, including shareholder and original member of the planning team, Gary Smith. Gary echoed other shareholders and noted that his favorite part is working with farmer Ken Daniel. Thanks for checking out our photo essay! If you are interested in learning more about our Farm and Faith Partnerships Projects all across NC, send us an e-mail at [email protected].
