Arts & Entertainment
Group From Jawonio Volunteers at Cropsey Farm
They help harvest for the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program
Each Tuesday, three members of Jawonio’s Nyack Studio Arts crew go to Cropsey Community Farm to help harvest.
The Nyack Studio Arts program is a day habilitation services program for those ages 19-28 that utilizes arts and activities to further education and exploring. The program is located at 53 Hudson Street in Nyack. It was located on Main Street, but the location was flooded last year.
Katie Bender, one of the three people who go to the farm each week, said farming is a hard job, but she loves it.
“I’m helping people and being part of the community,” she said. “I’m being a friend for change.”
The group from Jawonio volunteers at the farm as part of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, in which people pledge to the farm to cover the costs of operating the farm and in return receive a portion of what is harvested. People are also asked to help work on the farm to collect what is grown, which includes carrots, garlic, eggplant and more.
The farm has about 200 families in the CSA who receive food from the farm, according to Amelia Auman, one of the farmers at Cropsey in New City.
The group from Jawonio doesn’t take any of the vegetables with them, but just go to help harvest as a fun outdoor activity. Auman said that during the school year, a lot of school groups go to Cropsey to farm. She added that boy and girl scout troops also go to the farm to work.
On Tuesday, the group from Jawonio, which includes two staff members in addition to the three people in the Nyack Studio Arts crew, harvested hundreds of carrots from a 200-foot long patch.
