Community-Supported Agriculture

From a handful of farms 15 years ago, the community-supported agriculture (CSA) concept has grown to as many as 5,000 nationwide.  People sign up for a CSA, pay a regular fee and receive a weekly box of farm goods, generally delivered somewhere in their own neighborhood.

Parkhurst takes it one step further by creating opportunities for smaller farms to sell and deliver fresh produce to our clients’ associates and other guests - while Parkhurst chefs prepare and present recipe ideas using the fresh food harvested from the CSA farms. The farmer gets a dependable source of income and a dependable destination for the produce, and our clients receive fresh fruits and vegetables, far fresher than anything you can get at the store.

The Parkhurst CSA program has relationships with several farms, cooperatives and alliances, including Penn's Corner Farm Alliance, a farmer cooperative in southwestern Pennsylvania that delivers fruits, vegetables and other farm food products directly to Parkhurst-managed colleges and businesses in the Pittsburgh area.  Over the last 10 years, members of Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance have built a solid reputation for freshness and quality. Their farmers use sustainable farming practices, and many of them grow organically.

CSA farmers like Scott Farabaugh and his wife Chrissy, owners of Blue Goose Farm in Nicktown, Pa., are also proud to serve the faculty and staff at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., with fresh baskets of fruits and vegetables.   Scott has been participating at the farmers markets in Johnstown and Pittsburgh, but became very interested in CSA farming. The first year was a tremendous success as Blue Goose’s CSA fed 125 families in 2008.

The CSA model is a great opportunity for farmers to deliver their product to the source, while our client’s faculties and staff enjoy fresh food for use in their homes.