A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program allows customers to buy a “share” of the farm at the beginning of the season. Customers pay up front at the beginning of the season in exchange for a weekly box of vegetables.

A CSA is a huge benefit to LSI Global Greens farmers because it gives them a guaranteed market to plan and grow vegetables for. Owning and operating a small farming business is risky. Farmers’ markets sales are variable and dependent on outside forces that farmers cannot control (bad weather, competition, unknown customer preference, etc.). A CSA gives the farmers a guaranteed market and takes some of the guesswork out of pre-season planning. Farmers know going into the season how many seeds to order and when to plant them to provide the vegetables each week of the year.

You will receive a wide variety of common vegetables that grow well here in Iowa. Most weeks, you will receive a vegetable or two that are popular in the farmers’ native countries. You will receive recipes with each box.

With a full share, you will receive between 6-10 different vegetables per week. This is a nice amount of vegetables for a family of 4, or for 2 people who really love veggies. With a half share, you will also receive 6-10 vegetables — just every other week. This is a good amount for 2 people, or for 1 person who really loves their veggies.

Tuesdays are our delivery day. Check your pick-up location below for details on picking up your vegetables.

Lutheran Services in Iowa: Pick up is on Tuesdays between 3:30-6:00 pm. All pick ups will be outside. Please drive to the rear of the building and pull up to the glass door. Drive as far forward as possible to allow others to drive in line behind you. Your vegetables will be outside on a table. Let our staff member know your name, then load the vegetables into your own reusable bags.

Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny: Pick up is Tuesdays between 4:00-6:00 pm. Enter the building through the glass doors on the lower level on the north side of the building. Your vegetables will be in room on the left. The church operates a food pantry at the same time on Tuesdays. Please mark your name off on the sign in sheet with the food pantry volunteer. Your vegetables will come in a reusable tote. Please take the vegetables out, place in your own bags and stack the box so that we can pick them up to use the following week. Any vegetables left after 6:00 pm will be donated to the church’s food pantry. If you are uncomfortable going inside, please call (515) 964-5586 and ask to be transferred to the food pantry. A food pantry volunteer will bring your food out to you.

Valley Community Center: Pick up is Tuesdays between 4-6 pm. Your vegetables will be outside underneath the pavilion on the southeast side of Valley Community Center parking lot, directly south of the play ground. Bring a reusable bag to put your vegetables in when you pick them up.

Athene: Pick up is Tuesdays from 1:00pm-3:30pm. A table will be set up just outside the set of elevators on the 1st floor, near the indoor parking garage and mail room. There are a couple of ways to get to the pickup location:

• From the tower (office and workspaces in the building), use the elevators that are furthest from the main entrance/lobby area; go to 1st floor and the table will be just outside the doors.
• As you enter the tower from the café and/or fitness center, use the 1st floor hallway (goes behind the elevators) and follow the hallway to the table located around the corner from the elevator entrance.

Home Delivery: Please leave a cooler or box outside of your house or apartment for our delivery driver to drop off your vegetables. Due to the popularity of home delivery, we have had to widen our delivery window, so you will be getting your vegetables between 1:00pm-5:30pm. Your vegetables will be bagged in a paper grocery sack, and our delivery driver will leave the vegetables in the cooler you have left outside your door. The driver will ring your doorbell or knock once to let you know that your vegetables have arrived. If you have any special instructions with your home delivery, please let us know by replying to this email.

We are currently offering home delivery for any CSA customers in Des Moines for a $5 fee per delivery.

We will deliver your produce between 1 – 5:30 p.m. If you are not going to be home, please leave a cooler just outside your door for us to put your produce in. If nobody is home and we don’t have anywhere to leave the vegetables, we will donate the food.

We will refund what you have paid above the deposit if you cancel prior to April 1. Global Greens farmers purchase seeds, plants, and fertilizer based on how many CSA members there are. When a member cancels, it affects the farmers’ bottom lines.

Yes, and you get 50% off per week! We will have a card reader at our LSI pick up location and you will have to swipe your card once every four weeks.

When you sign up, please choose the “I am paying in installments” option and leave a note in the comments at the very bottom of the page that you will be using your EBT card. No deposit is necessary. We do ask, in good faith, that by registering for the CSA, you agree to pay for the entire season.

You are welcome to have a friend or family member pick up your share for you — no need to contact us. Just have that individual check your name off on the sign in sheet. If you will be unable to pick up your vegetables, please contact Meredith by Monday before delivery at Meredith.McLean@LSIowa.org. That gives us time to donate the produce to a refugee family in need.

If you want to change your delivery location, please let Meredith know by Monday so we can make arrangements.

Yes. Please email Meredith.McLean@LSIowa.org and we can move the day you get vegetables back or forward by a week. At least one week’s advance notice is required.

LSI’s Refugee Connection Center serves many people who struggle with food insecurity every day. Global Greens finds itself in the unique position of having healthy, fresh, culturally appropriate vegetables that you can’t find anywhere else in Des Moines. We love how many vegetables Global Greens farmers give away to their communities, but we also want to support them in growing their businesses. LSI’s Refugee and Immigrant Center has case managers who work directly with folks in the refugee community who are age 60 and above. Case managers distribute the vegetables to those elders who are food insecure.

When you donate a box of vegetables, LSI pays farmers fair prices for their produce and makes sure those vegetables go to families in need. By having these boxes purchased ahead of time, we can plan better with our case managers to ensure the vegetables are donated in a timely manner to people who most need them.

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) prohibits farmers from using any synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms. CNG follows the same standards as Certified Organic, but CNG requires less paperwork and is much cheaper. You can read more about CNG here. If you have questions about our growing practices, just ask!

Reach out to us at GlobalGreens@LSIowa.org!