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. The weekly newsletter has recipes and storage tips for the veggies you’ll take home.

Each share has 6-10 different vegetables, with quantities you would find in the store—2 lbs of tomatoes, 1 lbs of onions, ½ pound of spinach, etc. . We think of it as a good amount of vegetables for a family of 3-4, or for 2 people who eat fresh or cooked veggies every day. With a half share, you also receive 6-10 vegetables — just every other week.

Tuesdays are our primary 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 at 3200 University Avenue. You can temporarily stop in front of the glass door on the south side of the building. Enter that door and the volunteer will check your name off the list. Be sure to bring a reusable bag to pack your veggies—taking them out of the plastic tote box so we can clean and use again the next week

Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny:

Tuesdays 4:00-6:00 pm.  Enter the building through the glass doors on the lower level on the north side of the building—the Harbor Entrance. Your vegetables will be in room on the left. Please mark your name off on the sign-in sheet with the. 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.

Wednesday 10am – 12pm Enter the building through the Student door on the lower level on the north side of the building. Your share will be in the hallway. Please mark your name off on the sign-in sheet with the. 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.

Valley Community Center:

Tuesdays 4-6 pm. Your vegetables will be inside the main entrance on a table. Please mark your name off on the sign-up sheet.Bring a reusable bag to put your vegetables in when you pick them up.

Wednesday 10 am to 12 pm. Your vegetables will be inside the main entrance on a table. Please mark your name off on the sign-in sheet. Bring a reusable bag to put your vegetables in when you pick them up.

Corteva Agriscience:

Pick up is on Tuesdays from 1:30 – 4 p.m. All pick-ups will be in the lobby of the Carver Center located at 7000 NW 62nd Avenue, Johnston (the building with 10 flags flying out front). Park in the 10-minute parking spaces in the circle drive in front of the Carver Center. If those spaces are full, find a spot in the parking lots on either side of the building. Once parked, enter the building and your vegetables will be on a table in the lobby–check your name off the pick-up list. If you cannot make it by 4 p.m., plan to pick up vegetables the next day between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. After 4 p.m. on Wednesday, remaining shares are donated.

Home Delivery:

Please leave a cooler or box outside of your house or apartment for our delivery driver to drop off your vegetables. Delivery occurs 1:00 – 6:00 pm. Our delivery driver will leave the vegetables in your cooler. If you have special instructions with your home delivery, please let us know by reaching out to mark.bequeaith@lsiowa.org.

We are currently offering home delivery for any CSA customers in Des Moines for a $10 per delivery fee.

Yes. If you need to cancel your membership, we will refund 75% of your remaining season shares. 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! You will pay in four installments at the beginning of each month. We will have a couple of options for monthly EBT payments, so you don’t drain your card in any one month. We’ll have a card reader at our LSI office and you can come by to make a payment; we’re also able to take your information over the phone. You can call 515-608-3599 to make payment arrangements.

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. 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 Mark by Friday before delivery at Mark.Bequeaith@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 Mark know by Friday so we can make arrangements.

Yes. Please email Mark.Bequeaith@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 mark.bequeaith@lsiowa.org or call 515-608-3599