Attention All Rockawayans! Farm Share Is Here

By Juvie Anne Alfeche

RISE Public Programs Coordinator

RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity) and Sang Lee Farms have partnered for six years in community-supported agriculture (CSA), and it is in danger of shutting down. If no one signs up, then the distribution site at 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard in the Rockaways will go the way of dinosaurs.

Registration for Farm Share, the peninsula’s only mixed-income CSA, will be open until Thursday, May 1, 2025, at riserockaway.org. Click on “Programs” and then “Community” in the drop-down bar.

Organic farming goes beyond just avoiding pesticides. It nurtures the soil, supports biodiversity, and produces nutrient-rich food. Sang Lee Farms is on the North Fork of Long Island, a little more than ninety miles from the Rockaways. It is a certified organic, regenerative family farm that is committed to sustainable practices. Their produce is grown with care, ensuring that you receive nutrient-rich vegetables.

The shares (large, small, affordable) are distributed by RISE volunteers every Wednesday, from June 4 to November 12. Farm Share offers three different levels of membership to make fresh, certified-organic, locally grown produce accessible to all. Affordable shares are available to SNAP recipients who use their EBT, with a forty-dollar deposit and fifteen-dollar weekly payment. Solidarity shares (large or small) are for those who can pay more to help subsidize the CSA.

Farm Share is also an opportunity for neighbors to connect on a variety of topics (health, wellness, food insecurity, and voter registration) and to host workshops with local chefs, restaurateurs, and nutrition consultants. Rockaway Honey Works, RISE’s initiative to create opportunities for youth and community members to take part in beekeeping, will be available.

Do you want to eat fresh, affordable, and healthy? Sign up for Farm Share to help you achieve that goal.