Becky and Elaine – Full Belly CSA Team —
The success of any project here at the Farm reflects the attention to detail and hard work of staff. When CSA members place orders and request changes in their schedule we do our best to respond. Every morning we let the harvest crews know what to harvest from the fields so that they can fill the CSA boxes for the next day. We keep the web site updated and keep track of all the add-on orders. We help members who are late to pick up their boxes or who have questions about pick-up logistics. We answer many questions from the public. We are making well over 1,700 boxes every week these days and we love it! It is our goal to provide the best possible service to our CSA members in hopes that they enjoy every aspect of the CSA experience.
Over the years, many of you have gotten to know our staff — Carol, Ben and Becky have been masterminding answers to your emails and phone calls. But with changes in everyone’s lives in 2020, staff have changed. Carol and Becky are spending more time with their families, and Ben is working on the harvest side of the farm. Becky is still in the office on Mondays, which provides an important sense of continuity and access to the deep knowledge about the CSA program that she has after 16 years of managing it. With the recent staffing changes, there has been a lot of temporary staff filling in between the cracks, but all the while we were hoping to find someone who would enjoy being our CSA Manager full time.
We have found that person in Elaine Swiedler. Elaine is passionate about seasonal, local food and flowers and loves sharing her excitement with others. Her family has been Full Belly Farm CSA members since 2006 and she credits her membership as giving her a profound connection to the local agricultural community and an appreciation for good produce. She has held positions with local farms, farmers markets and agriculture-focused non-profits. She has been involved with several other CSA programs and appreciates the relationship between CSA members and their farms and the mutual value and benefit that both get. She says, “Producing food can be a purely transactional relationship, but it is so much more meaningful when there is also a deeper connection and investment. That’s why I’ve so enjoyed being involved in CSAs and farmers markets where I can form relationships with customers and see the impact of my work.”
You will have the opportunity to get to know Elaine a little bit as the Manager of the Full Belly CSA — Welcome Elaine!
Citrus season is just around the corner!
What a great day today! By Maria Grazia
