Hanley Sustainability Institute

By Anne Majka

What is a CSA program?

Many people, including college students, might not be familiar with the concept and its community benefits. A CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture program. Essentially a subscription that provides consumers with a regular supply of locally-grown produce. 

In order to ensure what is grown on campus stays on campus, Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI) decided to pilot its own CSA program for University of Dayton students with the produce being grown at the campus garden. To do so, HSI formed a partnership with the campus garden at Old River Park and the Food4Flyers Food Pantry at the Brook Center.

This summer, HSI launched a pilot program with 20 students who use the campus food pantry. Over four weeks, these students received CSA bags containing five-to-seven produce items a week.

Depending on the week, the bags included produce such as cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, green and mixed beans, peppers, basil, and garlic. The produce was harvested from the garden, packaged at the food pantry and made available for students during the pantry's open hours the following day.

During the four-week pilot, HSI provided a total of 238 pounds of produce to students and received positive feedback. At the end of the pilot, a survey was sent to the participating students to gather insights for improving the program for the fall. The survey showed that, prior to this program, no one participating knew what a CSA program was nor had participated in one. A lot of students also said that produce, such as squash, was new to them and they had not cooked or eaten it before. Seeing these types of responses was great, as the goal of this program was to increase access and awareness of the importance of fresh, sustainably-sourced produce.

The program is now expanding during the 2024-25 school year to serve up to 40 students with weekly produce through most of the fall semester. Based on student responses, HSI is planning a pickup option twice a week and supplying only three-to-four produce items weekly. Additionally, HSI plans to implement a donation-based model where students can contribute $5-15 per semester, with donations supporting the food pantry. 

This garden CSA program has not only increased access to fresh produce for UD students but also has served as an educational opportunity. Students learned more about what a CSA is and different kinds of seasonal produce, along with how to incorporate them into their daily recipes. If you would like to participate in the fall garden CSA program, volunteer applications are being accepted. 

The Food4Flyers Food Pantry is also accepting donations.