Grassroots Group Promotes Healthy Eating and Gives Back to Schools

We are all aware of the benefits of organic food, having been constantly inculcated by medical professionals, the media and other healthy-living proponents. And with the burgeoning number of businesses that bring organic food closer to our doorsteps and dining tables, healthy eating has become even easier.

One such venture is CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture) California, a grassroots organization that procures organic produce from local farmers and brings them to over 20 pick-up locations throughout the Southland.

Founded by Sara Paul and Scott Manning, most of CSA California’s pick-up locations are at elementary schools, like .

“We want to help connect children with the sources of their food,” said Kali Wnuck, the company’s creative director and a long-time promoter of global sustainability. “We tell them that we just came straight from the farms so the fruits and vegetables are at their freshest.”

Every Wednesday around 12:30 p.m., Wnuck parks her van on the curb by the side of Mariposa. A dedicated group of parent volunteers help her unload boxes of produce, set-up, check order forms and stuff reusable bags with orders.

One such volunteer is Annielaurie Mozee, of Moorpark. “I found the web site and liked what I saw so I helped bring the program here,” said the mom of four, two of which are students at Mariposa.

About 15 families come every Wednesday to pick up their orders. Most of them heard about the CSA program from other families and through the school newsletter. “We do want that number to grow since the school benefits from it too,” said Mozee.

For every bag of produce sold, $2 goes to the school to support gardening and nutrition efforts, said Mozee. Mariposa’s organic learning garden is visible and accessible from Eagleton Street, where the pick-up location is set up.

The garden is a school-wide project and tended to regularly by students from all grade levels. The concept of healthy eating is introduced early with the kindergartners caring for their own plot and making snacks from their “harvest,” said Mozee.

Kristin Gurien, another parent, heard about the new CSA from the school. “I was ordering from another CSA, but their produce seemed to spoil quickly,” said the mom of two from Agoura.

Aside from quality and freshness, Gurien was attracted to the laid-back, pay-as-you-go approach of the business. “You don’t have to sign up for a specified length of time and you can cancel up to a few days before pick-up day,” she said.

Orders have to be placed online, though, said Wnuck. “We only pick up exact quantities so there’s no spoilage or waste,” she said. “We don’t have any extras to sell walk-in customers.”

There are three sizes from which to choose: full, family and large, starting at $25. The produce selection varies from week to week, depending on the season and the weather.

Currently, there are oranges, apples, melons, watermelons, sweet corn, broccoli and eggplants in the weekly mix, said Wnuck.

“The weather is definitely a challenge, because it can drastically change the availability of some produce,” said Wnuck, who travels the 101 Freeway from Oxnard to the San Fernando Valley and back, on an almost daily basis. “Then there’s the LA traffic and gas prices to contend with,”

But Wnuck said she wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s been my mission since high school, to get healthy school lunches and for everyone to eat well,” she said.