New Grocery Service Comes to Cambridge

Market shares
by Scott Kearnan | November 29, 2010
Buying stock is always risky. Your investment is subject to the whims of a fickle market, and what's coming up roses on Monday could easily turn into a lemon by Tuesday. Agricultural idioms aside, that's why some of us have been hesitant to buy into community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs. On one hand, we love the concept: buying shares in a local farm and receiving portions of the crops it yields, a process that supports small agro-businesses and feeds us, farm-to-fork, with fresh and responsibly grown fruits and veggies. But then there are the drawbacks: not only do CSAs sometimes require a hefty down payment, but the shareholder approach means we reap only what the farmer does. If there's a bad harvest, our plates might look awfully empty, and we can't always predict what produce we'll get. (And trust us: it's awfully disappointing when you're hoping for a box heaped with juicy red tomatoes and wind up with a lonely rutabaga. Epic FML.)
So we love the idea behind Farmers to You, a Vermont-based business that combines the socially responsible model of a CSA with the shopping convenience of, say, Stop & Shop's Peapod service. Here's the gist: customers commit to filling an online shopping cart with a minimum of $30 per week in fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, baked goods, and other groceries - more options than a typical CSA allows, thanks to the more than 20 partnering Vermont-area farms participating. Each order is then assembled and delivered to a regular weekly drop-off location for pickup. Though Farmers to You launched in April, it's only been serving suburbs until recently. But earlier this month, it added a Somerville pickup site in Union Square on Wednesdays - and a Thursday Cambridge location is in the works too. (Check farmerstoyou.com for delivery times and addresses.) And even if we aren't able to snag our groceries at the specified place and time, eco-friendly bike delivery through Metro Pedal Power is available in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville for just an $8 surcharge. And to think, we can't even get that pizza guy to drive over a large pepperoni pie because we're "on the other side of the river."

The convenience factor is great, but what we appreciate most is that Farmers to You offers a ripe alternative to riskier CSA models because it encompasses multiple farms (if CSAs are stocks, think of this as a mutual fund). So we can count on ordering exactly what we need - from organic milk in returnable glass bottles to free-range meats and seasonal veggies. We may never set foot in a supermarket again, if they could only add one more thing: tabloids. But on recycled paper, naturally.

New CAH Membership Plus Programs for Low - Moderate Income Seniors

We are pleased to announce that funds raised from local businesses, foundations, and individuals now make it possible for us to extend membership benefits to a few qualified households at a subsidized rate of $100 per year for a one-person household and $150 per year for a two-person household. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Applicants for subsidized memberships must be aged 70 or older and have gross annual incomes lower than $46,300 for a one-person household or $ 52,950 for a two-person household. Income verification is part of the application process.

The subsidy is for the annual membership fee only. All services from CAH vendors are billed directly to the member. Free services with membership include:

-Grocery Shopping service by appointment weekly
-Exercise classes - 3 per week
-Volunteer ride program - for medical appointments requiring sedation only
-One call referral to vetted service providers - member pays the provider for the services rendered
-Facilitated access to Mount Auburn Hospital
- Discounts from vendors and retail merchants
- Interest groups - bridge, Scrabble, book and poetry groups, walking
- Select member social events are free, others are at a cost

Please contact the office (617-864-1715) for a confidential application.

Interactive Chinese Performance

For the second consecutive year we were fortunate to welcome two masters students from Longy School of Music to a member's home for an interactive concert. This year the topic was Chinese music. The students performed various western classical and Chinese classical music pieces. They also discussed differences in sound between western and Chinese music and taught us about the Chinese music scale. By the end of the session, we were all singing a Chinese melody with Chinese lyrics. Although we may not have perfected our inflection or music skills, we all learned a lot and had fun doing it. We are grateful for our partnership with the Longy School and look forward to our next opportunity to provide an audience to their talented students!