Pictured left: Judith Slagoff (left) picks up her personalized box of produce from John Eskate (right), RSVP Philadelphia director and KleinLife farmers' market manager.
In 2010, KleinLife purchased a handful of raised beds, with the goal of growing and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to encourage their seniors to eat more produce. Over time, this project has blossomed; with the support of Walmart and JFRE, KleinLife has built two hoop houses and planted an orchard at KleinLife’s Northeast Philadelphia location, producing nearly 2,000 pounds of produce in 2019 alone!
With this surplus, KleinLife has not only supplied their Cook for a Friend home-delivered meal program with fresh vegetables but has also developed a thriving and vibrant farmers’ market open to senior clients weekly, April through November. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, KleinLife had to think differently about how to make sure that their seniors and the community-at-large could continue to receive their produce with minimal risk.
As a result, KleinLife staff have started boxing up their produce and supplemental produce from Common Market in their new community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. Weekly orders are on the upswing, with more and more individuals picking up boxes, safely and without contact, of vegetables, fruits, and even farm-fresh eggs. KleinLife is eager to evolve this program and its produce as Philadelphia cycles through its reopening phases so we can support the health and wellness of the seniors and the community who rely on KleinLife’s dedication and ingenuity.