In 2008, the Regional Food Bank initiated a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to generate revenue and underwrite farm expenses.

A CSA program creates a relationship between a farm and a community of supporters. Members contribute to the farm’s yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of fresh produce. In addition to receiving locally grown, fresh, high quality vegetables each week during the harvest season, you will have the opportunity to participate in “Pick Your Own” at our Farm. During the season, our CSA member may visit the Farm on designated Saturdays and pick vegetables including cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, and herbs! All members are invited to visit the farm to learn about agriculture or to roll up their sleeves and help with the day’s work! As you partner with the Farm, your membership supports the growth and distribution of farm fresh produce to the hungry through member agencies of the Food Bank.

2021 CSA Season: June 24 – October 7

Professional Biography
Kelly Irvine is a member of the Management Team and Director of Marketing & Communications for Carlson Capital Management. She oversees the firm’s marketing plans and project implementation; client communications and appreciation activities; event management and community involvement, all with an eye on keeping our clients’ experience at the forefront.

Kelly graduated with departmental distinction in Political Science from St. Olaf College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude. Her career took her to Montana, Idaho, and Wisconsin before a returning to Minnesota. Kelly’s professional background spans both the corporate and non-profit sectors. She has held corporate management positions in community relations and human resources.

Community involvement is important to Kelly. She was selected as a Policy Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, where she was a 2004-2005 participant. Past activities have included volunteer advisory committee service at St. Dominic School and co-chairing 5th Bridge-Feed My Starving Children Northfield meal-packing events. Kelly is also a past board member of the Northfield Area Family YMCA and of the Helena Education Foundation. Kelly, her husband Colin, and their two children spent the 2010-2011 school year living in and working from Oslo, Norway. She now telecommutes from Sioux Falls, South Dakota where she resides with her family.

Personal Thoughts
Like many Minnesotans, I grew up with the privilege of “going to the Lake” in the summer. (Much to the chagrin of my spouse, who hails from the West, we Midwesterners never really bother to specify which lake. It’s just the Lake.) Not unlike many families in this area, I am fortunate in that early ancestors from Norway had the foresight to purchase lake front land where they wasted no time establishing family traditions – including an annual July 4th celebration. And while land is simply land, it’s our “landscape” that helps describe the essence of who we are. For me that landscape, and more precisely “the Lake,” is really all about family.

I recall my wedding day as guests came out of the chapel to greet us in the receiving line. My new mother-in-law from out of state stood next to me as I introduced her to many unfamiliar faces. She remarked later that every other person was “a cousin from the Lake.” How right she was. In our family, it doesn’t matter if one is a first cousin, a third cousin twice-removed, or the spouse of a second cousin – we are just cousins. Cousins range from several months old to those in their nineties, and, oddly enough, we consider ourselves part of an “immediate” family, even though the number of us easily exceeds a couple hundred. We all grew up spending summers at the Lake, and we were always accountable to the aunts in the generation (or two) ahead of us. We are there for one another’s weddings, funerals and sometimes birthdays. We look forward to sharing kransekake and rommegrot. We are intent on ensuring that our children know our cousins’ children. So, to know me is to know that I am a wife and a mother, a daughter and a sister, a grand-daughter, and, importantly, “a cousin.”

All of us at CCM look forward to learning your story, because that is how we at CCM have defined ourselves as a company, and that is how we will continue to define ourselves in the future. We must know you and your story before we can help you accomplish what is important to you.

Youth News

Fresh Ground Pork Donated by Oklahoma 4-H and FFA Members Arriving at Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

The Food Drive that was promoted by the Diamond Hats group at the 2011 Oklahoma Youth Expo became more than just canned beans and corn- as the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma received this week several hundred packages of fresh ground pork produced by some of the exhibitors of the Youth Expo. A total of nine young people from three Oklahoma communities donated their show animals to be processed into pound and a half ground pork packages as a part of the Food Drive that donated over 700 pounds of dry goods as well. When all of the meat that was being processed arrives at the Regional Food Bank- they will have received 1,500 pounds of fresh pork from these 4-H and FFA youth.


The idea originated with a generous young lady from Seiling. For the past couple of years, Chelsie Livingston of the Seiling FFA Chapter has donated her show pig to the local food pantry if it did not qualify for any premium sales. When the Seiling Chapter Advisor Ben Fischer heard that the Diamond Hats had organized a food drive in cooperation with the office of Governor Mary Fallin for those coming to the Oklahoma Youth Expo, their chapter decided they would try to find corporate sponsors to pay for the processing and donate six pigs from the Seiling FFA to the Food Drive.


Once Chelsie arrived at this year's Youth Expo- word got around about the Seiling FFA gift- we talked with Chelsie about her efforts- click here to read that story and listen to our conversation with her back in March. and two additional chapters had young people stepping up to donate their pigs as well.


Processing money was found as four organizations stepped up to help. The Board of Directors of the American Farmers and Ranchers dug into their own pockets and paid for the processing of six animals, while the Bank of Western Oklahoma, Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Pork Council each paid for the processing of one animal each.


Diamond Hat leaders promise that this effort will be expanded in 2012, as they look for ways to encourage the ag youth of Oklahoma to be able to help feed Oklahoma families by helping the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.


The young people involved in the pork gift to the Food Bank included the following:


Seiling- Chelsie Livingston, Kaci Livingston, Ryan Sanders, Caleb Gilchrist, Miranda Gilchrist, Tanner bensch and Kristin Combs. (Ben Fischer, Ag Ed Teacher)


Thomas- Kylie Bryen (Ag Ed Instructors- Justin Kliewer and Heath Maddox)


El Reno- Regan Herren (Ag Ed Instructor- Richard Herren)


Click on the LISTEN BAR below to listen to our audio report from the Regional Food Bank on Monday- with comments from Seiling FFA President Chelsie Livingston, Marilyn Harrel of the Diamond Hats and Terry Detrick of AFR.



   
   

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