There's an organic garden in Amityville that's run by the Sisters of St. Dominic. The endeavor, Sophia Garden, is a community-supported agricultural (CSA) mission that provides food to needy local families. It also sells "shares," as an agricultural co-op would, to its members, who also commit to a set hours of volunteer time working the land, pulling weeds, turning the compost pile, and harvesting crops.
As in other CSA set-ups, members share in the cost and success of the garden, as well as in the harvest. A share at Sophia Garden costs $700 (weekly pickups,) and half shares can be purchased for $350 (pickups every other week). Each pick up consists of 10-15 pounds of a combination of the 25 or so vegetables grown at the site.
As you can imagine, a staff farmer is a necessity. Unfortunately, the Garden has been experiencing difficulty holding on to one. "It's difficult to keep a young agricultural farmer on Long Island, explained Sister Jeanne Clark, who founded the organization. They usually come from other parts of the country, and housing here is too expensive." Some get priced out of the area, while others simply get homesick, she said.
The sisters are in a bind. "We really want to hold onto this farm," Sister Jeanne said, adding that the farmer position is unique in that -- unlike most farmer positions -- it doesn't require any managerial work. It's strictly farming, she said. The position pays $24,000 a year plus health benefits.
The garden also needs an intern for the 2008 growing season, who would receive $10 per hour.
Interested? Send an email to Sophiagarden@aol.com or call 631-842-6000.
