Policies

CSA Policies & Member Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to remember to pick up your share during the listed pick-up hours for the Pick-up Location you are signed up at, and to read and abide by our Pick-up Protocol and Policies.  Blue Sky Organic Farms does not reimburse for Shares missed because you forgot to pick up or did not follow instructions.

It’s very important to understand and follow our Pick-up Protocol and Policies, as they are meant to make the CSA experience a positive one and are integral to the successful operation of our program! Not following instructions leads to problems, and chronic abusers may be asked to leave our membership.  Any Shares remaining at the close of pick-up hours may be donated by the site hosts, so be sure to pick up your Share during the listed hours on the correct day.

Pick-up Protocol & Policies

BLUE SKY ORGANIC FARMS CSA

AS A MEMBER, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR READING AND UNDERSTANDING OUR PICK-UP PROTOCOL.  IT IS MEANT TO PROVIDE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND IS PART OF WHAT YOU AGREED TO BY ACCEPTING OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

OUR PICK-UP LOCATIONS ARE ON THE HONOR SYSTEM, MANY TIMES NO BLUE SKY FARM EMPLOYEES ARE THERE TO HELP YOU AT THIRD PARTY LOCATION PICK UP POINTS, SO FOLLOWING PROTOCOL IS IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR CSA PROGRAM.  THANK YOU!!

1) PLEASE, GIVE WHOEVER IS PICKING UP YOUR SHARE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Our Pick-up Protocol is important, as many sites are operating other businesses during the time you will be picking up your box. Let whoever is picking up know this. If our Pick-up Protocol is not followed mistakes are made, and members who pick up afterward could be shorted items meant for them.

2) REMEMBER TO PICK-UP YOUR SHARE!
It is your responsibility to remember to pick up your share on the correct day during the listed pick-up hours. If you forget, we do not refund, replace, or give credit for your missed share. If you miss picking up your share during the listed hours, your site host is authorized to donate your items to either an organization such as St. Marys Food Bank or family-in-need they know about (so the food does not go to waste).

3) FIND YOUR NAME ON THE CHECKLIST LEFT AT THE PICK-UP SITE
At each site there is a CHECKLIST of everyone who picks up and what they are supposed to take.  PLEASE USE AND FOLLOW THE CHECKLIST EVERY WEEK.

4) TAKE ONLY WHAT IS LISTED BY YOUR NAME
This includes the contents of the PROPER SHARE BOX (SHARES ARE LABELED WITH THE NAME OF THE MEMBER TO WHOM IT BELONGS) as well as any cartons of eggs or other times which are located outside or packed inside the box (see ADD-ON OPTIONS, below).  There is one exception to this rule, see item 6 below.

PLEASE NOTE:  BULK PRODUCE ORDERS ARE ALSO SEPARATE FROM THE SHARES.   DO NOT TAKE ITEMS THAT ARE NOT LISTED BY YOUR NAME.  YOU WILL BE SHORTING THE MEMBER THE ITEM IS MEANT FOR.

5) IF YOUR NAME IS NOT ON THE LIST, DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING
Contact us by email or phone – purplekarat@gmail.com or 623-266-4031 – and we will find out the reason you are not listed and work things out.  We only drop off enough shares, etc. for the people listed. If you take something and you’re not on the list, you’re taking someone’s share.

6) IF YOUR NAME IS ON THE LIST BUT THERE IS NO SHARE FOR YOU, DO NOT LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED
Really, it is okay to take a different share if your name is on the list yet your share isn’t at the site because occasionally someone will take the contents of the wrong box.  So, please, if you can figure out who made the mistake, take their share then email to let us know so we can remedy any inequities if necessary.

(People can also forget to check off their name, so remaining shares won’t necessarily map to the un-checked boxes on the Checklist.)

7) CONTACT US PROMPTLY IF YOU HAVE BEEN SHORTED SOMETHING
Email or call us right away. We will make it up to you within the next couple of deliveries. Notes left on the checklist are not usually seen.  TO RECEIVE CREDIT OR REPLACEMENT, YOU NEED TO EMAIL OR CALL (purplekarat@gmail.com or 623.266.4031).

8) PLEASE, BE RESPECTFUL AND BE NEAT

RESPECT THE PICK-UP LOCATION – Treat the site how you would want it to be treated if it were at YOUR home.

RESPECT YOUR SITE HOST – please remember that most sites do not have any knowledge of your order. Please be courteous if there is a problem and contact the farm with any questions.  This includes questions for all farmer's market pick ups and all third party pick ups.

COURTESY COUNTS – courtesy for fellow members and for a site host’s property (and their neighbors!) is paramount. You are participating in a community.  How you behave and what you do directly impacts other members.  Chronic offenders will be asked to leave our membership.

BE SAFE – there are other members, their children, animals and other traffic around our pick-up locations.  Watch for them please.

EGGS, HONEY, OTHER GOODS

EGGS, HONEY, OTHER ADD-ON ITEMS: These items will be listed on the packing list and most likely be inside the box labeled with the name of the member they belong to.  There are exceptions, though, so PLEASE ALWAYS USE AND FOLLOW THE WEEKLY CHECKLIST TO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE CORRECT ITEMS.

EXCHANGE BOX
Some locations (such as farmer's markets) have an informal “Exchange Box”. If you have something in your share box which you don’t want, put it in the exchange box and help yourself to anything in there which looks good to you!

RE-USE OF BOXES AND BAGS

1) Return your box.  We re-use the boxes your share is packed in. Please just return it the next time you pick-up.

2) We do not take back any of the plastic bags at this time (please recycle/re-use them at home).  If this changes, we will let members know and update this note.

Thank you for participating in our Community and supporting our Farm!

Communications

We communicate with our membership primarily through email and posts published on our web site and social media accounts. These emails and posts include information about what will be in upcoming farm boxes, announcements and recipes. We also send email announcements to our CSA Community about upcoming Community Farm Days, Tours, Brunches and other Farm Events.

As a member of our CSA program, you understand it is your responsibility to open and read the emails we send so that you stay informed.  If your email address changes, you need to update it in the Contact Info tab of your online account.

To help you receive and filter emails from us, please save these two email addresses through your email contacts: purplekarat@gmail.com and blueskyorganicfarms.csa@gmail.com

Weekly Emails Include:

Having an up-to-date email address on file with your CSA account will help smooth out any communication gaps. Keeping you informed regarding your subscription, the happenings at the Farm, and more!

•  “Reminder of Upcoming Delivery”/"What’s in your Farm Box” these emails are sent to help you stay on track with your deliveries. It is your responsibility to remember to place your Farm Box on Hold if need be. As well as, purchase your Add On items before the order deadline stated in the email reminder. We highly recommend creating your own reminder rather than relying on the emails.This email also confirms your Share Contents, Pick-up Location and Delivery Date, for your Subscription.  
• "Recipe Share of the Week" these emails are sent weekly. They feature recipes created from the Box Contents for the week, by our Blue Sky Crew member, Chef Maloney.  
• "Announcements" these emails are sent out occasionally to announce any upcoming changes; e.g. subscription completion for the season, new subscriptions available, changes to pick up locations, etc.

If you are not receiving these emails, check your junk/spam folder since emails sent through our CSA software service sometimes end up there (see above).

Subscription Policies

CSA subscriptions are ongoing as an auto-renewing subscription. Deliveries continue based on our Seasonal Delivery Schedules unless a Delivery Hold is placed (see below), or a subscription is cancelled (see Cancellation Policy below).

SUBSCRIPTION HOLDS AND DONATIONS:

You can place Holds on your subscription through your online account/Membership Dashboard.  All Holds must be placed 72 hours prior to the delivery date. This policy is in place, so we can stop the automated billing from occurring. Please keep in mind in order to be considered an active member and receive the CSA discount, we ask that you maintain 3 out of every 4 scheduled Farm Boxes.

To Place A Hold: Select the date on the calendar that you want your box to be held. Once the page loads, look for the gray box that says "Hold Delivery". This is located below the title and date of the subscription. Once you select Hold Delivery, a window will appear giving you the option to donate, in this case you will be billed for the Farm Box and it will be donated to the food bank. Or, simply Hold the Farm Box, in this case no billing occurs if Hold is placed by the deadline and we do not create a Farm Box for you that week.

To Place A Suspended Hold: Holds can be placed for one or more consecutive weeks at a time, for when you go on vacation. Simply select the gray text box "Suspend Deliveries". Then on the calendar, select the start date of the Hold and then select the very last date of the Hold. You will see the dates appear in two text boxes below the calendar. Verify the dates are accurate and then select the gray text box "Suspend". Your suspended Hold is then set. If you have any questions please contact the CSA Coordinator: Gilli at blueskyorganicfarms.csa@gmail.com

Alternatives to putting your subscription on hold are: to share your CSA program with those who might be interested – have a friend or neighbor pick your share up while you’re gone, or give it to the person who house or pet sits for you while you’re away (please, be sure anyone picking up for you is well versed in the Pick-Up Protocol and know the address and hours of the pick-up site!); or you can arrange to donate it to St. Mary's Food Bank (see below). We greatly appreciate your consideration in this matter, as your CSA membership helps to ensure the health of our Farm and our ability to continue farming.

CANCELLATION POLICY

This action must be completed by an Administrator. Please call the office and ask for the CSA Coordinator (623) 266-4031. Or, you can send an email to purplekarat@gmail.com  or blueskyorganicfarms.csa@gmail.com   There are no refunds, credits, or exchanges for unclaimed boxes (aka boxes that were not picked up within the allotted time and location). 

A $24 cancellation fee will be assessed if the request is not received 72 hours prior to your next delivery. What does 72 hours look like? If you receive a Farm Box on Friday, the cancellation will need to be placed no later than 11:59pm on Monday. Or, if you receive a Farm Box on Saturday, the cancellation request will need to be received by 11:59pm on Tuesday. If cancellation request is not received within this time frame, the cancellation of services will go into effect the following week and the next scheduled delivery will occur. Thank you, for abiding by this policy and working as community to create an efficient and pleasant CSA experience!

If cancellation request is received via phone call or email within 72 hours of your next delivery, any scheduled automatic installment payments will be canceled. Any credit balance left on your account after all deliveries and fees, will be refunded to you by check (see Refund Policy below).

REFUND POLICY

There is a $24.00 processing fee for refunding of any credit balance that results from changes to your subscription initiated by you (including delivery holds or cancellation).  This means balances less than $24.00 will not be refunded.

There is NO processing fee if an error or change on our part necessitates a refund.