Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pickup Groups ... And Then Some

What is a Pickup Group?
A pickup group is two or more shareholders who live in the same area joining together to take turns driving out to the farm for the shares.

Can the Farm Help me Find Other Folks in my Area to Join a Pickup Group?
Absolutely. Drop us a line at the address below or call 207-324-2357, and we'll put you in touch with a group in your area.

How Does it Work?
On your week to drive, you travel to the farm and pick up shares for everyone in your group and drop the vegetables at the designated local pickup site for your group (often a shaded porch or garage). Other members of the group need only come to the local pickup site on their off-weeks

Start of the Season Planning Meeting
One planning meeting at the beginning of the season will usually take care of most coordination needed for the whole season. At that meeting everyone comes with a calendar and signs up for driving. Other pickup group decisions are made at this time. At the end of the meeting all dates from June to October have a driver assigned and decisions have been made clear so that everyone understands their responsibilities to the group. This meeting should be mandatory for all members.

Organizational Decisions
These decisions are often shaped at the start of the season planning meeting. Existing groups may have some of these decisions already worked out.

• Pickup Day - The group needs to choose a day that works for everyone (and for the farm). If this is not possible some people may need to form a second group or join with another existing group.
• Pickup Time - The farm is open for pickups from 2-7 p.m. Members can arrive anytime during this window. Pickup groups typically decide when members want the veggies to be back at the local pickup site and members plan accordingly for their trip to the farm.
• Pickup Method - Most groups with shares at our farm have opted to bag each share individually at the farm (as opposed to picking up in bulk and having containers and scales at your local pickup site). Please bring all of the containers that you will need to pack your group's shares so that you can be sure to have enough. Some groups use laudry baskets or other reusable containers for their shares, but you always need at least a few bags for loose salad greens, tomatoes, and many of the weighed items.
• Containers - How does your group want to collect shares? Canvass bags, plastic grocery bags, boxes, baskets, etc. The farm does maintain a supply of shareholder-donated recycled plastic grocery bags, but we don't always have enough. If you choose to use reusable containers, you will need to figure out how to get these containers to the pickup person.
• Newsletters - Do members want their newsletters in print? The newsletters are generally available online, but most folks like a print copy--don't forget to pick up enough!
• Checklist - Provide a checklist or other system to indicate who has already come for their veggies at the dropoff site. One user-friendly method is to use Xerox paper boxes, laundry baskets or plastic totes for each share represented. The names of the shareholders, any splitters, and details about the number of newsletters (if any) go on a piece of tape or paper on the front of the box. The pickup person sets one share and requested newsletters into each box. When a shareholder arrives at the local pickup site they just grab whatever is in the box. The coordinator then knows who has arrived to pickup their veggies and who has not.
• Shares not picked up - Decide what to do with shares that are not picked up at the drop off site

Coordinator Responsibilities
While all members will need to play a role in making the group run smoothly, each group should have a primary coordinator. This person is often the host of the pickup site, but can be anyone.

• Contact List - The farm can provide a basic contact list to the coordinator and group members. The coordinator may want to add group specific information such as all pickup day responsibilities and group policies.
• Shares not picked up - The coordinator will be in charge of dealing with any left over produce at the pickup site. This may involve waiting until a designated time and then giving it away, etc.
• Reminders - Most groups find that instead of making reminder calls, a sign or calendar at the pickup can be used to remind shareholders of who was scheduled to do the next week's pickup. Some groups set up an email list or program reminders into an online calendar or something of that sort.
• Emergencies - The group should plan in advance how to handle any emergencies that come up that make it impossible for a shareholder to pickup vegetables at the farm or at the pickup site. If there is a good plan the coordinator often need not be involved.

For the farm-pickup member on the day of the pickup

• Remember bags or other containers
• Plan for Roon in your Car - Make sure you don't have so much stuff (or so many people) in your car that you can't fit your shares in. 7 or 8 shares is a lot of vegetables, especially in mid summer.
• Newsletters - Remember to grab enough newsletters for everyone in your group. Many people depend on these and (we hope) look forward to the recipes and other suggestions included there.

Extras

• Organize a pickup group potluck for your start of the season meeting or other occasion.
• Plan a group volunteer day at the farm.
• Carpool to farm potlucks or other events.