Sunday, April 27, 2025
Five Towns and the surrounding area residents will soon have the opportunity to pick up fresh produce at the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC.
In a partnership with Natural Earth Organic Farms, in Manorville, the JCC will serve as a CSA — Community Supported Agriculture pick-up site.
Natural Earth Organic Farms is a certified organic farm on Long Island and follows strict organic growing methods.
The farm is co-owned and operated by Anthony and Marie Panarello and is currently in their 17th year of farming and 11th year offering CSA services.
“CSA is a pre-paid farm share so we have 300 families every year that we serve all across Long Island,” Marie Panarello said. “It’s a way for the community CSA members to be able to access fresh produce straight from the farm directly from us.”
The yearly cost for a season as a CSA site is $660 and includes a 20-week harvest period beginning in June through the end of November. Each week costs $33 for a subscription.
“This year, the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC is hosting our Cedarhurst pickup site and is also accessible for the neighboring towns,” Panarello said. “Anybody, not just from the Jewish community can join and pick up their share there.”
The partnership sprouted from CSA member and JCC volunteer, Perri Kaye. She suggested that the JCC contact the farm become a pick-up site for their fresh organic produce.
“A few years ago, I had the opportunity to pick up a CSA order for a friend and immediately fell in love with the concept—fresh, locally grown produce delivered right to our community,” Kaye wrote in an email. “I’m thrilled that the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC will now serve as a pick-up site for this incredible program, making it even easier for our neighbors to access high-quality, organic fruits and vegetables. This partnership is a wonderful addition to our community, and I can’t wait to start receiving my own fresh produce each week!”
Stacey Feldman, the JCC’s executive director, said she is excited to bring farm to table fresh organic fruits and vegetables into the homes of Five Towns residents.
“Since we are located in Western Nassau County, community members do not often have the ability to travel out to Eastern Suffolk County and enjoy the acres and acres of beautiful farmland that Long Island is known for,” Feldman wrote in an email. “We recognized that these produce shares are expensive and we encourage people to split them with family or friends. Just in case your family receives an item you won’t be using that week, you can always donate to our Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry.”
The JCC will be on the farm’s Thursday route and all produce is harvested and delivered within 24 hours.
“We really wanted to cater to the Long Island community and it was awesome that we were able to work with the JCC and have them be a host site,” Panarello added. “They wanted to expand their support that way and act as the channel for us an the community to have access to fresh produce.”
The JCC is benefiting by knowing they are helping bring more organic produce into the community.
“Depending on the weekly harvest, each box of produce will be a surprise, It’s a wonderful way to try unfamiliar items, test out a new recipe or enjoy your favorites,” Feldman wrote. “We are hearing so much in the news these days about the benefits of eating unprocessed foods. This is a fun way to enjoy fruits and veggies.”
For more information or to sign up email farmer@naturalearthfarmsny.com.
