LUCSA Membership Agreement
This agreement outlines our shared commitments to that relationship. Read on and feel free to contact us with any questions that may remain.
Our CSA
Local Unified Community Supported Agriculture (LUCSA, luck-sah) is a relationship between our farm, network of local farms, and other producers within Chicago — and you, of course, as our customer! Rather than simply purchasing food, our customers are members of this CSA and receive a portion of the farm’s harvest. As members, you are claiming stake in the local food system, as a guaranteed eater of local food, committing to local food producers who are in turn committed to you.
Our Growing Practices
Our outdoor farm grows vegetables in a mix of brought-in Illinois topsoil, compost we’ve produced from wood chips and food scraps, and additional compost from the best producers in the region. We are not certified organic, but we adhere to organic standards and well beyond. We use no herbicides or fungicides and only certified organic amendments and pesticides, and those as minimally and targeted as possible. We encourage a natural ecosystem and food sources for butterflies, bees, snakes and birds and other wildlife. Additional questions can be emailed to ofarm@theurbancanopy.org.
Our Partner Farms’ Growing Practices
Products found in these shares (like bread, beverages, and a wide variety of produce) come from our Chicago and Midwest partners who also use organic practices. Whether or not they are certified organic will vary, and we will do our best to make this clear to you. Some of our mid to large size farm partners are NOT certified organic, but are rather “Certified Sustainable,” “Certified Naturally Grown,” or have some other kind of certification. We do our best to make this clear to our members. Similarly, products like bread or the beverages in your shares are also organically produced; whether they are certified organic will vary. The eggs we use are certified organic and the chickens are free range.
Share Customization
Members may choose to opt out of receiving bread, eggs, beverage, and mushrooms. If you choose to opt out of any of these items, you will be supplemented with additional produce. Please keep in mind that your decision will remain in place throughout the season unless we hear from you. Opt in or out as you’d like by emailing this preference to lucsa@theurbancanopy.org.
Members with food allergies or dietary restrictions can notify us and we will do our best to remove those items from your shares and substitute with another comparable item (vegetable for vegetable, beverage for beverage). Please keep in mind that human error can occur, and we cannot provide a 100% allergy-free environment.
Specific share content preferences, not associated with allergies or the above customizations, are not always able to be accommodated for. Please understand that contents will constantly be changing, so you will receive a wide variety of items throughout the season, some you love and some you love a little less. However, we will always do our best to substitute any requests to the best of our ability.
Delivery Details
Deliveries take place on Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Dates of deliveries will be confirmed in your welcome email. Delivery days are dependent on the geography of our members. Because of this, you cannot select a delivery day or schedule, but will be assigned based on membership. Members will be texted the day of their delivery with an estimated delivery window and the contact information for the crew member that will be delivering the share.
Where can I get my share delivered?: We ask that you provide a consistent drop off spot for our drivers that will work throughout the season. Most commonly, we leave shares on front porches and in foyers. We are able to accept keys so that we can leave your share behind a locked door in the lobby of your building. We are also able to leave a share at your back gate or backyard. Unless we have made an exception for you, we are not able to take elevators or go up multiple floors to deliver your share.
What if I consistently won’t be home?: We include a question in the sign up form for a consistent drop off spot. Please consider a safe and accessible spot for your share if you know you will not be home for delivery. We are flexible to accommodate your needs. We can handle anything from cooler drop-offs to lock box codes to alley/porch access to keeping a copy of a front door key.
Delivery day changes: Full share members are not able to reschedule deliveries if they are out of town, but we can deliver your share to a friend/neighbors house within your delivery zone. Half share members are able to reschedule to a week they would normally not receive a share if they are out of town during a share delivery. For both of these options we request one weeks notice.
Day of last minute changes: You are responsible for supplying a location at your residence where you’d like us to place your share in the event nobody is able to accept the delivery. If you do not provide us with this information, and you are not responsive during delivery, it is up to the driver’s discretion to determine a safe delivery location for your box, whether that be at your doorstep, with your doorperson, or returning it to our warehouse to be picked up.
Pick-up option due to unsuccessful delivery: In the highly unlikely event that we are not able to deliver a share to you, we will have to bring that share back to our headquarters and you will have the option of picking it up from there during business hours.
Donations: If you know you will not be able to pick up the delivery or coordinate an alternative delivery, then you can let us know you’d like to donate your share to a pantry or family in need. Our donated shares currently are brought to the local Pilsen Food Pantry.
Inclement weather: In most cases, a winter storm may only affect delivery windows in a certain day, meaning an 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. window may be pushed to 2:30 p.m.-4 p.m. However, some weather may force Urban Canopy to close for an entire day. This can include snowy/unsafe driving conditions or extreme cold. You can expect communication from us through email if we anticipate rescheduling any of our routes into a later day of the week. Decisions will be made by 7 a.m. regarding a shift in the day of delivery. Additionally, it is your responsibility to keep your drop off spot snow and ice-free. If your delivery driver does not feel safe getting to your delivery spot because it has not been plowed and salted, it is up to their discretion to determine a safe delivery spot.
Payment Details
LUCSA members are billed on a 4-week cycle. This may be for either 2 or 4 shares. New members will first put down a deposit of $60 which goes towards the first share, and then billed the rest at the start of their cycle. Please see the current season of LUCSA’s page for a more detailed breakdown on payment.
In the past, LUCSA has offered pay up front or pay as you go options due to regimented seasons throughout the year. As of Summer 2024, this is no longer the case.
Cancelation: When you sign up for our service, you are committing to a 4-week cycle. To remove yourself from the following billing cycle, submit a help ticket using your member portal or email us at lucsa@theurbancanopy.org. Otherwise, your membership will automatically renew indefinitely.
Refunds: We do not guarantee refunds, but will always review the situation and offer an accommodation that we consider fair for the situations. We are always happy to work to find solutions that feel fair for all parties involved, and have been happy to issue refunds in the past when necessary.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
The Urban Canopy
2550 S. Leavitt St.
Chicago, IL 60608
Attn: LUCSA
Contact Us
lucsa@theurbancanopy.org