I swear, the HH comes home like every other day telling me about this client dropping off donuts, or that co-worker bringing in left-over this or that for the entire staff to munch on. It’s all fine and dandy, until sitting at a desk and munching on baked goods starts to catch up with you.
Apparently, in an effort to promote healthier lifestyles, some companies are exchanging Friday morning donuts for farm fresh produce, though. The companies off a sort of CSA, where employees can order weekly baskets of local, farm fresh produce that will be delivered right to their work. The idea is that if employers can get employees eating more fruits and veggies, they will be healthier. Healthier employees means happier, more productive employees.
Programs like Farm to Work, a Texas based program, has been wildly successful and well received. The program started with one farm and has grown to 10 farms and 49 participating work sites {with anywhere from 200 to 2000 employees at each site}. There’s even a waiting list for employers that want to join the program. Texas isn’t the only place trying to merge work and eating local, farm fresh food. Several states and employers have adopted the idea, in an effort to improve employees’ lives AND create a local food movement. Best of all, participating employees get to experience food that they may never think of putting in the cart at the grocery store-like “bok choi and kohlrabi” {two of my personal favs}–all for about $20 a week.
I thought the whole concept was so cool…and Utopian. Do any of your employers do something like this? Do you participate? Would you forgo the weekly donuts for some fresh produce if you had the option?
~Mavis
Ashleah says
My office has a fruit cart that they fill every Monday morning. Employees are encouraged to have one piece of fruit each day.
Heather says
My husband’s employer has organic produce baskets delivered every week that the employees get to eat. They try to get enough for employees to have fresh fruits and veggies everyday provided by the company. It is a huge perk for us because he never has to pack much food for work, just a main dish for lunch.
Jen Y says
My husband’s company doesn’t do this but they do offer many great incentives for healthy living.
We have a company gym for all employees (everyone from the CEO to production employees & truck drivers use it.) You do pay for a membership but it’s much less than any other gym in the area. the company built it, got it all started & membership fees (about $5 per week for families, less for individuals) pay for upkeep & trainer’s salaries. So you can go to classes, have personal trainers, dietitians, ect help you with your plan. It has a full size basketball court, 2 handball courts, aerobics room, track, locker rooms with showers, every weight machine & hand weight available plus cardio machines. Obviously I love it! We also have attached to the property a park with a playground, picnic tables, swimming pool, two baseball fields, a sand volley ball court, horseshoe court, ect. All this greatness in a little town of about 3,300.
I use the weights, aerobics room & track 2 to 6 days a week depending on my schedule & it’s always busy with employees using it on their breaks. I often schedule my workouts around my husband’s breaks so he can walk with me & visit for a few minutes. It’s open 24 hrs a day yr round.
Other great perks –
-health savings account – the company will match any funds we put in our account plus gives us many ways to earn more for it. Just by turning in paperwork from my dr showing I’d had my wellness exam this year I earned $350. I also earned some by logging my exercise. Between both of us we earned over $1,000 this yr for our accounts – basically doing what we would normally do anyway. A huge benefit to us. My husband is a Type I diabetic & we love being able to pay for all of our health care this way. We’re slowly building the account to use when he retires.
-Health clinic -we can see a nurse practitioner for basic health care needs for much less & pretty much no waiting.
Even though the company doesn’t provide produce the employees just naturally share their garden produce through the growing seasons anyway.
Mavis says
Sounds like the company really cares about its employees…how lucky to have such a great job!
Amanda says
I’m on my company’s Health and Wellness Committee and we try to buy fresh fruit every other week or so in a large batch for people to munch on. Apples are nice and easy to take back to your desk.
The CSA idea sounds really cool, I’ll have to look into that for us. Thanks for the idea!
Mavis says
That would be so cool if you implemented something like that…make sure to report back if you do.
Karin says
I haven’t heard about anything like that in our area But I think is’s an awesome idea!