What can take root at CSUN and grow far beyond campus? For alumni Samantha and Mark Sirota, it was Good Box Organics, a mission-driven business that brings farm fresh produce to families, supports local farmers and gives back to schools.
What began with two CSUN art students living just minutes from campus grew into a mission-driven business that brings farm fresh produce to families, supports local farmers and gives back to schools. Today, Samantha and Mark Sirota ’08 (Art), founders and owners of Good Box Organics, have raised more than $300,000 for partnering schools. But the company took root at CSUN, where creativity, community and a growing awareness of food access began to shape their future.
“Location, location, location!” Samantha said, reflecting on what drew her and Mark to CSUN. Both art majors, they also had personal ties to the university. Samantha’s father was a CSUN alum, and Mark grew up half a mile from campus.
As students, both were vegan and struggled to find healthy plant-based options on campus. On weekends, they volunteered at local farmers markets in nearby Encino and Calabasas, first as a practical way to afford fresh food and then as something more meaningful.
“We saw firsthand how food could connect people, support local economies and shape healthier communities,” Samantha said. Looking back, she sees that stretch of time at CSUN as the real beginning of their path to food, sustainability and community impact.
CSUN also helped prepare them for the reality of building something from the ground up. Balancing classes, meeting deadlines and pushing through creative blocks built the resilience they still rely on as founders and business owners, Samantha said. One particularly influential message came from sculpture professor John O’Brien. When Samantha told him she wanted to pursue a path that did not seem to exist as a major or job title, he responded: “Well then … create it. Make what you want to happen,” she said. That mindset still shapes the way they approach their work today, she added.
The idea for Good Box Organics came into focus at the farmers market. Friends, neighbors and colleagues kept asking them to pick up fruit on their behalf, a simple pattern that revealed a bigger need.
“We realized the issue wasn’t lack of demand,” Samantha said. “It was lack of access.” That insight became the foundation of their business: making local, seasonal, nutrient-dense produce easier for busy families to bring home, while still honoring the farmers behind it. For the Sirotas, it was never just about convenience. “Food wasn’t just transactional,” Samantha said. “It was relational.”
That same sense of purpose shaped the company’s school partnership program, which has given 5% back from every box to participating schools since 2010. Reaching the $300,000 mark this year felt especially meaningful for the Sirotas.
“Two Valley kids with this grand idea of helping make food more accessible while giving back, that number felt so important to achieve,” Samantha said. Still, “what we’re most proud of isn’t just the total raised. It’s the ripple effect. Every box represents healthier kitchens, empowered schools and a more resilient local food system.”
One parent wrote to report that the boxes’ produce and recipes had helped their kids become open to a greater variety of fruits and vegetables. “That message meant everything to us,” Samantha said. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about delivering produce. It’s about shaping lifelong relationships with food.”
Because of CSUN, I know I can accomplish what I put my mind to.”
Looking ahead, the Sirotas want Good Box Organics to keep growing as a food access solution and as a resource for families. That commitment to education includes free recipes, storage guides and more for CSUN students and alumni. Through approachable recipes and simple cooking tips, they hope to help more households feel confident bringing fresh produce into everyday life.
“We don’t just want families to receive vegetables,” Samantha said. “We want them to feel confident using and enjoying them.” The Sirotas are especially passionate about inspiring children to stay curious about what is on their plate and helping more families experience fresh food as something familiar, joyful and accessible.
For Samantha and Mark Sirota, that work is still grounded in many of the same qualities they cultivated and strengthened at CSUN: creativity, curiosity and the confidence to build something meaningful without waiting for a blueprint. As Samantha put it, “Because of CSUN, I know I can accomplish what I put my mind to.”
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