Category Archives: From the Board

Posts that are generated by the board

We’re calling for Owner Investment Campaign Volunteers!

Dear Member-Owners,

We’re calling for Owner Investment Campaign Volunteers!

The Cedar Falls Food Co-Op is growing and site selection for our grocery store is happening! As a site becomes available, we will kick off our Owner Investor Campaign and need your help in doing so. The Owner Investor Campaign Committee is seeking Builders and Communicators—two critical volunteer roles to assist with the Owner Investment Campaign. The Owner Investment Campaign will help the Co-op raise the money needed to open our store, and Builders and Communicators will play key roles in the campaign. A description of both volunteer opportunities is provided below:Continue reading→

Board Happenings: March 2018

– We sent 5 representatives to this year’s Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference and they had an insightful and invigorating experience. We can’t wait to take what they learned and put it into practice in creating our co-op!
– As we get closer to entering into Stage 3 we have a lot of technical items need to be completed. Items like the business plan and pro forma are getting finalized and we’re almost ready to launch our Owner Investment Campaign. This is going to be a very big summer for the Co-op and we can’t wait to share all this hard work with our Owners!

April 2018 Incentive

Spring represents new beginnings, and it’s appropriate that your Co-op is working toward its final stage of development. With 750 member-owners, we are now looking toward 800 and you can help us get there. Keep spreading the word and if you have not become a member-owner, we hope you will join this month. Together, we can get our store here sooner!

April brings Earth Day, and we are honoring our planet in a variety of ways this month. Keep an eye out for Rooty the Co-op Carrot who is emerging from a long winter nap and is excited to celebrate mother nature with you. Thanks to the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, we’ll have a membership to give away, so stay tuned. We are also highlighting some reusable, recyclable items this month that some lucky member-owners will receive. Be sure to keep tabs on all of these activities via our Facebook page where you can find the most updated details.

 

Happy Earth Day! Happy Spring! Happy Co-op Supporting!

Eat Seasonal in April

The weather is forever changing in Iowa. But this last snow storm was a pretty big one. Leaving us cold and wet with shovels in hand. These colder days can have us seeking a warm pot of goodness at the end of the day. Grab a big pot, add some chicken or vegetable stock, lots of fresh vegetables, a protein of your choice, seasonings, and enjoy! Continue reading→

From the Board President: Don’t Miss Out: The Window of Opportunity to Become a Founding Member is Closing

New Pioneer Food Co-op started in Iowa City in 1971. Oneota Food Co-op began in Decorah in 1973. And Wheatsfield Food Co-op traces its roots in Ames back to 1974. Nearly 50 years later, all three of these food co-ops are still thriving. They have each grown and expanded over the years. But most importantly, all of them have become an integral part of the fabric of their respective communities. These stores are icons, not only in Iowa City, Decorah, and Ames, but also across the U.S. (Check out this picture of a New Pioneer T-shirt I found on display last summer at the Brattleboro Food Co-op in Vermont!)

A 1994 New Pioneer staff T-shirt is part of a quilt at the Brattleboro Food Co-op.

Right now, people in Cedar Falls and the surrounding communities are joining together to build a similar legacy here, a business that’s owned by members of the community for the community. With each new member of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op, we get closer to opening the doors.

But when those doors open for the first time, the window of opportunity to become a Founding Member closes.Continue reading→

Guest Article: Paola Castillo

Do you wish you could find more nutritional options for children’s parties? Cedar Falls resident, Paola Castillo shares her recent party plan.

Most birthday parties you have probably attended have served candies and a cake saturated with sugars. But my daughter’s birthday party was no typical birthday. My main goal was to serve some organic fruits and vegetables so our little ones could get the best nutrition with friends.

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We are not Alone: Together, We are Making this a Reality

From the Outreach Coordinator
We are not Alone: Together, We are Making this a Reality

 

Did you know that there are more than 125 new cooperative grocery stores starting up across the U.S.? Did you know that even more than that are already open and running? Throughout the nation, cities understand the value of this community-grown enterprise and are experiencing the countless benefits that come their way when co-ops form and become full-fledged businesses.

Wild Root Market member-owners discuss their vision of their future storefront.

 

Recently, Wild Root Market (Racine, WI) hosted a “Dream UP” event, inviting Jacqueline Hannah from the Food Co-op Initiative to work with member-owners in planning their vision for their future store. This co-op has a site selected and are now eager to get underway with their bricks-and-mortar establishment. What do they want in their store? How do they want the store to be set-up? The voice of member-owners is crucial for the future of a co-op. This past month, our member-owners had the opportunity to fill out a survey to start this dreaming process, and we are grateful to those who gave us their opinions. Co-ops are vibrant places within communities BECA– USE their communities create them.

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Eat Seasonal: March

The birds are chirping louder, the temperature is a bit milder, and the sun has been shining! March brings spring, and this year spring begins on March 20, 2018. What better time than to start thinking about fresh produce? Think green. St. Patty’s Day? Nope, in season green produce! There are definitely some other gorgeous fruits and vegetables popping out this time of year, like oranges, radishes, lemons, mushrooms, and leeks.

Eating fresh produce in season offers healthy sources of vitamins and minerals at the best price. When produce is allowed to ripen naturally, it brings out the full flavor and nutrition, which means it’s healthier for you and the environment. Eating seasonally helps support local producers and is better for the environment because the food doesn’t have to be transported from another part of the country or imported. Supporting local keeps our food dollars local. Here’s the list of fresh produce for March.

 

Photo credit: A Healthy Life For Me.

For a more extensive list of produce by season visit: https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/seasonal-produce-guide.

Board Happenings: February 2018

– We had a great turn out at our Member Mixer in January, and we even gained 4 new members that evening!
– We’ve really enjoyed hearing from you! We’ll be taking this input into account as we work through the decisions of designing our store.
– It’s that time of year when we start putting together our budget. It’s not the most exciting work, but rest assured that we carefully plan our year in order to use your investments as responsibly as possible.
– We’re sending 4 representatives to the Up and Coming Conference this year. This is the largest conference for startup food co-ops and each year we learn so much! Be on the look out next month for a conference update.

From the Board President: 9 Things about the Co-op You Probably Didn’t Know

“How many members do we have now?” is a question I’m asked frequently (729 as of writing this). The number of member-owners is a gauge; it helps tell the story of how close we are to opening our doors. But there are other numbers that also tell the story of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op. In the spirit of the “Love Your Co-op” month, let’s dive into some of them. How many of these do you know?

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