Message from the Board – November 2026

Marian Kuper, Board Treasurer

The 2026 Member-Owners’ Annual meeting was held October 22 at the Cedar Falls Community Main Street Office. Thanks so much to all attendees and also to the members who voted in the latest election for our Board of Directors.

Member-owners elected Rich Ross and Dean Schillinger to the board. Rich had been appointed to the board a year ago to fulfill the final year of another director’s term when that director moved away. We’re thrilled to have Rich reaffirm his commitment to the co-op! Dean brings both a dietitian’s perspective and – like Rich – a focus on helping folks gain access to the healthiest food choices possible. Welcome!

Board member Mallory DeVries has concluded her term. She’ll stay involved with us to the extent she can, which is stellar of her! Her communications expertise, real-world experience with farming, food systems and health matters, and her thorough understanding of the importance of local food kept us on point. We’re a better, wiser organization as a result. Thanks, Mallory!

At the annual meeting, board members reviewed the highlights of the 2025-2026 fiscal year as well as what we see when we look to the future. A store site still eludes us, but work on that is ongoing and dynamic, full of 1) variables, 2) the hard work of planning and negotiations and 3) calculations designed to foster smart decisions and a sustainable path forward. And while our financial picture could be better, we continue to be surprised and motivated to keep striving for our goals when – at tabling events and other community outreach sessions – we meet folks who’ve never heard of the Rooted Carrot Market Co-operative and are eager to help us make our dream become a reality. Seriously, every new member is cause for celebration!

Finally – plugged in as we are to the ways our fellow food co-ops are navigating today’s unpredictable economic environment – we’re mulling some tweaks to the size and nature of the physical store we envision. Besides the full service retail grocery idea, there are innovative other models that allow co-operatively-minded consumers to do business with the purveyors of fresh local produce, meat and dairy products, and more.

Never forget: member-owners’ ideas and energy are keys to our success. Volunteer today!

We Arose – CSA Partnership

We Arose and RCCM partnered to provide a CSA again this year. This Community Supported Agriculture program connects people who want local, fresh produce directly with farmers. The purchase of a CSA share is like a subscription in that regular deliveries of assorted produce arrive for pick-up weekly (or every other week for a half share).

Rooted Carrot Co-op volunteers work to promote this opportunity and facilitate a pick-up location in Cedar Falls. Share purchases provide needed capital for farmers at the beginning of their growing season and a guaranteed customer base, too.

As the 2026 season comes to a close, we want to thank We Arose for aggregating and delivering a wide variety of produce of such high quality week after week. Thanks also to ThreeHouse Collaborative Campus Ministries for being the pick-up location. And above all, thanks to the hard-working farmers who provided all the produce!  

Local Producers:

  • We Arose
  • Southern Goods
  • Deaner Orchard
  • Yellow Table Farms
  • Varda Farms and Apiary
  • Cook’s Fruits And Vegetables
  • Reiff’s Farmstand
  • Litteaur’s Garden Produce
  • Stewart Farms

Stay tuned for information about the 2027 CSA share purchase opportunity, coming in the next couple of months! 

FCI Peer Calls

Food Co-op Initiative is a non-profit educational organization partnering with communities across the country to support and guide them as they develop and open thriving co-op grocery stores. The Rooted Carrot Co-op is one of many startup food co-ops that taps into the support provided by FCI.

FCI organizes start-up food co-ops into small groups at similar stages of development. These groups meet monthly via Zoom in a facilitated Peer Review Call. Each month, experts share their knowledge, and the start-up peers share their successes and problem-solve challenges together.

RCCM volunteer board members actively engage in various educational opportunities to deepen our understanding of current realities facing start-up food co-ops and help clarify and energize the path moving forward. 

Recipe – Oatmeal School Cookies

Those of us who love cookbooks, love food co-ops and were cooking and baking 50 years ago may still have their original copy of Laurel’s Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery & Nutrition. In it, you’ll find this wonderful recipe for Oatmeal School Cookies.

Consider substituting chocolate chips for the raisins and adding some chopped pecans, and use unsalted butter rather than margarine. The photos reflect these small changes. We enjoyed these at the annual meeting. Make plenty! They disappear quickly!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup margarine
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds of chopped nuts

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and beat well.
  2. Stir flour, baking powder, wheat germ and rolled oats together with a fork.
  3. Blend well with other ingredients, adding a tablespoon or more of water if necessary to hold the mixture together.
  4. Place by tablespoonful on greased cookie sheets. Flatten them slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Community Event: Iowa’s Longest Running Cranksgiving

Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 11:30 AM

AMVETS Post 49 – Cedar Falls

Cranksgiving is a food drive on two wheels. Part bike ride, part food drive, part scavenger hunt, it has been held annually in Cedar Falls since 2009 and is Iowa longest running Cranksgiving celebration. Bring a bike, a bag, a lock, and about $15-$20 to buy food. All of the items collected at stores will benefit the Northeast Iowa Foodbank and Cedar Bend Humane Society. Every year, we help provide hundreds of food insecure families with a wealth of food during the week of Thanksgiving.

Event Link: https://www.biketechcf.com/collection/cranksgivings

2026 Member-Owners Annual Meeting

Date: Thursday, October 22

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Cedar Falls Community Main Street Office – 310 E 4th Street, Cedar Falls

Member-owners, please take this opportunity to learn about what is happening with the Rooted Carrot Co-op and to share your input and ideas with board leadership.

The co-op is built on your presence and active participation. The annual meeting is an opportunity to generate new ideas and fuel new energy to keep things moving forward collectively! 

Board Voting is Now Open! 

Member-owners should have received an email on Monday, October 5 with a link to vote for the 2026 Board of Directors..

If you are a member-owner and have not seen this email, please check your spam folder. In past years, some email servers have rejected the email. Others may not receive it because their email address changed and hasn’t been updated. 

Engage your community! Take a minute to check with your fellow member-owners to see if they received the link as well. Please email info@rootedcarrotcoop as soon as possible if a ballot wasn’t received.