Co-op member-owners gathered for a Soup Challenge in November. There were some VERY tasty and interesting soups created by those who attended. Congratulations to Marci Kemp, whose soup was selected as the winner for the evening.
If you’d like to make the award-winning soup, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can corn kernels, undrained
1 (10 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles, undrained
1 (1 oz) packaged ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:
Place chicken at bottom of crockpot. Add the cans of corn, Rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together and place cream cheese on top.

Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

(Source: plainchicken.com)

Join Rooted Carrot Co-op members and friends for an evening of games and fellowship. Bring a game or two if you don’t mind sharing, and a friend!!

Where: Urban Pie in Downtown Cedar Falls, upper bar area

When:  Tuesday, January 23rd 6:30-8:30

Consider dining at Urban Pie, one of our generous Community Partners, offering member/owners 15% off a dine-in order. Please thank them for supporting the Rooted Carrot Co-op!

In support of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, co-op member/owners and friends are invited to spend time volunteering at the Food Bank.

We plan for a group volunteer event on Saturday, February 24 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at 1605 Lafayette St., Waterloo.

To join us, please visit the NEIFB Volunteer page at https://www.neifb.org/get-involved/volunteer/group-volunteering.

You will need an account in order to participate. 

Start by scrolling through the schedule on the page. When you reach “Feb. 24,” click the 9-11 time slot. You will be prompted to sign-in, or create an account.  Follow the steps until you see the “Registration complete” page. 

Registration must be completed by Feb. 17th. 

If the time slot is full or this time does not work for you, PLEASE select a different time! Bring a friend!! When we cooperate, co-op members and friends can have a big impact on our community! 

If you have questions or difficulty registering, please email info@rootedcarrot.coop.

Are you longing for something new to warm up this winter?

Check out the Rooted Carrot Co-op swag store! We partner with Iowa Sports Supply to offer shirts, caps, winter beanies, travel tumblers, vests…so many great items to support your co-op! 

Visit: https://rootedcarrot-2023.itemorder.com/shop/sale/ and show off your co-op pride! 

Happy New Year!

Please review our 2023 annual report. https://rootedcarrot.coop/annual-member-meeting/

Please reach out to info@rootedcarrot.coop if you have any questions.

Jodie Huegerich, 

President, Board of Directors

Give the gift of co-op membership!! A Rooted Carrot Co-op gift membership includes ALL of the benefits of membership! Every time the recipient uses a Community Partner Discount, receives a Garlic Press Newsletter, or joins a Member Mixer, they will THANK YOU for opening the door to this engaging community. Consider a new neighbor, adult child, parent, employee, favorite barista…the possibilities are endless! What a great way to continue to support your co-op! Visit https://rootedcarrot.coop/join-today/ to learn more. 

AND, if you are giving a gift to someone who lives outside the Cedar Valley, search online to see if they may have a co-op in their area that has gift membership options. Share your co-op enthusiasm and support with others! #P6Cooperationamongcoops

Welcome to our new board members–Mallory Devries, Nick Phillis, and Ben Scholl! We had our first board meeting as a new board in November and had a chance to get to know each other. These individuals were willing to step up at a crucial time for our co-op! 

Did you read the November message from the Board? At this time WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD with our goal of opening a full-service grocery store co-op!  Other start-up co-ops have done it after 10 years and we can, too! 

Are you working on your 2024 goals and new year resolutions? Consider volunteering your time with us! We still need more core organizers! For several years we have been operating with not enough committed member-owners to make our goal a reality. We need:

• Project manager for the Site Committee
• Capital campaign committee members and leadership 
• Finance committee members including one or two people tasked with finding a traditional bank loan and a secondary loan 
• One person to fill a vacant 2-year term on the Board of Directors. 
• People willing to apply for the Board of Directors each August. Every year we will have three positions available. Board members should not be expected to serve multiple terms. Now is the time to reach out with questions and/or attend a board meeting to learn more. 

We also need you to be an active member-owner! Here are a few other ways you can get involved:

• Stay informed about our Co-op and share accurate, updated information with others.
• Share with others why you joined the co-op and why you want to see one in our community.
• Share, like, and COMMENT on our social media posts.
• Attend events to help build our community. 
• Share ideas for events or best days/times to host events at info@rootedcarrot.coop. 

Please reach out to info@rootedcarrot.coop if you have any questions.

Jodie Huegerich, 

President, Board of Directors 

Thank you to all Cedar Falls member-owners who engaged local municipal candidates in conversations about their support of the Rooted Carrot Co-op. The relationships our member-owners establish with their local elected officials are vital to our progress moving forward. Our new Community Relations Committee looks forward to working with all Cedar Falls City Council members, staff, and others who can partner with us in any way to make the Rooted Carrot Co-op Market a brick and mortar reality! 

The Site Team met at The Lighthouse, digging into the pizza and the work ahead of us in 2024! Rooted Carrot Co-op committees and volunteers are energized and excited moving into the new year. If you are, too, join us! If you haven’t yet, become a member-owner! https://rootedcarrot.coop/become-a-member/

To volunteer YOUR time and skills in the coming year, complete the “volunteer”  form at https://rootedcarrot.coop/volunteer-application-2023 or send an email to info@rootedcarrot.coop today!

We encourage you to get out and vote today! 

The League of Women Voters of Black Hawk-Bremer Counties  (LWV BHB) hosted a candidate forum on October 18th for the candidates running for mayor and City Council. You can view the forum at Cedar Falls Municipal Candidates Forum 2023 – YouTube. 

During the forum this question was asked: “What Value Do You See in Bringing a Co-op Grocery to Cedar Falls? Does this fit with your vision?” You can find their answers at 1:33 mark in the recording.