Desarae Pierce and her husband, Nate have been married for five years and have a little boy who will be 2 in February. They own a home on the lake in Evansdale. Desarae grew up in Cedar Falls and graduated from Cedar Falls High School, then earned her Associates degree at Hawkeye Community College, and was accepted to Allen College in Waterloo. She works at Allen hospital as an x-ray technologist. Her husband grew up in Waterloo and graduated from West High School. Nate owns his own business, The Shinehouse, window tinting and automotive detailing, and is a business partner of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op!
Recipe: Beef Stew
Happy new year! A time to reminisce. A time to cuddle up with warm memories of the comforting food we know will always satisfy our bellies. As we cuddle up under the warmth of blankets in our winter wonderland here in Iowa, what better time to pull out an old recipe. A recipe that has been made time and time again with fresh, wonderful ingredients without fail. Hearty, tasty bites of potato, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and beef. Yup, you guessed it, beef stew. As the smell of this pot-full of goodness drifts through the house, it also brings the comfort of warm memories we leave behind as we turn the calendar to 2018.Continue reading
Board Happenings: December 2017
– Our volunteers have been absolutely AMAZING this past year! Our members have volunteered over 3000 hours, which equals over $72,000 in wages!
– Our Capital Campaign committee has been hard at work, and we know we’ll have an exciting few months ahead of us.
– The majority of our meeting was spent planning out our activities for the next four months. We are at a very exciting time in our development, and there are going to be a lot of great news coming out very soon. Some of these plans include:
– Finalizing job descriptions for both our Capital Campaign Coordinator and the General Manager.
– Revising our mission and vision statements
– Working on our business plan, and…
– Launching our Capital Campaign!
– In case you didn’t know, all our board meetings are open to our membership, so if you want to hear all of our exciting news first hand you are invited to attend our meetings. They are always held the 3rd Wednesday of the month, at 7pm at Millrace.
Happy 2018! from your Outreach Coordinator
Time and Talent
When we open our doors we will employ many people; but to get to that stage, we rely on volunteers every step of the way. You may be aware of the earlier “working member” co-op model where member-owners provided volunteer hours to their co-op or, in some cases, were required to do so. This model is not used with new co-ops; instead we will hire employees who receive competitive wages and benefits. However, until we can start hiring, we rely mainly on volunteers. Now is the time volunteers are most needed to get our doors open. Our development efforts are sustained by enthusiastic volunteers who put in countless hours of time and talent. In 2017, dozens of individual volunteers gave more than 3000 hours of their combined time. They are the reason we are so far along in our growth – kudos to them! If you wish to join in volunteering this year, please contact me.
From the President: Tom’s Annual Grab Bag Full of Year End Updates
The year is almost over, and that means it’s time for my annual grab bag column. Much like the lunches I just had over the recent holiday weekend, the assorted tidbits and details should make a full meal. Enjoy!
New Board Leadership
At the November meeting of your board of directors, we elected new officers and realigned some of our committee leadership. Here are the new or updated roles:
Tom Wickersham, President
Andrew Morse, Vice president
Jess Cruz, Secretary
Scott Wirtz, Treasurer
Brenna Griffin, Membership Chair
Jess Cruz, Communications Chair
Scott Wirtz, Finance Chair
Terry Stewart, Operations Chair
Andrew Morse, Capital Campaign Chair
Members Add Value to Their Investment by Making Gifts of Membership to Others
Cindy and Russ Dodd felt so strongly about their investment soon after purchasing their own member share that they bought shares for their children. As Cindy puts it, “Purchasing Cedar Falls Food Co-op memberships was an opportunity to invest in Cedar Falls. Both of our children live here and enjoy healthy food. We believe in shopping locally and knew it would be fun for our families to be part of this business from the beginning and watch it progress. This is a gift that will give back for years.” And as is evident from this photo of the Dodd family, the impact of these share purchases extends beyond the member-owner to several other household members.
Of course, families are probably not the only ones on your holiday gift list this year.
Holiday Online Store
We’ve opened up an online store just in time for the holidays!
If you love our Co-op shirts, you’re in luck! We’ve opened up an online store through Xpressions for a limited time to give our supporters a chance to own even more Cedar Falls Food Co-op swag. We have a wide variety of products, including items ideal for the cooler weather. Ordering is simple: place your order through the website below, complete your payment online, and you can pick up your items when they’re ready. The store will be open until December 13th and the items will be ready to be picked up before the holidays. Check it out today and get a jump start on your holiday shopping!
Board Happenings: November 2017
Take a minute to see what your board has been up to!
– This was the first meeting with our newest Board Members! Welcome aboard Andrew, Jackie, and Scott!
– With new board members, it means we have new officers elected. Our new officers are:
– President: Tom Wickersham
– Vice President: Andrew Morse
– Secretary: Jess Cruz
– Treasurer: Scott Wirtz
– The Board has moved its meeting time to the 3rd Wednesday of every month, at 7pm, at Millrace.
– We had two representatives from the Board attend the Strong and Small Conference in Minnesota this month, and they brought back a lot of great information for us to use.
New Business Partner: December 2017
Whether you’re looking for pain relief or to improve your overall health, our newest business partner can help. Align Chiropractic & Wellness in Cedar Falls is committed to providing chiropractic solutions to address your unique needs. They can assist with back pain, neck pain, headaches or even muscular tightens and tension. In addition to chiropractic adjustments, Align offers rehabilitation, physical exams, nutritional counseling, and spinal and postural screenings.
Cedar Falls Coop members receive a free muscle stimulation on your initial visit.
Recipe: Crispy Baked Tacos with Seasoned Cauliflower
Okay, it’s that time of year, when busy comes in all shapes and sizes. Family gatherings, parties with friends and co-workers, school concerts and sports, holiday shopping, and baking. Suddenly, there is no time for a good family meal. Options are good! And remember, a good dinner can be quick and meatless, just be sure to include healthy ingredients that are full of flavor. Tacos are a good choice. They are versatile and easy to bring together in a jiffy. The filling ideas are endless, so get creative. This recipe hosts some delicious ingredients that are fresh and tasty. It’s good to follow the recipe the first time, then if you like it, you can make adjustments for the next time, if needed. These tacos are gluten free and vegetarian.
Recipe from: She Likes Food
Crispy Baked Tacos with Seasoned Cauliflower
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Yield: 10
Crispy baked tacos filled with a healthy and delicious seasoned cauliflower mix!