Board Happenings: October 2017

– Election results are in! Welcome to our three newest Board members: Jacquelyn Berggren, Andrew Morse, and Scott Wirtz. We also want to wish a heartfelt farewell to our outgoing Board members, Amber Mann, Kristel McClenahan, and Dan Heit. Amber, Kristel, and Dan have been involved with the Co-op from it’s very first planning session, and their contributions to the Co-op have been immeasurable. 
 
– We’ve been steadily gaining new members to our committees, but we still need more help. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Melanie Drake at outreach@cedarfallsfood.coop
 
– We had a great time at our Annual Member Meeting/Potluck. We’ve had a banner year, and we anticipate more of the same this coming year. 
 
– We’ve been moving forward with finishing our Pro Forma and meeting with local banks, which is an important element in our next stage of development. 
 
– We’ve also been having discussions with developers concerning future site locations. We can’t say too much yet, but we want you to know that these conversations are starting to happen and they seem very promising. 

Cold Buster Chicken and Pasta Soup

Chicken, lemongrass paste, turmeric, and orzo pasta…yum, the soup is on!
Well, the cold season is upon us, and one of the best things to eat is a hot bowl of chicken soup. There is just something that heals your soul when you eat homemade chicken soup; it warms you up and nourishes the body. This recipe is an easy way to make someone feel better or to serve on these cold nights. Enjoy, this soup is so good!  

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Recipe: Tomato Basil Turkey Meatloaf

Oh, the smell and taste of fresh basil! This meatloaf recipe is amazing and we are all in luck, you can still get fresh basil at the Farmers Market. This recipe is a favorite, so yummy you will want to keep it handy to make again and again. Add some fresh veggies and baked sweet potatoes for a deliciously nutritious dinner. Gather around the dinner table and enjoy!

This Tomato Basil Turkey Meatloaf recipe is a perfect whole30 & paleo option that is super easy to throw together for a weeknight dinner!

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Member Spotlight: Mike Finley

Meet CFFC member owner Mike Finley. Mike was born in Jamaica, Iowa in 1963. He joined the U.S. Army in 1982, retired from that organization in 2009, and moved to Cedar Falls because of the lovely community and UNI. He went to college and picked up a degree in Criminology while furthering his real interest, which was financial literacy. He started the financial literacy club at UNI in 2011 as he started teaching classes on money to community members. During that time, he started writing and by the time he finished, he had written four books, Financial Happine$$, What Color is the Sky, Graduation!, and Now What?. Mike continues his mission to bring a financial education to all who are ready and willing to take control of their money and their life!

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Love Your Co-op Month

Change your Facebook profile picture for Love Your Co-op month!

The whole month of October is dedicated to showing how much you love your co-op! We would like to encourage all of our supporters to use our new profile picture on Facebook to show your support. We also know a lot of our members love to shop at other co-ops, and we want to hear about it! When you visit your favorite co-op, send us a selfie, tag us on Facebook, and tell us why you love co-ops!

Vote For Your Board!

Board elections are now open! Learn about your candidates and vote today!

The goal of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op is to be a locally owned and democratically run grocery store. This includes offering our members the opportunity to choose who will serve on the Board of Directors to make decisions about how our business is run. This year we have four amazing candidates running for three open positions. Voting began on September 20th, and the deadline is Tuesday, October 24th, at 7pm. To learn more about our candidates, visit: https://rootedcarrot.coop/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/CFFC_Board_Candidate_Statements-2017-1.pdf

Voting is conducted through an online service. If you haven’t received an email with the link to vote, contact Dan Heit at gtthrills@mchsi.com.

Board Happenings: September 2017

  • We’ve had a lot to celebrate this past month: The summer celebration event at the Octopus was great, we were featured in the Courier, and we have 4 amazing candidates for our open board positions!
  • Our annual Member Meeting is coming up on October 24th. This is a great time to get a full update on the state of the Co-op. Check out the article in this month’s newsletter for more details.
  • We’re busy mapping out our next steps, including finishing our pro forma, preparing for our capital campaign, and researching potential store sites.

From the Outreach Coordinator: October 2017

The energy was palpable on Tuesday night as more than two dozen volunteers cheerfully set up for the 4th annual Fall Food Fest. Then local growers and producers began showing up with goodies to share. Doors opened, the music started, and people of all ages began streaming in. With local food samples from apples (Blueridge Orchard) and tomatoes (Kaiser Farms), to yogurt (Country View Dairy) and cheese (Hansen’s Dairy), to pork (Joia Food Farm) and Thai food (Chotto House/Ginger Thai), to pie (the Pie Lady) and spice demonstrations (Luann Alemao and Assoc./Frontier Co-op), to microgreens (CC Greens) and corn (Kerns Homegrown and Fitkin Popcorn), guests had plenty of opportunities to taste as well as talk to local producers and business people about their quality products. Good Neighbor and the UNI Local Foods Program also added to the education that evening. Children greeted (or sometimes hid from) Rooty the Co-op Carrot while waiting in line to have their faces painted (thanks, Hearst Center!). The musical duo, Fuzzy Logic, entertained the crowd. Lucky attendees walked away with fabulous door prizes including gift cards from many of the Co-op’s business partners plus knife sets from Rada Cutlery. Candidates in the upcoming Board elections mingled with guests, and people stopped by the membership table to pick up their Co-op bags, buy a T-shirt or sign up to become a member-owner. This year, two food trucks (La Calle and Kubo) added to the ambience by offering more delectable local treats outdoors. When the fun concluded, the volunteers who stayed after to clean up basked in the glow of what good community embodies.Continue reading→

ANNUAL OWNER POTLUCK & MEETING, OCT. 24

The Cedar Falls Food Co-op is combining the very popular monthly potluck with the annual owners meeting. It’s a great opportunity to meet other Co-op owners and find out more about plans for the Co-op:

Tuesday, October 24, 6-8pm

1 Strategic Place (behind Financial Architects)

6912 University Ave., Cedar FallsContinue reading→