A Letter from Sarah Foster

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com·mu·ni·ty

  1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
  2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Community…This is why my husband, Charles and I call the Cedar Valley home. We feel the same sense of community with the Cedar Falls Food Co-op as it will be so much more than a place to buy groceries.

As member-owners we all have the same goal in mind, and that’s to get our co-op doors open. How can we make this happen? If all of us take the time to share our excitement for the co-op with our own community of friends, family & neighbors, we will be that much closer to shopping at our co-op!

Our research shows us that house parties and individual connections are the fastest way to grow membership. Please help us reach our goal by inviting your personal community to a house party. What does a house party consist of? It’s a gathering of your people, and it can be as simple as having friends over for cocktails or dessert (or both!). In our house, it would be toddlers and a potluck! However you gather, please at some point share your enthusiasm for the co-op and why you’re a member-owner. If you’d like, a board or committee member can be available to answer questions and take memberships on the spot. Find more details about House Parties here.

Charles and I feel so strongly about the co-op that our business, Fosters Mattress, is donating a queen size mattress set. The Co-op has extended this offer, so that if you host a party before March 31, you’ll be entered in the drawing to win the mattress set. Don’t delay – when you’ve selected a date, please contact us at info@cedarfallsfoodcoop.org to let us know about your plans, ask us questions, and get your name entered in the drawing to win.

Thanks for sharing your passion for the co-op and letting me be a part of your food community!

All the best,

Sarah Foster

Membership Committee

From the Board President: With 300 Member-Owners the Co-op Enters Stage II

Each of us reaches milestones throughout our lives. First steps. First book read. First kiss. Things like birthdays, graduations, and weddings are celebrated with loved ones. Some milestones are more quiet affairs—first time voting or first time on an airplane. Milestones are important to recognize; they are critical to our growth and development. The same principle applies to the growth and development of businesses, including the Cedar Falls Food Co-op. Late in February, the Co-op reached a significant milestone—300 members. As such, we are officially in Stage II of our development.

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Business Partner Spotlight: Cedar Falls Brown Bottle

BrownBottle

We are very proud to say that the Cedar Falls Brown Bottle has been a long-standing business partner with us. For over 30 years, this family-owned restaurant has provided a relaxed dining atmosphere where patrons can enjoy savory Italian dishes, tasty desserts and select from an exemplary wine list. In addition, their menu provides a variety of options for those with dietary restrictions. For example, they have a vegetarian lasagna which is simply amazing, as well as gluten-free pizzas.

They also have a banquet room that accommodates up to 45 people, so please keep this in mind when planning your next party or meeting. They will do everything they can to make your occasion memorable, and the best part is there is no clean-up for you!

Be sure to take advantage of your business partner discount of 10% off a dine-in only meal at the Cedar Falls Brown Bottle. It will be a superb dining experience that you and your family will enjoy.

I own (so much more than) a grocery store with my friends!

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Jenna Berendzen seems to wear a lot of hats: mom to boys Max and Samuel, wife of Peter, nurse practitioner at Allen’s Women’s health, student studying integrative mental health, board member at House of Hope a transitional program helping homeless women and children get back on their feet, and of course co-op member. In fact, Jenna is a member of three co-ops! She’s originally from the Twin Cities so she grew up shopping at co-ops, then joined Oneota in Decorah while going to school at Luther, and now she’s an owner of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op!

“I’m excited about it,” she explained, “because it’s more than just a supermarket. I love it from a personal and professional standpoint.” Health and wellness is her career, but also her passion. In her work at Allen Women’s Health she treats people regardless of their ability to pay and what she see’s is that “healthy food along with access to community resources is key. And our community would be perfect for that.”

She explained that, “We’re both from bigger cities, so when we moved here ten years ago it took awhile to adjust, and now we just love it! We go to the farmers market and take the kids to the rec center. We’re CSA subscribers, too. We just signed up for our second season with Kaiser farms.”  She thinks the Cedar Valley, which has been a perfect fit for her family, will also be just right for a co-op. After all, she says. “You don’t have to be in the Twin Cities or a metropolitan area to have a thriving co-op.”

The co-op has helped the Berendzens feel even more strongly tied to their community. “A lot of our friends have joined the co-op as well, and that really makes it feel like we’re in the right place.” You know the slogan we love to use, “I own a grocery store with my friends!” ?  That sounds a lot like Jenna’s story, but maybe we could add, “I own so much more than a grocery story with my friends!”

Recipe: Orange, Choco, Coco, Cran Irish oats

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Steel cut oats with cranberries, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and orange zest.

 

Warm up with a delicious sweet and zesty Irish breakfast.

A sweet and zesty twist on a warm traditional Irish dish is the perfect way to start your mornings in March. Try adding a sprig of mint on St. Patrick’s day to get your green in too!

Orange, Choco, Coco, Cran Irish oats

Prep time: 30 min

 

Ingredients:

1 c. Irish Steel Cut Oats

3 c. water

Zest from 1 organic orange

Handful of coconut flakes

Handful of chocolate chips

Handful of dried unsweetened cranberries

1 tsp. Agave, honey, or raw sugar

 

Directions:

Boil water. Add oats. Bring back to boil, then down to a low simmer. Stir often for 20 minutes or until oats are desired tenderness.  Add orange zest, sweetener, and cranberries, mix in.

Serve with chocolate chips and coconut flakes on top.

Enjoy!

 

Avocado Salsa and Egg Toast

Serves: 1

2 slices bread

1 avocado

Pinch salt

3 Tomatoes

1/2 Red onion

Small bunch cilantro

Juice from 1/2 lime

Eggs

Prepare salsa with chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.

Fry eggs and toast bread.

Smash avocado on each slice of toast, add salsa, and top with eggs (and hot sauce for a kick).

Enjoy!

New Business Partners: February

Our business partner program continues to expand and the savings keep adding up for all the members of the Cedar Falls Food Co-op! We are thankful to our membership & all of the local businesses that have found value in supporting our grassroots effort to bring a grocery store to the area that is owned by the community & seeks to provide a space for area grower’s to bring their products to the marketplace on a daily & on-going basis. Let’s continue to share that message with our friends, neighbors & colleagues!

GingerThai  ThaiBowl

For those of you interested in taking your valentine out for a cultural dining experience this February 14th, you’ll be excited to learn that we’ve partnered with Ginger Thai & The Thai Bowl this month! These two authentically-delicious Thai cuisine establishments are offering 10% off of your purchase. Now that is a sweet & not sour, deal!

BatteriesBulbs

Looking to get charged up & add a little light to your life? Batteries Plus Bulbs is now offering our card-carrying members 15% off their entire purchase at the Waterloo store. Pop on over there for all of your battery & light bulb needs. It’s truly an enlightening experience!

From the Board President: Exercise Your Right…Vote!

With political candidates frantically darting across our region these days, my thoughts inescapably turn to the concept of voting, and the power it has. Certainly the vote is important to cooperatives, as I’ve written about before. Yet the power of voting is significant if we think about all the ways we can vote. If we consider voting restricted to what we do on caucus night or for the school board elections, then voting has limited powers. We need to think about voting in a greater context.

Continue reading→

Member Spotlight: Sasha Wohlpart

Wohlpart 1Food is essential. It sustains us, it comforts us, and it brings us together in community. Our bodies crave it, our days are punctuated by it and yet, for many, our relationship with it is fractured. As someone who grew up in an urban environment, food, as I knew it, came from the grocery store. Much of it was sold in boxes, bags or cans that advertised how quickly and easily it could be prepared – Just pop it in the microwave and, presto, dinner!

 

As a teenager, I started questioning my diet. What was this food that I was eating? Why were there so many ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce? Where did it all come from? I began to minimize my consumption of packaged and fast foods and turn more to fruits and vegetables and other foods that I could readily identify. My curiosity intensified as an adult. I read books, watched documentaries, taught courses on sustainability with a focus on food, and participated in activities that expanded my understanding of agricultural practices. All of this has led me to the belief that our personal, communal, economic, and environmental health is best when we have a more intimate connection with our food and its source.

 

This past summer, my husband, Jim, and I relocated to the Cedar Valley. I was confident that our new home in the heartland of this country would provide me with great opportunities to continue my education about modern food practices and production. Shortly after we arrived, I was excited to learn about the efforts happening here to build a food co-op, exactly what I have been craving since those early days of questioning. Although a food co-op provides a place to buy fresh, healthy, ethically sourced food, it is not just a grocery store in the traditional sense. It is also a community space for the exchange of ideas and information, it is a place where we can learn from and be inspired by our neighbors, and it is an opportunity to gather around practices that promote a happy, healthy lifestyle.

 

My family has felt the warm embrace of the Cedar Valley community from the moment we arrived, which has inspired me to want to give back in meaningful ways. My eagerness to participate as an active member of the food co-op is a direct result of that inspiration. I believe in the power of a food co-op to bring people together in celebration of food, rekindling a relationship with the very stuff that sustains us, to heal the fracture that separates us from what nourishes us.

 

 

Business Partner Spotlight: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner – the day of love, romance and all things sentimental. Before reaching for the usual heart-shaped box of chocolates, consider the benefits of your Cedar Falls Food Co-op membership.

For instance, how about having dinner with the one you love at Cafe Due or Montage? Not only will the two of you enjoy a wonderfully prepared meal, but with your membership you’ll save 10% off of your entire bill.

If your significant other is a fitness buff, think about buying a class package at Balance Hot Yoga or making a purchase for him or her at The Runner’s Flat.

For the coffee lover in your life, there are definitely perks to having your membership at Cup of Joe, Sidecar Coffee and Cottonwood Canyon.

If you want to spend some quality time together, you could enjoy a workshop at Three Pines Farm or relax with a Brew Debut at Singlespeed Brewing.

There are many opportunities available with your Cedar Falls Food Co-op membership. For a complete list of business partners and the benefits offered for each one, check out all of our Business Partner Specials.