At The Co-op

added 12/21/09

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Help the Co-op Help the Haven!

The Haven Food Drive is still going strong—held each February in our Hanover store.

Twenty-one years ago, a few visionaries at the Hanover Co-op came up with an idea: Pick a time of year when needy families are particularly struggling to get by and pay the bills, and establish a food drive for an area shelter in order to help them.

Today, The Haven Food Drive is still going strong—held each February in our Hanover store. The Haven is also our February Community Partner of the Month. Our goal this year is to collect 4,000 pounds of non-perishable foods, including items such as canned stews, hearty soups, tuna fish, canned fruits and vegetables, and cold cereal.

The Haven, located in White River Junction, Vermont, offers a variety of services—emergency food provisions among them—to Upper Valley residents who need a helping hand. February is a time of year when the weather is often at its worst and heating bills are often at their highest. In addition this year, global economic woes have pushed the budgets of many needy families to the breaking point. Most people who visit the Haven’s food shelf are working individuals and retired people who live on a fixed income.

Special shelf tags with The Haven Food Drive logo direct Hanover store shoppers to items that are needed the most. Shoppers at all Co-op locations can make a cash donation to the food drive at the check-out counter. The collected funds in the month of February will be used to buy items by the case.

Volunteers Needed!
Each year we depend on volunteers to box, weigh, and deliver food to The Haven from the Hanover store. This activity takes place at the volunteers’ convenience between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in February. Ideally, volunteers make a commitment to the four occurrences of one of those days. However, if this is not possible, consider offering your assistance as a substitute or a one-time volunteer. For more information, or to sign up, contact Michele Jordan by January 18th at (603) 640-6323 or send her an email.

Annual Citrus CaseLot Sale Jan 4-10

2010 Co-op Citrus CaseLot Sale: January 4-10.

The Co-op’s annual Citrus Sale is held each January to commemorate when a handful of area families joined together to order citrus by the case at prices that they and their neighbors could afford.

On January 6, 1936, seventeen Upper Valley area families formed the “Hanover Consumers Club.” The hearty group of neighbors—primarily Dartmouth College professors and their spouses—had been meeting regularly to brainstorm ways to bring fresh food to the area at reasonable rates. Dartmouth faculty members were struggling with a ten percent wage decrease, unemployment was rampant and pervasive, and the quality of food in the area—particularly produce—was poor. A founding member, describes it this way on the Co-op video, “Hand in Hand”:

“We used to buy rotten fruit from a chain store on Main Street. And they’d be in a bag—say, six grapefruits—and you’d come home and find two rotten. So you’d go back and the very nice produce man would say, ‘Well, I’ll replace them, but it comes out of my own pocket.’ That made us mad.”

So the families pooled their resources and began ordering Florida grapefruits and oranges by the caseload, gradually adding local butter and milk, dried fruit, potatoes, maple syrup, and Co-op brand canned goods from a cooperative wholesaler in New York. And the rest is history.

Community Garden Sign-up

It’s not too early to get ready to garden!

It’s not too early to get ready to garden! And one of the many benefits of Co-op membership is the opportunity to rent a garden plot for the summer.

Plots are available at the Co-op’s Community Garden, located on Route 5 in Norwich, Vermont, next to the Farmer’s Market. The gardening season runs from approximately the third week in May through October. Each year, the Co-op holds a drawing to allocate plots to interested members.

Renters make a payment of $50 in the form of two $25 checks, one of which will be returned if the plot is cleared of all stakes, markers, and other non-plant debris in early fall. The other check covers the rental of a plot that is approximately 20 feet by 20 feet, preseason rototilling, hay mulch, and on-site water pumped from the adjacent wetland.

All gardeners must tend their plots with organic gardening methods, limiting themselves to natural or organic fertilizers and pest control methods. The use of hay or other organic mulch is strongly recommended as both a weed control and a means of retaining soil moisture. In the spirit of cooperation, gardeners are considerate in their use of water, a limited resource. Assistance from gardeners in maintaining the overall well-being of the garden area is essential.

To enter the drawing for a plot, send your contact information and two checks for $25 each, made out to the Co-op Food Stores, to: Michele Jordan, Member Services Coordinator, Hanover Co-op, P.O. Box 633, Hanover, NH 03755 so they are received on or before April 1.

Winners will be notified by phone or e-mail during that week. If there are more requests than plots available, a waiting list will be established. Checks will be returned to those who do not get a plot. If you have further questions, contact Michele at (603) 640-6323 or send her an email.

Co-op Classes

Rather than offering a “semester” of classes, we are offering classes individually, based on the availability of an instructor, the timeliness of the topic, and member and customer interest.

Look for information on posters in our food stores, on our website, follow us on Facebook, or sign up to have class information delivered by email to your inbox. You can also call the Service Desk at (603) 640-6328 at any time for updates on current class offerings.

Release Your Inner Teacher:
We’re Looking for a Few Good Instructors
Interested in teaching a class? Contact Jaime Richardson at (603) 640-6555 or send her an email with a description of the class or classes that you would like to teach.

Members, Do You Know About Your Fedco Discount?

One of many Co-op member benefits is a 20 percent discount on seeds and 15 percent discount on organic gardening supplies through our annual group order to Fedco.

Fedco, a cooperative organization itself, sells vegetable, flower, and herb seeds selected for their ability to grow well in northern New England. Organic Growers Supply, a division of Fedco, offers gardening books, tools, cover crop seeds, compost starter, organic fertilizer, and more.

Catalogs and the Co-op’s special ordering information are available in the Hanover and Lebanon food stores. Deadline for the group order is February 2. Please return the completed forms, with payment, to the Service Desk in either store by 6:00 p.m.

Please note that the Co-op does not take orders for the Seedlings or Moose Tubers divisions of Fedco, nor can we accept late orders.

Save the Date! Co-op Annual Meeting

The Co-op’s Board of Directors has set Saturday, April 10, 2010, as the date for the 2010 Co-op Expo and Annual Meeting.

Last year, over 400 Co-op members and Upper Valley residents came to the first Co-op Expo and Annual Meeting, where 35 exhibitors provided information on cooperative housing, agriculture, insurance, funeral services, and credit unions, as well as solar energy, fair trade, and sustainability. Vendors and Co-op chefs provided plenty of great food, and visitors had a chance to interact with Board members, Board candidates, and Co-op staff, as well as hear the annual report on the state of the Co-op.

As the event draws closer, we’ll have more details in the March issue of the Co-op News, on our website, and on signs throughout the stores. But for now be sure to mark your calendars and save the date!

Not a Member Yet? Joining is Fast and Easy

It takes only a few minutes to join the Co-op by visiting the Service Desk at either Co-op Food Store. Want to save time? Download and fill out an application here and bring it with you. Each member household buys ten $5 shares of Co-op stock. This one-time $50 investment entitles you to full membership in the Co-op. You may make your membership investment when you join or over time. Whichever option you choose, your shares may be redeemed should you decide to cancel your membership at a later time.

Are you a Wine or Specialty Beer Aficionado?

If so, you’ll love the latest member of our family of popular email newsletters. Our beverage merchandiser is dreaming up an email publication devoted to wine and beer that’s sure to be a big hit. (It will include added goodies just for Co-op members too!) The Hop and Vine is in the works now, and it’s not too early to sign up to receive it. Click here to subscribe.

What Do You Think?

Have some thoughts about this article? We’d love to hear from you! Please email us your suggestion or question. Want to sign up for the email version of the Co-op News? Join our list!

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