Concern For Community
by Brad Salmon
 
            A few years ago, (by a few I mean back in 1895)  in London, England an organization was formed at the 1^st Cooperative Congress.  The organization was named the International Cooperative Alliance and it is a non-profit international association established to advance the co-operative social enterprise model.  The Alliance is the apex organization for co-operatives worldwide, representing 284 co-operative federations and organizations across 95 countries (figures of January 2015). The members of the Alliance are national level co-operative federations, individual co-operative organizations and government offices concerned with co-operatives.  The ICA officially maintains, evaluates, and updates the list of cooperative principles that all co-ops agree to operate within.  At the current time there are seven cooperative principles, the last of which was adopted in 1966.  It is:
 
7. Concern for Community
Co-operatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.
 
Last month my article introduced the ‘multiplier effect’ which shows how much money goes back into a local economy regarding shopping in a co-op versus a conventional grocery store, and here I wish to give some examples of how your co-op tries to live up to principle 7.
 
In the past 8 months we have been pleased to donate gift cards to these area organizations to help them to achieve their mission:  Ambassadors of Hope Foster Program, American River Conservancy, Center For Sierra Nevada Conservation, El Dorado Adventist School, Empty Bowls, Folsom Lake Cottage, H.E.L.P. Walk for Housing, Highway 50 Association Wagon Train Program, Placerville Preschoolers – Kids Kampus, Ponderosa High School FFA, Relay For Life, Veterans Of Foreign Wars.
 
And here is a list of our local vendors & tradespersons that we have conducted commerce with:  24 Carrot Farms, Add a Jack, Alpha Janitorial, Barsotti Juice, Conforti Plumbing, Donna Liu, Eileen McCallum, El Dorado Honey, Full Moon Farm, Jolity Farm, Koby Pest Control, Mad Dog Mesa, Mama Earth Farm, Olive Branch Farms, Papa Hanks, Skyridge Farm, Penrod Farms, Perez Farms, Pine Hill Orchard, Seven Grandfathers Farm, Ski Air, Somerset Gourmet, Stony Point, Totem Coffee, Warden Farms, Wellness The Easy Way, Westwind Coffee.
 
Thank you to all of our community partners for giving the Placerville Foods Co-op the opportunity to work towards contributing to our community and ‘living’ principle 7.

             
            

From the Purchasing Manager

Dear patronage,

The Placerville Food Coop has been fortunate enough to have some very dedicated members over the last four and a half years and we are trying to be as good to you as you have been to us. We have recently launched our “Member Rewards” program with over 70 items store wide that are discounted to members. Alongside that we are working constantly to bring down the prices of our normal items. We are making a solid effort to bring in new things that fit better in our mix. One thing that we have noticed within our store is that it is not always easy to find things because of the amount of product that we have and also because we have struggled with merchandising. We are working towards being a more comprehensive store and through this process don’t hesitate to ask questions. We have most anything the average shopper needs, it’s just a matter of locating it in the store. We have a very friendly staff that would love to direct you to your shopping needs.

In this time of progression we hope to see more people in the store. If you are a current shopper tell a friend. We are making large strides in our Deli department and are moving forward store wide. This time of year is when the local producers really start to bring us a lot of great products and I encourage you to come in and find out what’s new. We continue to have our Owner Appreciation Day on the second Friday of each month. This is a great way to save 10% on your entire purchase for that day. We also still offer volunteer opportunities with the incentive of 10% off all your purchases when you volunteer 4 hours a month or more. We want to represent ease of access to the shopper so that you the customer can feel comfortable in your shopping experience. Please let us know what we can do for you. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to see you in here more and more.

Kyle
 

Who Owns It?

Here is a link to a chart that shows the results of decades of acquisitions of organic food manufacturers by conventional behemoths. 

http://www.cornucopia.org/who-owns-organic/
 

How does your favorite yogurt stand up to it's peers?  You might be surprised!


http://www.cornucopia.org/yogurt/

Produce Notes

Greetings Co-op Members and Shoppers in the Community,

As you know, we love and appreciate small organic farming because of the positive impact on the environment and our community. Spring is in the air, plants are growing, and in the up and coming weeks, farmers will be harvesting. As of most recently, we have local fresh spring mix (from Mama Earth Farm, and also Somerset Gourmet), fava beans and spring onions (from 24 Carrot Farm), and strawberries (from Perez Red Shack and Papa Hanks Farm).Expect to see produce such as local chard, local dino kale, local sprouts, and much more. Remember as our local Farmer's Markets start to open again, you can get local organic produce here at the Placerville Food Co-op all year long!

Furthermore, keep an eye out for the Member Rewards signs and prices that are now in produce!

Thanks for your continued support,
Your Produce Team