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NOVEMBER 2012
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SAVE THESE DATES
Holiday Parade & Painting Parties
Nov. 25 Sunday 12noon - 3pm
Painting Party to make giant cardboard fruit, veggies, hats & placards for upcoming Placerville Christmas Parade. All ages & talents welcome
Dec. 1 Saturday 12noon - 3pm
Another chance to draw & paint funny fruits & veggies for the parade.
Dec. 2 Sunday 11am - 2pm
Food Co-op section in Placerville Christmas Parade. Meet with food placards & signs (either come to one of the painting parties above, or bring your own) at the Mountain Democrat parking lot on upper Broadway at 11am. We want all you holidary sprites & spirits & elves to dress your most "elfish" and help show our hometown what Co-op Spirit is all about. And if you dance, twirl, hoop, or poi, we want you, too. Bring a wagon load of kids (oops, I mean vegetable & fruit) and a big bunch of friends. We'll be passing out "Peachy Bucks" along the parade route, too, good for $1 on a Co-op purchase. (Note: The route is about a mile, so bring a stroller or wagon in case mom & dad or the kids get a little tired. :) Costuming is optional, but even silly hats would do.
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HOLIDAY BAZAAR
SUNDAY, DEC. 15 10am to 3pm
Cedar Springs Waldorf School
6029 Gold Meadows Road
Placerville
VENDORS & SHOPPERS NEEDED
This year the Co-op is partnering with the Cedar Springs Waldorf School to bring you one of the best Holiday Gift Bazaars in the County. (Cost for vendors: $30 plus 10% over $300. Co-op members get $5 off the price of a table.)
Contact Karen Wolfenden at karenwolfenden@comcast.net
Or call her at 530-642-0604
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2nd Co-op Annual Meeting and the State of Our Co-op
Co-op member/owners gathered with Board Members and General Manager Melisa Clark at the second Placerville Natural Foods Co-op Annual Meeting, held at the Cozmic Cafe on October 27, 2012.
A delicious potluck was followed by Board introductions and a "State of the Co-op" address by Board President Bill Scrivani. We are now (as of this writing) 665 and growing, and in the coming months there are big and small plans to grow our Co-op family, and make the Co-op an even a better place to shop. You'll be reading more about those plans (and hopefully sharing in them) in the months ahead.
Co-op volunteer Chris Smith unveiled the High5Picks program, a new member benefit & education project that was launched November 1. (You should be receiving the Best of Bits & Bites e-newsletter by now, the "voice" of the High5 Program. See more below.)
Melisa was up next recapping all of the successes that we've had this past year, the challenges we face, and the plans we have for 2013 and beyond.
Co-op volunteers were recognized at the meeting by Shirley Woods, the Co-op Volunteer Coordinator. Thanks again to Shirley and all of her awesome volunteers who help make the Co-op productive and successful. Cindy Smith also showed an inspiring short video on the powerful ways that social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc) can be used for getting the word out about the Co-op and engaging Co-op members.
Finally CFO Mickey Kaiserman gave a terrific presentation outlining the financial state of the Co-op. (The full report & minutes are available to all members, and will be posted on our soon-to-be revamped web site.)
Congratulations to all of you! We have successfully navigated our first year as a member-owned Co-op.
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HIGH5PICKS and BEST of BITS & BITES
By now we hope you've heard about the High5 Program we just launched in November. The brainchild of Chris Smith, High5Picks features five foods each month from the five plant-based whole foods groups: fruits, vegetables, beans & legumes, nuts/seeds/herbs/spices, and whole grains. Novembers picks are pumpkins, pomegranates, farro, lentils & flax seed.
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Co-op members receive an every day discount of 15% on the named items for that month. Just look for the orange "High5" hands that will lead you right to this month's High5Picks and High5 savings.
In addition, all Co-op members (and friends) receive Chris's weekly e-newsletter, Best of Bits & Bites, filled with recipes, fun facts, preparation & storage tips, links to nutritional information, and a whole lot more. Look for recipe cards in the store, too. And in December we're launching High5 Tuesdays, with Best of Bits & Bites delectable dishes featured at the Co-op's deli.
You can see the latest High5Picks & Best of Bits & Bites Newsletter here:
BEST OF BITS & BITES #3
Contact Chris if you want to become part of the High5 Team or have other ideas to share: bestbitsbites@gmail.com.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Many thanks to all the volunteers who gave their precious time in October. So much was done: assisting at the (very) successful Rummage Sale; setting up and attending to the bake sale and pumpkin carving at the Hangtown Halloween Ball; framing a poster of our first tabling event as a Co-op; putting in the new landscape work at the store (thanks Verne & crew); helping at the Annual Meeting & 1st Anniversary event; and filling in-store needs like cleaning the parking lot, stocking shelves, etc. And then there are things like the Education Committee, taking the Board minutes, putting together the High 5 Program, and keeping the Co-op current on Facebook, Twitter, etc. There's so much to do, and it's a great way to connect with others in our Co-op community.
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The PNFCo-op is growing and getting more exciting every day because of all your volunteer efforts.
Volunteer needs for December: Helping with some of the coordination tasks for the Christmas Parade and Painting Parties (see up top) and the Holiday Bazaar. Our Co-op is only as strong as its members! Contact shirleyjwoods@gmail.com, or call 530.620.3229. And remember, volunteers receive a 10% discount on all of your Co-op purchases. Now ain't that grand?
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Save Isla Vista Food Co-op!
For over 40 years the Isla Vista Food Co-op in California has been a model of a thriving, successful, member-owned food co-op, one of the first of the modern wave of food cooperatives in the country.
For more background & history:
http://www.islavistafoodcoop.blogspot.com/ |
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Recently, the Isla Vista Food Co-op learned that the building it's been leasing for more than 40 years is up for sale and the Co-op is faced with the very real possibility of losing its home. But rather than mourn, the Isla Vista Co-op has mobilized the Co-op community nationwide, and is working hard to raise the $ needed to buy the building.
The Placerville Food Co-op is doing its part to support our Co-op friends in Isla Vista. We are collecting funds for the Isla Visa Food Co-op "Project We Own It!" in jars near the cash registers in the store. Please be generous in supporting our larger Co-op friends and community. Together we are strong!
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Is Your Membership Paid Up?
Your membership is what helps make the Co-op financially strong and viable. But it's more than that: it is an opportunity to be part of a community that shares your values. Values that include eating healthy food, building a strong local economy, and living, eating and working to make El Dorado County a happy, sustainable, and inclusive home for ourselves and for our children's children.
There are economic rewards, too. They include the 10% member discount and the new 15% every day discount on the select High5Picks each month. To receive your 10% monthly discount at the register or High5Pick or case discounts, you must be a member in Good Standing. A member in Good Standing has either paid for their member shares in full or has made at least a $25.00 payment towards their shares in the last 3 months. Volunteers must also be members in Good Standing. If you are not sure if you have made a payment towards your membership, you can call Melisa at the store or leave a message with a Co-op employee and Melisa will call or email you back with your payment information.
Thanks to all of you, we will grow and prosper together.
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Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter to agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy. This ensures that no person, business, organization, institution or government agency can invest in the Co-op to influence our decisions. As a member/owner you can help direct and influence our decisions and policy making by getting involved as a volunteer, running for a Board position at the next election, joining a committee or sharing your thoughts and ideas on Facebook or with a board member or writing us a note for the suggestion box located in the store.
The Co-op - we own it!
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Help spread the word - Share this on your social networks:
 this newsletter on FB, or your can our FB page, even better!
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