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Food for All: Making Our Co-op Accessible
Jacqueline Hannah, General Manager
 Times of economic
hardship are upon us, as we all know. Many members I speak to are
looking for ways to cut back on their food budget, and others share
with me their concerns that there are many who can't afford the
good, healthy food the Co-op offers in these economic times.
At the Co-op, our
owners again and again affirm their belief that everyone has a right to
good food. How do we go about creating fiscal accessibility for
everyone at Common Ground?
Your Co-op staff
brainstormed together to find creative and powerful ways to address
making great food accessible to all. I am proud to unveil the
results of that process, the Food For All program. We'll be
kicking off all of these programs as of January 15th, less
than two weeks from now!
The Food for All
program addresses making shopping at the co-op affordable for all in
five key ways:
1) The Food
for All Discount Program: A 5%
discount on all groceries for anyone who:
qualifies for food stamps -
is unable to work
due to illness or injury or has an adult member of their household
who cannot work due to injury or illness -
has had some
other sort of fiscal crisis (unemployed for 3 months or more, etc)
Starting January 15th,
the co-op will have applications available in store for this
program. Its easy to use and all applications will be approved
within 3 days or the owner will be contacted within 3 days about
their application. Once approved, the 5% discount will show up
automatically on all of the owner's purchases. This
program is open to owners only (remember, member = owner!), which
brings us to . . .
2) Food for All Equity
Scholarships: Common Ground all ready offers an easy
payment plan for equity shares where a new owner need only pay $10 a
month for 6 months. In some cases, this still isn't enough.
Equity scholarships will be available for those with economic need
that truly cannot afford to purchase an equity share. These
scholarships will truly make ownership possible for all.
Applications will be available as of January 15th.
3) The Food for All Staples Program: Food prices are
rising constantly and your grocery ordering staff is moving to make
sure basic, healthy food is available to all by pricing a list of
staple items at a very low margin, almost at the wholesale prices!
Items like milk, bulk beans, bulk rice, breads, carrots, onions and
more will be marked down as "Food for All Staples" by
January 15th. A list of the staple items will be
available at the information cart at the front of the store and all
Staples will be marked with a special red tag so they are easy to
find.
4) "4 on $5 or less" and 4
on $10 or less" Recipe Cards: Sometimes staying within
your food budget is just a matter of finding time to look up
economical recipes. Let your Co-op help! These will be recipe cards
for dishes that can serve a family of four for lunch or dinner on
only $5 to $10 worth of ingredients from the co-op. You'd
be amazed how many healthy meals can be made for $1 to $2 a serving!
Look for a display of over a dozen recipes in this series in store as
of January 15th.
5) Food for
All "Eating on a Budget at your Co-op" Classes: Learn cooking techniques, tips, time-savers and more for feeding
your family healthy food for less! We'll be offering this
class monthly as long as there is demand. We are also reaching out
to local food banks to see if there is interest in these classes at
other venues that might attract more low-income families.
Starting Thursday,
January 15th, your co-op will be doing more than ever to
meet its mission of bringing healthy, organic, local food to all!
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Local Producer Profile: Moore Family Farm Q&A with Diann Moore of Moore Family Farm
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 What does your farm name mean to you? How did you choose this name?
The Moore family farm has been in
our family for nearly 100 years. With the strong desire to farm and
support our family on less than 100 acres, we converted the farm to
sustainable practices in 1985.
Where is your farm located?
Our farm is located approximately
65 miles northeast of Champaign/Urbana. We are about halfway between
Urbana and Chicago. It takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel one way
to Common Ground.
How long have you been farming?
Jim has been working on our farm
since he was a small child helping his grandmother and grew up to take
it over. When we (Jim and Diann) were married in 1985, we started
producing more items for direct sales through farmers markets. Wes has
grown up helping his parents and taking on more responsibilities as he
grew older. He attended his first farmers market at the age of 6
months.
What do you grow or raise on your farm?
The Moore Family Farm produces a 20
acre market garden for the May through December farmer's market
season. We also raise seasonal grass-fed beef and lamb (total grass
fed/no grain), pasture-raised Tamworth Pork, pasture raised goats,
chickens, turkeys, and hens for free range eggs. The Moore Family Farm
also operates a Stone Mill producing stone ground corn meal, whole
wheat flour, and pastry flour.
What is your signature product?
We are a family farm that has
something for almost everyone--produce, eggs, meat (beef, lamb, goat,
and pork) poultry (chicken and turkey) and stone ground products.
What do you enjoy most about farming?
What we enjoy the most about the
type of farming that we do is that we are now part of our customers
family--'We are their Farmers." Many of our customers have watched our
sons grow up; they have been supporting our family not only financially
but also emotionally for over 20 years.
What do you find most challenging about being a farmer?
The rollercoaster that we must ride
dealing with weather, the economy (fuel, and feed cost) and trying to
guess what will be wanted or needed the next growing season to have
happy customers.
What is your philosophy on farming and agriculture?
The Moore Family Farm's main
mission is to maintain a family friendly farm that will produce
healthy, safe, and great tasting natural food, that will be
environmentally friendly and that will continue into future
generations. With this strong desire to preserve our small family farm
for future generations, we are saving many old farm values and
practices by using several heritage breeds of livestock. Many are
listed with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. No animal is
confined to a conventional building. Jim and Wes mix all of the feed
for the animals on the farm, providing a nutritional diet for each
species. Portable shelters move with the grass fed animals and poultry
to fresh pasture, which is managed via intensive rotational grazing.
They enlist the help of their livestock guardian dog to help protect
the pasture raised animals from an unwanted predator.
We do not intend to become so large that they would have to hire
employees. We could not hire the same level of care, hard work, and
commitment that we have as a family working together to maintain our
own family farm. For this reason, some of our naturally raised
poultry, meat, eggs, and garden products may be available in a limited
supply. When dealing with living things situations can arise that are
totally out of our control as a producer.
Is there anything else you'd like Common Ground members to know about your farm?
The Moore Family Farm grows and supplies all of the produce for
Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture (PCSA) in the
Champaign/Urbana community. Full season PCSA shares are delivered
weekly on Wednesdays to the C-U area from mid-May to late September.
To obtain more information on PCSA or to sign up for a full season
share contact PCSA at www.prairielandcsa.org or email
infor@Prairielandcsa.org or call 217-355-6279.
The Moore Family Farm also raises a limited number of turkeys for the
holiday season. These birds must be pre-ordered, often months in
advance. A $20 deposit is required to reserve each turkey. Call the
farm direct and speak to Diann to place an order.
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Staff Pick: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Products
Meagan Luhrs, Outreach Coordinator
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 Ever since I started at Common Ground, over two years ago now, I've
been begging the folks in Grocery to carry Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
cleaning products. I received a bottle of Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena
All Purpose Cleaner as a wedding shower gift 5 years ago and first used
it to scour our grimy new apartment. Ah newly-wedded bliss! A year
passed before I had to replace that first bottle of concentrate, and
I've been buying it ever since.
Common Ground didn't have room
to carry Mrs. Meyer's in our old location, and, as a small store, we
couldn't fulfill the minimum order requirement. However, Shasta
recently discovered that our main distributor, UNFI, is now carrying
Mrs. Meyer's! Best of all, UNFI gave us a great introductory deal that
we're happy to pass on to Common Ground customers! Try Mrs. Meyer's,
available in the home section (across from the deli), for 25% off all
month long!
I'm a fan of Mrs. Meyer's for many reasons. First,
the packaging design is great! I find that the nicer the packaging,
the more likely I am to clean. If you need a little aesthetic
motivation to scrub your floors, these products should do the trick.
Second, Mrs. Meyer is a real person! She's a lovely woman from Iowa,
my home state, who believes in hard work, honesty, and taking care of
the environment. Her daughter named the company after her to honor
those values. Third, these products are biodegradable, phosphate-free,
never tested on animals, and made with natural essential oils. While
Common Ground is only carrying Lemon Verbena products right now, all of
Mrs. Meyer's scents smell fabulous and have a nice aromatheraputic
effect. And last but not least, Mrs. Meyer's products really work!
They are gentle on the environment, but tough on grease, dirt, and
dust. Check them out today!
Click here to learn more about Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day.
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Recipe: Fennel!
Jessy Ruddell, Produce Manager
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 Feathery, crisp, anise-y fennel is a many-splendored vegetable. It's
a creature of the cool seasons, both spring and fall, when it greets
the world like a Las Vegas dancer, all plumage and frippery. Under the
surface, though, fennel is complex and versatile, lending itself to the
crisp, sophisticated simplicity of a raw salad or the brooding
intensity of a long-simmered braise.
Shaved Fennel Salad
1 or 2 fennel bulbs, leaves cut off and reserved
2 small radishes, sliced thinly into rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Remove the outer layer from the fennel bulbs and discard. Wash the
bulbs well and slice as thinly as possible using a very sharp knife.
Add the radishes and dress with oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper.
Toss with grated Parmesan and chopped fennel leaves. Click here to continue reading! Click here to continue reading!
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| Green Living: Is My Co-op Green?
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 Common Ground Food Co-op is a passionate supporter of local food,
sustainable agriculture, and community involvement, so when we began
discussing the design for the new store, we naturally wanted the space
to reflect this. As the ad hoc interior designer for the project, I knew that eco-friendly
materials, quality construction, and reuse would be crucial in
realizing our goals, so we set about balancing sustainability with
budget and practicality with design. While we had to make some
sacrifices here and there, we were able to incorporate many green
features into the new Common Ground!
Concrete Floors: Polishing the existing concrete floors of our new space with a non-toxic finish proved to be a great, eco-friendly alternative to vinyl tile! Plus, it's looks great, requires very little maintenance, and is easy to clean.
Low-VOC Paint: Love
the Split Pea Green color in the store? Well, not only is it a great
color, but it, along with all of the other paint used in the store, is
low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. Low-VOC
paint, compared with traditional paint, contains very low levels of
harmful toxins that degrade air quality (causing headaches and nausea),
contaminate water supplies, and deplete the ozone.
Natural Materials: Whenever possible, we chose to use high
quality natural materials over plastic and synthetic materials.
Ceramic subway tiles in the kitchen, solid wood doors for the office
and bathrooms; solid oak cabinets at the deli and checkout; solid wood
units in the produce area; and stainless steel fixtures in the
kitchen. These materials not only lend a feeling of warmth to the
store, but will last for many, many years to come.
Interface FLOR Carpet Tiles: If you're not already familiar
with Interface FLOR, check out this company today! They produce a
wonderful line of modular carpets for business and home and are
sustainability pioneers (check out their Mission Zero program). The
FLOR carpet tiles chosen for the vestibule are Green Label Plus
certified for indoor air quality, made from 75% recycled material, and
are 100% recyclable! Best of all, it's modular, so if we have a big
spill, we can easily replace just one tile.
Dual-Flush Toilets: Have you noticed the unique toilets in the
bathrooms? Did you have to stop for a minute to figure what was going
on? Well, these dual-flush toilets by Caroma save thousands
of gallons of water per year and are setting new standards for water
usage.
Furniture: If you visited Common Ground earlier this fall, you might have enjoyed some time relaxing on the outdoor patio. The lovely Gardenwood furniture is made from Yellow Balau,
an extremely hard and durable wood that is resistant to decay. Best of
all, it's grown specifically for this use and does not come from intact
natural forests. Same goes for the IKEA tables and chairs in the back hallway; the wood used in this furniture also comes from managed forests.
Register Area: In my book, there is nothing more sustainable than reuse! For the checkout, General Contractor Tim Gibbs and I took a trip to PACA in Champaign
and selected dozens of beautiful old boards that were later milled into
panels for the register. Tim and a volunteer (new Board member Nic
Swiss!) artfully arranged the panels and finished them with a non-toxic
Danish oil. So beautiful! Also, you can thank the folks at PACA for donating the charming white light shades above the register!
Lighting: One
of the best features of our new store, in my opinion, is the huge bank
of windows on the east side of the store. Not only do we get great
natural light, but we can watch the weather and the sun sets--a big
improvement from the Springfield store! To supplement the natural
lighting, we chose T8 fluorescent bulbs for the store, which are the
highest energy fluorescent bulb. My sources tell me that the
investment in T8 bulbs should pay for itself in energy savings in less
than two years, which is great for the environment and the Co-op budget.
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From Your Board of Directors
Aviva Gold, Board Member
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Yesterday
my daughter and I were walking down Church Street and she asked me if
I had any new year resolutions. I thought that was odd because she's
not quite nine weeks old, but there's not a lot of talk about
resolutions among my friends, so I was happy to tell her about it.
About 20
years ago someone gave me a pasta maker. One of those classic
stainless steel roller/cutter jobs. I love the way this thing looks,
and I love fresh pasta, but for some reason, I have never used this
machine. This year is going to be different. I have resolved to make
pasta at home at least once this year.
My hopes
for this pasta project, however, go beyond this year. I would love it
if that pasta, and everything else I ate at that pasta meal, and
virtually everything in my kitchen, were made with local organic
produce and products, and that I could eat like that all year round.
Of course,
with better planning, storing and gardening, I could get pretty close
to that. But ultimately I would love to see a local, organic diet
available and affordable to everyone in the area throughout the year.
And we're pretty far from that.
The co-op
has a role to play in making that ideal possible. Helping to clarify
that role in the short-term and the long-term is one of the bigger
and more complex issues the co-op's board is working on this year.
In this
new year, with our "new" co-op, so many new members and
some new resources, we need your input to know what you would like to
see your co-op board work on. Also, please pass along any
pasta-making tips you have.
Contact the Board of Directors at board@commonground.coop.
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Thanks for shopping at Common Ground!
Remember, membership is not required to shop at Common Ground! Anyone can shop in the store, but there are some great benefits to joining and we are always happy to welcome new members! |
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Did You Know?
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Looking for a new lunchbox treat?
Satsuma mandarins are sweet, seedless, and easy to peel for even the
youngest kids. The season is short, so try some today!
~Jessy Ruddell
Produce Manager
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Food Rules Workshop
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If
you're producing and selling foods to consumers or are thinking about doing so, this class is for you! Learn all about the rules and regulations governing the direct marketing of farm and prepared foods.
Tuesday, January 13
6:30-8:30 pm
at the U of I Extension
801 N. Country Fair Drive
Champaign, IL
Fee: $10 per person
Click here to learn more and to register for the class.
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Childcare Co-op
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An arts-based childcare co-op is in the process of forming at the Independent Media Center in Urbana. We are currently looking for people who love children to volunteer at the childcare co-op by assisting with the childcare for a few hours a week. In partnership with Common Ground Food Co-op, the childcare co-op will offer limited free childcare to Common Ground shoppers and those who are members of the childcare co-op on a drop in basis. Those who volunteer two or more hours every week at the childcare co-op will receive a 10% discount on all of their food co-op purchases. We need more volunteers to get this wonderful project off the ground! Please contact Nora Miller if you'd like to volunteer.
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Plant Sale!
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Common
Ground's annual Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 9! We are
already making plans for this wonderful event and want your input!
What plants, herbs, and flowers would you like to see at this year's
sale? Are you interested in donating plant starts to the sale? Email me with your ideas! This year's Plant Sale will benefit the Food for All Program!
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Co-op Principle Number 2!
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Want to learn more about the Seven Cooperative Principles? Click here to learn about Principle #2.
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January Classes and Workshops
Kombucha Workshop: Wednesday, January 21, 6-8pm
Yogurt-Making Workshop: Saturday, January 24, 3-4 pm
Eating Healthy on a Budget: Saturday, January 31, 3-4 pm
Click here for more information! Register in person at Common Ground.
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Common Ground Food Co-op
1 Lincoln Square Village
Urbana, IL 61801
Ph. (217) 352-3347
www.commonground.coop
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