Doctober at the Pickford Film Center

The Co-op is co-sponsoring a slate of food and farming documentaries at our awesome local theater-the Pickford Film Center.  

• October4-5 El Bulli
• October 6 Truck Farm
• October 9 The Garden (see event info above)  
• October 25 The Greenhorns
  (hosted by Sustainable Connections; meet the film directors!)
• October 29 Food Stamped

Grant/Scholarship for Organic Family Farms  

Lundberg Family Farms® has launched a new initiative that will award up to $50,000 total in grants and scholarships. Aspiring commercial organic family farmers can submit a 500-word essay in one of three categories: 

• Seed money for equipment, supplies or repairs
• Education funding towards schooling or conference registration
• Mentorship with experts in business planning, marketing, retail, livestock management or crop planning.

 For details, see Raising Organic Family Farms Program. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2011.

Author Readings at
Village Books

In honor of Co-op Month, the Co-op is co-sponsoring these author events with Village Books: 

• October 5 Dr. Kim Sandstrom, Natural Healthcare Series: Backyard Herbal Medicine and Botanical Immune Support
• October 17 Oran Hesterman, Fair Food: Growing a Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All
• October 18 Greg Atkinson, At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home

Pesticides in Food Linked to ADHD in Kids

Levels of pesticides commonly encountered across the country in food as well as around the home are significantly increasing children's risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and could be causing an increase in the number of children living with the condition, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics.

"For most people, diet is the predominant source. It's been shown that people who switch to an organic diet knock down the levels of pesticide by-products in their urine by 85 to 90 percent," says pediatrician and public health expert Phil Landrigan MD.

For the full story, see the Rodale Institute. 

FoodCorps-Youth & Food

 

The FoodCorps helps vulnerable kids learn to love healthy food-for life. At the core of their work is a cadre of young leaders who spend a year living in limited-resource communities.

Their Service Members teach nutrition, grow school gardens, and get healthy, local food into school lunch. In the process, they help combat childhood obesity and diet-related disease. There are many exciting ways to get involved in FoodCorps. They're always looking for friends to:

• Support their work through sponsorships and donations
• Volunteer alongside their Service Members in the field
• Apply for a Garden Grant for a project in your community
• Mentor Service Members for careers in food and health
• Tweet and Like them on Facebook to spread the word
• Connect with our community to stay informed

Co-op Staff Participates in Visioning our Future

The Co-op closed its doors early on Sunday, September 18, to host an all-staff meeting. After a brief update from our management team on the state of the Co-op, staff participated in a visioning activity led by Co-op Board Member Megan Westgate and Co-op Member Involvement Facilitator Holly O'Neil. Staff gathered in small groups to brainstorm ideas on six topics relating to a 10-year-plan currently in development by the BOD's Strategic Planning Committee.  

Co-op owners will have an opportunity to participate in a similar activity at our upcoming Hors d'Oeuvres with the Directors event on October 20 (advance registration required; see event info above).

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