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Thank You!
Since the co-op is a community initiative, we want to take the time to thank community members for contributing their time, skills and passions to the Monadnock Community Market.
Thank you to Allan Pearce! Allan enthusiastically engaged local businesses & organizations in supporting the Co-op's Annual Meeting by gathering amazing raffle prizes like gift certificates and kitchen supplies. Allan pitched in with his time and energy in many ways -- Thank you, Allan! |
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Dear Community,
It's great to be here. I started my first day of work on November 21st -- and although it was a short week with the holiday, it was great to get started.
Beyond getting acquainted with my new office at the Hannah Grimes Center, there were several other productive meetings on my to do list. Project Manager, Jess Gerrior, Board Member, Jamie White, and I met to discuss ways we could source grant money to make folding grocery carts available to those living in the adjacent neighborhoods, to make easy transporting of fresh, healthy food to their homes. I also met with our architects to begin examining options for interior sign design and color schemes for the interior equipment.
In the weeks ahead, I will be continuing to learn about and help move our exciting Co-op project closer to opening. If you are in the neighborhood, please drop in to the Co-op office and introduce yourself. I look forward to getting to know more of the community and all of almost 900 member-owners who have already joined to help build a thriving food Co-op in downtown Keene.
Your new General Manager,
Michael Faber
MORE UPDATES Welcome New Board Members:
Welcome Susan Ashworth, Jay Smeltz & Jamie White to the MCM Co-op Board. Thank you to all our member-owners who voted and attended our first Annual Meeting.
Groundbreaking Date:
The Co-op Board is reviewing building costs and is not quite ready to announce the groundbreaking date. They hope to have more clarity on the date in the next couple of weeks. "We can't announce the official groundbreaking date until we are sure that we have squeezed every last ounce of value out of our member-owner's generous loans & contributions," said Joe Marks, MCM Co-op Board President. "It's our responsibility to make sure every penny is spent wisely."
Your Cooperatively,
Monadnock Community Market Co-op
Locally owned. Locally grown. Locally eaten.
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Become a MCM Co-op
Member-Owner
Join Today!
Member-Owners make a one-time $200 investment
(not an annual membership fee).
Stay tuned for details on our
1,000 Member-Owner Promotion!
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Volunteer Coordinator Needed:
Looking for a way to give back to the MCM Co-op? Consider becoming the MCM Co-op Volunteer Coordinator. This is a volunteer position to help train and manage other MCM Co-op volunteers. View more details and contact us if you are interested. |
Events:
 Shift Your Shopping
Plaid Friday, November 25 - Saturday, December 31
Throughout the Monadnock Region
Let's build an annual tradition that strengthens local economies, expands employment, nurtures a sense of community, and provides a more relaxed, fun, and rewarding gift-buying experience.
How can you Shift Your Shopping? Pledge to purchase at least 10% of your holiday gifts from locally-owned businesses (independent retailers, farmers, artisans and more). Learn more at Monadnock Buy Local.
Winterfest Craft Fair
Thursday, December 1, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Antioch University New England, Keene
Celebrate the winter season with ANE at our annual craft fair. The MCM Co-op will be there too to answer questions and recruit new member-owners and volunteers. Help support local artisans and enjoy home baked goods, art prints & cards, paintings, local honey, jam & maple syrup, beaded jewelry, pottery, hand knits, handmade clothes, and much more!
Keene Green Drinks
With Monadnock Community Market Co-op
 Monday, December 5, 5:30 p.m.
Vendetta, Keene
Come join Monadnock Community Market (MCM) Co-op Project Manager Jess Gerrior and new General Manager, Michael Faber. Learn about the MCM Co-op's involvement with the Neighboring Food Co-op Association and their new "Farm to Freezer" pilot project. Keene Green Drinks is hosted by the Monadnock Sustainability Project and meets for business and social networking at a local establishment the first Monday of each month.
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Send a Farm to Washington:
By Erbin Crowell, NFCA Executive Director, and
Annie Cheatham, NEFU President
Congress is making decisions about your food and our farms. The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) is partnering with the New England Farmers Union (NEFU) to help raise funds to send farmers to Washington to talk to our lawmakers. Several times a year, the National Farmers Union coordinates a legislative fly-in. This is an opportunity for our members to go to D.C., walk the halls of Congress, meet with government officials and tell them our concerns for New England agriculture and fisheries. Because lawmakers listen to personal stories, we want to make it possible for more New England farmers and fishermen to participate in these fly-ins. "Small farms are increasingly important and are at the forefront in developing innovative farm technologies and sustainable farming practices," says Tim Wennrich of Meadowstone Farm in Bethlehem, NH, a participant in a recent fly-in. In a political atmosphere supportive of big agriculture, "vision is not our problem. Small farms could use a little more voice and a little more support." You can help strengthen the voice of farmers in DC. Please send a $10 tax-deductible contribution the NEFU Education Foundation today and help send a farmer to Washington. Thank-you.For more information and to make a contribution, please visit http://newenglandfarmersunion.org/sendafarmer.html.
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 Co-op Corner:
Where's Bonnie?
On October 17, Bonnie Hudspeth, former Project Manager at Monadnock Community Market Co-op, started her position as Membership & Outreach Coordinator with the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA). (Editor's note: The MCM Co-op is a proud NFCA member.) Bonnie is thrilled about her new position with the NFCA: "Our Co-op movement has a rich history of accomplishing extraordinary feats through collaboration, and what gets me so excited about this work is imagining what we can accomplish when our association's 20+ Co-ops come together to create intentional, supportive, relationships with each other, and with other organizations who share our values and vision." Read about NFCA's current projects such as the Farm to Freezer Project and more about what Bonnie will be working on in 2012. 
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