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From The Ground Up
Common Ground's Monthly E-Newsletter
March 1, 2016 
OPERATIONAL PLANNING

In February, we wrapped up the last of our department input meetings and I hosted one of our semi-annual, all-staff meetings. These meetings were brimming with discussion centered around how we could improve our Urbana store's operations and ensure the operational success of our Champaign location. After all was said and done, I walked away with 60 easel-sized post-it notes of staff ideas and suggestions- which shows first-hand the passion our staff have for running the best business around.

We were also recently visited by two consultants from National Cooperative Grocers who examined our operations and gave input on the plans we have for preparing to open the Champaign store. Right now I'm spending my time using all of the information gathered from meeting with staff and our consultants to form an actionable timeline and checklist to be accomplished over the next year. This calendared checklist, along with key financials, will be used both internally and as part of the expansion monitoring done by the Board. It's a great way for us to measure the progress we make on operational readiness and when the time comes to open the doors of our new location we'll know we are ready.

I look forward to working with everyone this year to make our two-store dreams come true!

-Satina Braswell, General Manager

FINANCIAL MEETING OF OWNERS

As winter slowly turns to Spring, your board of directors is busy planning one of our biggest events of the year- our annual Financial Meeting of Owners! As a board, we work to ensure that Common Ground Food Co-op is constantly moving towards our ends. The Financial MOO is a huge metric that we can use to measure the health of CGFC is the financials of the Co-op. We use reports from CGFC's General Manager, Satina Braswell, every quarter to keep a close eye on the financial health of CGFC. Once a year, we invite owners to join us for a meeting to learn more about what we keep an eye on throughout the year, and to see those numbers themselves.  
 
This year's meeting will take place on Saturday, April 23 in the Lincoln Square Mall conference center.  You can look forward to getting an in-depth look at the numbers that affect your co-op, including information on 2015's finances and projections for 2016's projects. We will have a presentation from CGFC Board Treasurer, Magdalena Casper-Shipp, as well as from CGFC staff. You can also check out our 2015 Impacts report, a document created to highlight some of the amazing work that your CGFC staff has put into ensuring that we are part of a vibrant, healthy community.
 
During this busy time of reviewing and planning, your Board has also been going through some changes.  We've said goodbye to two board members, Eric Benson and Halie Kastl. We are sad to see them go, but are thankful for the years of service that they have generously given to CGFC. Both remain active owners of Common Ground, and we will be happy to see their faces around the store. We've also welcomed Jodi Anderson as a new Board member. Jodi was appointed to the board by a unanimous vote and is diving head-first into life as a board member. We were lucky that she was able to take part in our annual board retreat, and we are excited to have her passion and experience on the Board.
 
This is an exciting year for Common Ground Food Co-op. We hope that you can join us at our Financial Meeting on April 23rd, and that you can find an opportunity to chat with a board member at one of our monthly tabling events on Saturdays. Check out the store calendar or the board near the registers for specific dates on when your Board is going to be in the store.

-Colleen Wagner, Board Member

THANK YOU, PRAIRIERTH FARM!

We have chosen to feature our wonderful local producer, PrairiErth Farm. Their certified organic operation is located in Atlanta, Illinois about sixty miles from the Co-op and has been running since the 1970's. Hans and Katie Bishop, (the kind couple in the picture), increased development of the vegetable production for the farm starting in 2009. The native prairie has always fascinated the Bishop family because of the prairie's ability to build soil at a faster rate than any other ecosystem. They selected "PrairiErth" to reflect the respect they feel for the landscape and its people.

At Common Ground, they are revered for their certified organic eggs and produce, especially their tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, turnips, and giant kohlrabi varieties. They are incredibly self-reliant and grow corn, wheat, oats, and soybeans to feed their chickens, heritage breed pigs, and cows. They have ample pastures within their 300 acre property that give their animals roaming room. Concerned for responsible land management, PrairiErth Farm has developed riparian buffers, hedgerows, and other conservation programs including an acre set aside for native Illinois prairie, home for many migrating monarch butterflies. They have set up beehives throughout the property, partnering up with a local beekeeper who manages the hives on the farm. Pear, apple, and peach trees are found within their orchards as well as brambles of black raspberries and strawberries.

PrairiErth is grateful to the Co-op community for supporting their business throughout the years. It was with this strong support that Katie was able to officially dedicate all of her time to being a farmer full-time, a feat that isn't always easy to achieve. Katie, Hans, and Dave Bishop are passionate about educating our community about growing food and have a strong desire to preserve and care for the land that they farm. They admit that farming isn't just a job, but a lifestyle and sometimes their workload is never-ending. They work hard to produce a beautiful diversity of vegetables while taking ample care for their animals and natural habitats. They provide
internships for those in the area interested in honing their farming skills and serve as educators on food issues.
   
With the growing season upon us, they have some advice for gardeners growing their own food this year.
They recommend that in addition to all the vegetables, that you should set aside room to plant flowers and herbs that will attract beneficial insects. Borage, nasturtiums, and anise hyssop will bring pollinators to your garden as well as tasting delicious! Buying local plants is the second piece of advice that PrairiErth offers. Investing in local plants, grown by local farmers, is one of the best ways to ensure you will have a prosperous garden. You won't have to worry about the seedling being improperly watered, fed with synthetic fertilizers, or shipped across the country. PrairiErth will have seedlings for sale at the Urbana and Champaign farmers markets and they will be growing seedlings for the Co-op's Plant Sale in May. Keep an eye out for any of PrairiErth's products at the Co-op and for additional information, visit their website.

-Sarah Buckman, Outreach Coordinator
(Photo courtesy of Katie Bishop)
ROUND UP FOR GOOD BAG INCENTIVE

Coming soon in March we are excited to announce a new initiative! 
When you bring your reusable bags or use one from our bag tree, we 
will donate 10 cents to the monthly Round Up For Good organization. 
 
We had been looking for a more successful way to encourage owners to bring reusable bags to carry groceries home and we did it! Since each of our paper bags costs us about 10 cents, we have decided to donate those cents to our Round Up organization each month. This could add over $1,400 to each organization every month if half of our customers bring their own bags. Astounding, right? Well, we are extremely proud to develop our Round Up For Good Program even further this year. This achievement aligns with our CGFC Ends to be a center for a vibrant community as well being environmentally sound.  

Are you interested to see who will be receiving the donations for the rest of the year, check out our Round Up For Good page to see the recipients!
 
-Sarah Buckman, Outreach Coordinator

GROWING & LEARNING IN MARCH  

March is a busy month for education at Common Ground! Our commitment to offering fun and informative classes to the community on a variety of topics remains firm and we hope that you'll consider coming into the store to learn from one of our excellent teachers. If you're an aspiring green-thumb you might consider enrolling in our Organic Gardening for Beginners class and learn how to plan your garden. For those that are interested in getting some hands-on cooking experience our classes this month will give you experience in pie-making, gluten-free pizza, and homemade yogurt, mozzarella, and ricotta! We're also excited to offer a number of free classes to the community: teaching you how to cook delicious recipes on a budget and learn basic cooking techniques. No matter if you're a novice or a bona fide foodie, there's something for you happening in the Flatlander Classroom!

We're also in the process of booking a new batch of classes for our summer trimester! If you're interested in teaching a class for us we'd love to hear about your ideas! Have a great summer recipe that you want to share? Any culinary tips for beating the heat? The deadline for class proposals is Friday, March 11th. You can find our proposal form and more information here!

Our commitment to education is something that we are proud to bring into the community, outside the walls of CGFC. This month, we'll be continuing our work with Douglass Park to provide an after school program for local kids. We look forward to reaching the next generation of our community with our Co-op's messages of healthy eating, sustainability and the importance of locally sourced foods. In addition to this program, we are still offering lessons from our Grow On curriculum to students in local schools, and are beginning a partnership with Community Elements to offer educational opportunities locally. We are immensely proud of the educational work we do here at CGFC and hope to continue making a meaningful impact for people who could use our help. We owe a heartfelt thank you and a debt of gratitude to all that have helped us make a difference!
 
-Brad Olson, Education Supervisor
 
 
 
Grab some freshly roasted beans and bask in the brew! 
  
This coupon is valid for the month of March only. It can be printed or presented on smart device at time of purchase. Limit one coupon per customer. Applies to all brands.
Common Ground Food Co-op 
300 S. Broadway Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801
PLU: 961
In This Issue
SALES



Nutiva Coconut Oil
SALE $6.99 each!


 
Santa Cruz Juices
SALE $3.39 each!

BOARD MEETING
Know Your Board
Join your Board of Directors from 
6:15-8:15 pm on Monday March 14th in the Lincoln Square Conference Center
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Art Gallery Show for Kelly Hieronymus 

Want to meet our featured artist and enjoy free food and wine? Come to the Gallery Show for Kelly Hieronymus in our classroom on Friday,
March 25th, 6:30-8:30pm.

MARCH
ROUND UP
Prairie Rivers Network
Round Up for Good will be featuring Prairie Rivers Network for the month of March. Focused on promoting clean water and healthy rivers systems, they educate our community on Illinois public policy and actively restore native habitat. We are proud to support them this month!
FEBRUARY 
ROUND UP TOTAL
Feeding Our Kids
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Your participation in our Round Up for Good program allows your food Co-op the opportunity to positively impact our local kids. During the month of February we raised over $2,000.00  for Feeding Our Kids! Many thanks to everyone who contributed their change.
GRAB N' GO
Green is the New Pink

As the hearts and chocolates of Valentine's Day give way to images of spring, think green! The CGFC Deli will have new features and flavors perfect for every taste. At the counter we will be featuring an Irish Cream Latte and a Corned Beef Reuben. In the Grab & Go look for a Power Greens Pesto Pasta Salad--vibrant, delicious and healthy. To satisfy your sweet tooth, the bakery will have Key Lime Pie and Shamrock Cookies. Come on by and try it all!
WELLNESS
Probiotics for Gut Health
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Hundreds of different types of bacteria and yeast, our gut biome, live in our small and large intestine. The beneficial microbes are called probiotics (pro: for biotic: life) and help support overall digestive health. Joanne, our wellness specialist, explains the benefits of incorporating more probiotics into one's diet.
 
KEEP READING HERE
QUICK DINNER OPTIONS
Modern Table Meals         
We now carry Modern Table Meals! These vegetarian meals are quick and easy but also have nutritional value. All of the pasta is bean-based and there are no artificial colors or preservatives. Not only are beans high in protein but they're high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, control blood sugar levels and regulate the digestive system. Modern Table Meals care about food allergies, with gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free options in their line; as well as using a nut-free production facility. Next time you only have 15 minutes to make dinner - try Modern Table Meals!
GET GROWING!
Seeds are here!
 
Get your garden started with our great selection of seeds from
Seed Savers Exchange. We've been working with this amazing Midwest organization for years, and we carry a full assortment of their heirloom seeds, from tomatoes to prairie plants. There's nothing like the promise of a handful of bright seed packets to take the chill out of an almost-spring day.

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