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Renovate, Renovate, Dance in the Aisles!
If you've had a chance to visit the Creamery Co-op in the past few days, you've seen that the east-side porch has its new outside walls, and inside the store we've installed our first row of  new shelving by the produce and bulk area. This was accomplished last Thursday evening with the able assistance of another great volunteer crew. When we make these changes, it requires emptying existing shelving into the large collection of totes we have accumulated, stacking them all in the café while we disassemble and remove old shelving, cleaning floors where the old shelving was, assembling the new shelving, and restocking all the goods from the totes. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Phoebe Harrison (seen in the photo) was one of the first to sign up to help, and she brought along her sister and dad. Thanks, Phoebe, and thank you to all who have been there every time we ask for assistance.
Our new checkout area is under construction and should be installed in about three weeks. At that time, we will have the largest internal move so far when all remaining shelving gets taken down and replaced with new, which will orient all aisles front to back. We will need a good-sized work party for that event, which we expect will go into the wee hours so that we are able to pull it off without closing the store during business hours. Stay tuned, stay in shape, and we will let you know when the schedule firms up.
Thank you again to all who are assisting with the exciting changes taking place in our Co-op and thanks to all shoppers for your continued patience and support. As always, please ask for assistance when you cannot locate what you are looking for.
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Creamery Co-op Is a Local Hero!
CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) recognized the Old Creamery Co-op and other Western Massachusetts food co-ops with Local Hero Awards at its annual dinner in Northampton on Friday evening, April 5. The key speaker was US Representative Jim McGovern (to read some of his remarks and more about the meeting, click here). Celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, CISA envisions and works to help create "a world where more food and farm products are locally produced, farmers have the skills and resources to sustain their businesses and the land, and all community residents have access to locally grown farm products." The Creamery Co-op and her sister co-ops are huge outlets for locally produced food and farm products, hence their awards.
In the photo below, Western Massachusetts cooperative representatives proudly display their Local Hero Awards: from left to right, Suzette from Franklin Community Co-op; the Creamery Co-op's own general manager, Karen; Rochelle of River Valley Market; and Amy from North Quabbin Community Co-op. The awards honor local food co-ops for "demonstrating the viability of a democratic economic model; providing valuable markets for local farms; strengthening communities in our region; and being important supporters of each other, other cooperative businesses, and community activities across our region."
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Cheese of the Week!
Back by popular demand, this weekend's sampling cheese will be Berkshire Blue Cheese. This  award-winning cheese is produced in southern Berkshire County and was developed in England by Alan Duffield. Berkshire Blue is made by hand. Vats are hand-stirred, and the curds are hand-cut and hand-ladled into small three-pound molds, which are hand-turned and hand-needled then hand-turned again (more than 24 times in all). Berkshire Blue owes its smooth, moist texture and subtle flavor to this long process. It has a delicious blue zing that doesn't eclipse the buttery flavor of the sweet jersey milk. It is perfect for hors d'oeuvres, in salads, or on your cheese board with a tart apple and some crackers.
So come in this Saturday and have a taste. Remember, we'll take 10% off the regular price all day! Hope to see you this weekend!
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What Happened to the Environmental Movement?
Here are some words: "My hope, for all future generations, is that they will have (in addition to  sunshine, fresh air, clean water, and fertile soil) a somewhat slower pace of life, with plenty of time to pause, in quiet places...haunted places -- everyday, accessible places, open to the public -- places that are not too radically transformed over time -- places susceptible of cultivation, where people can express their caring, and nature can respond -- places with tough, gnarled roots and tangled stalks, with digging mammals and noisy birds -- places of common remembrance and hopeful guidance -- places of unexpected encounters -- places that breed solidarity across difference -- places where children can walk in the footsteps of those who have gone before -- places that are perpetually up for adoption -- places that have been humanized but not conquered or commodified -- places that foster a kind of connectedness both mournful and celebratory."
The quoted words are by Aaron Sachs, from his book Arcadian America: The Death and Life of an Environmental Tradition (Yale). This, and much more, can be found in a New Yorker piece by Nicholas Lemann, a must-read as we approach Earth Day 2013. Click here.
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No to GMOs, Yes to Poet Lo's
The Old Creamery's Community Calendar is your place to post, and check for, happenings in the Hilltowns. The Community Calendar can be found on the Old Creamery's website under "News & Events." You can click on any event in the calendar to pop up an expanded information box. For instance, click here to see the listing for a pre-Earth Day meeting of the Hilltown Non-GMO Working Group and here to learn about readings by the Church Hill Poets next Thursday in Plainfield.
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Calling All Artists and Craftspeople
Arts Alive in the Hilltowns is seeking artists and crafters of all sorts for its July 6 Art Festival. The festival will showcase paintings to metal work, soaps to breads, flowers to jewelry, and much, much more. To learn more, contact Natalie Stafford at staffordnatalie@gmail.com or write to Arts Alive, PO Box 33, Worthington, MA 01098.
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Stay in Touch! We Love to Hear from You!
For questions about Co-op membership, product requests, or suggestions or other feedback, please send a note to info@oldcreamery.coop. We'll make sure your note is sent to the appropriate person and that you get a prompt response.
If you'd like to contact the Co-op's Board of Directors, simply send your email to board@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by the board.
To reach Karen Doherty, the Co-op's general manager, send an email to gm@oldcreamery.coop. Emails sent to this address are received only by Karen.
If you're thinking of becoming a valued volunteer of the Co-op, you can reach Shirley Todd, volunteer coordinator, at volunteer@oldcreamery.coop. There are many opportunities for volunteers. Emails sent to this address go directly to Shirley.
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Help us spread the word! Consider encouraging your friends to sign on to receive the Creamery's weekly email newsletter. Better yet, encourage them to become member-owners of the Co-op. You can forward this email to your friends and relatives (for best results, use the "Forward email" link in the white space at the bottom of this page). Rest assured, we won't clog their inboxes and we will respect their privacy. We will not disclose your or their email addresses to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for your interest, commitment, and support.
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Many items are on sale every week at the Creamery. Look for the brightly colored shelf tags. These items are 15%-45% off regular prices. We work hard to find bargains on many different items, including staple groceries, treats like chocolate, juices, refrigerated items, personal care products, and supplements. The shelf tags indicate when the sale price expires. Some sale items are one-time opportunities that remain on sale until sold out. Many are purchasing opportunities that can be replenished over several weeks at great prices. Enjoy the savings!
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Your continued patronage supports the ongoing success of our community-owned, values-based cooperative. Thank you for supporting the Old Creamery Co-op as a member-owner, as a shopper, as a friend. We value every contribution to the success of the Old Creamery Co-op.
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