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Hope Food Drive on Saturday, November 15th

We’re thrilled to welcome back HOPE for their annual food drive on November 15th from 10:00AM to 2:00PM.

HOPE runs one of the largest food shelves in our region, serving over 3,000 people each year. Alongside non-perishables, they work hard to provide staples like meat, milk, bread, and eggs.

With recent federal benefit cuts putting even more pressure on local food shelves, community support matters more than ever. During this drive, HOPE will be collecting non-perishable items to help keep shelves stocked heading into the holiday season.

Here is a list of items they are most in need of at this time:

  • Juice (64 oz bottles are best)
  • Canned veg (beets, spinach, potatoes, yams) – we do not need corn or peas
  • Canned fruit ( pears, apricots, plums, mandarin oranges, pineapple) we don’t need peaches
    or applesauce
  • Hearty soups – split pea, lentil, bean, chowders
  • Canned pasta
  • Kidney beans
  • Canned chili, baked beans
  • Instant pasta dishes
  • Ethnic foods – Indian and Mexican
  • Cold and hot cerealsCondiments – small sizes
  • Jellies and jams
  • Canned tuna and chicken
  • Snack foods – crackers, granola bars, cookies, pretzels
  • Personal hygiene products
  • Cleaning and laundry supplies

Empty Bowl Silent Auction and Raffle

For more than 30 years, the Co-op has proudly partnered with Middlebury Studio School to host our annual Empty Bowl Fundraiser, supporting our local food shelves, CVOEO, and HOPE. We are deeply grateful to Middlebury Studio School and the generous local potters who create and donate these bowls each year.

How to Participate in the Auction

View & Bid:
Visit the Co-op November 1–23 to browse handmade bowls created and donated by local artists.

Place a Bid:
If you find a bowl you love, match its number to the auction book at the center table.
Write your name, phone number, and bid (bidding starts at $30, with a minimum $10 increase per bid).

Auction Ends:
The auction closes November 23. If you are the highest bidder, we will contact you to arrange payment and pick-up.

How to Participate in the Raffle

Last year we introduced a new tradition — the Empty Bowl Raffle — and we’re excited to continue it.

• Purchase a $5 raffle ticket at any register.
• Drop your ticket in the jar for the bowl you’d love to win.
• Two winners will be drawn at the end of the auction.

Co-op Match

This year, with increased pressure on food assistance programs due to federal cutbacks and the government shutdown, the Co-op will match 100% of winning bids, with no cap. Every dollar raised supports HOPE and CVOEO’s work to keep our neighbors fed.

About the Empty Bowl Project

Empty Bowl is an international grassroots effort that uses art and community to fight hunger. It began in the early 1990s when art teacher John Hartom and Lisa Blackburn invited students to create ceramic bowls for a simple soup supper, where guests kept their empty bowl as a reminder of those facing food insecurity.

Today, Empty Bowl events take place worldwide, raising millions of dollars annually for hunger-relief organizations and continuing to:

  • Support local food shelves and hunger-relief efforts

  • Raise awareness of food insecurity

  • Celebrate community creativity and arts education

Why It Matters

According to Hunger Free Vermont, 2 in 5 Vermonters are experiencing hunger today. Your participation directly supports our Addison County neighbors.

 

Join the Eat Local Challenge at the Co-op!

As a Co-op shopper, you already know: buying local is one of the most powerful ways to support our community.

It’s called the Local Multiplier Effect—67% of every dollar spent locally stays here, creating a cycle of economic growth that strengthens farms, families, and our future. Every local purchase is an investment in the community we share.

And this September, buying local could make you a winner, too!

Here’s how:

  • Check your receipt to see how much local you bought in a single trip.

  • Spend $25 or more on local items = enter to win one of six $50 Co-op gift cards.

  • Spend $50 or more = enter to win one of six $100 gift cards.

  • Drop your qualifying receipt into the raffle box on your way out. Enter as often as you’d like!

The more local you buy, the greater your chances of winning—and the bigger the impact you make on Vermont producers. Just look for the “local” signs throughout the store to fill your basket with community-grown goodness.

 

We’ve set this year’s goal at $550,000 in local purchases. Think we can beat it? Watch the Big Corn outside the front door to find out!

 

A group of staff members stands in front of Big Corn

Happy LOCAL eating!

Annual Meeting and Celebration is September 10th

Join Us for our 49th Annual Meeting and Celebration!

The Co-op is excited to invite you to our 49th Annual Meeting at American Flatbread! Join us for pizza, salad, and desserts—on us—as we reflect on the past year and the progress we’ve made in meeting our Ends.

General Manager Greg Prescott will share an update on how the Co-op is doing and what the year ahead may bring. We’ll also hear from our Board of Directors and open the floor for questions from our members.

This is always a special time to come together as a community, and we look forward to seeing you there!

New to the Co-op’s Annual Meeting?
Preview the FY25 annual report and take a look at some photos from last year’s celebration to get a sense of what’s in store!

 

 

Hope Food Drive on Saturday, November 23rd

We’re thrilled to welcome back HOPE for their annual food drive on November 23 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM.

HOPE runs one of the largest food shelves in the region, serving over 3,000 people each year. In addition to non-perishable foods, they offer meat, milk, bread and eggs.

For this drive, they’ll be collecting non-perishable goods to fill their shelves for the holiday season. Here is a list of items they are most in need of at this time:

• Hearty soups (pop-top if possible)
• Pasta
• Peanut Butter
• Jam/Jelly
• Baking Mixes
• Boxed Pasta and Rice Side Dishes
• Cereal/Oatmeal
• Canned Chicken & Tuna
• Condiments and Dressings
• Toiletries
• Feminine Hygiene Products
• Household Cleaning Supplies

Empty Bowl Silent Auction December 1-15

For over 30 years, the Co-op has proudly partnered with Middlebury Studio School to host our annual Empty Bowl Fundraiser, supporting local food shelves, CVOEO, and HOPE. A heartfelt thank you to our friends at Middlebury Studio School for bringing together talented local potters to create these special bowls each year!

How to Participate:

  1. Visit the Co-op: From December 1-15, come view the handmade bowls donated by artists from Middlebury Studio School.
  2. Place Your Bid: If you find a bowl you love, match its number to the auction list at the center table. Fill in your name, phone number, and bid (starting at $30, with a minimum $10 increase for each new bid).
  3. Auction Details: The auction runs until December 15. If you’re the top bidder on a bowl, we’ll contact you to arrange payment and pick-up.

About the Empty Bowl Project:

The Empty Bowl project is an international initiative that uses creative expression to combat hunger, personalized by artists and organizers at the community level. It was originally conceived by Lisa Blackburn and art teacher John Hartom in the early 1990s, where students created ceramic bowls to support the arts and raise funds for a good cause. Guests at fundraising meals kept their empty bowls as a reminder of those in need.

Today, hundreds of communities host Empty Bowl events each year, collectively raising millions of dollars to support food-related charities worldwide. These events aim to:

  • Raise funds to feed the hungry.
  • Increase awareness of hunger-related issues and promote education and action to combat hunger.
  • Advocate for arts education, fostering creativity to develop innovative solutions to longstanding problems.

According to Hunger Free Vermont, 2 in 5 people in Vermont are currently experiencing hunger. Please place a bid at our Empty Bowl Auction and help us in the effort to eliminate hunger in Addison County!

 

Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Recap of Our 48th Annual Meeting

Our 48th Annual Meeting and Celebration was a Resounding Success!

On Tuesday, September 10th, a record-breaking number of member owners gathered at American Flatbread for the Co-op’s 48th Annual Meeting. 

We heard presentations from our General Manager, Greg Prescott, who updated members on the state of the Co-op at the end of Fiscal Year 2023. Members of the board gave presentations about a variety of policy-governance topics, and both Greg and the Board took questions from member-owners. 

In 2024, MNFC became WIC qualified, meaning we can now provide a vital service to families in our community with limited income. To mark this notable achievement, WIC Nutritional Assistant Taylor Murray gave a presentation on the impacts of WIC, and provided figures on how it is utilized by people in Middlebury, Addison County, and across the state of Vermont.

And of course, we were treated to the amazing salads and pizza from American Flatbread!

If you missed the meeting (or even if you didn’t!), keep scrolling to see photos of the event. If you would like a PDF copy of the FY23 Annual Report, you can download it here.

Special thanks to the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op Board for coming together for a rare group photo!

Join the Eat Local Challenge at the Co-op!

As loyal Co-op shoppers, you know that buying LOCAL is one of the best ways you can support our community.

Known as the Local Multiplier Effect, 67% of every dollar spent locally stays local, creating a cycle of positive economic growth which helps build a more sustainable future for all. Buying LOCAL is an investment in our future. 

Choosing to buy local products is always a winning choice, and this September, choosing local could make YOU a  winner, too! Here’s how it works:

  • Choose LOCAL products to buy when you shop, and check the bottom of your receipt to see how much LOCAL you purchased in one trip.
  • Purchase $25 or more LOCAL products in one shopping trip to enter a raffle for one of six $50 Co-op Gift Cards.
  • Purchase $50 or more LOCAL products in one shopping trip to enter a raffle for one of six $100 Co-op Gift Cards. 
  • Enter as many receipts as you’d like! 
  • To enter your qualifying receipt (with $25 or more in local purchases), simply drop it in the raffle box by the exit on your way out. It’s that easy! 

The more LOCAL you purchase, the greater your chances of winning (and the more you’re eligible to win!) At the end of the month, we’ll select six receipts with $25 or more LOCAL to win a $50 gift card, and six receipts with $50 or more LOCAL to win a $100 gift card. Want to be sure you’re buying LOCAL? Just look for products with these signs:

 

Last year’s Eat Local Challenge resulted in over $600,000 being paid to our LOCAL farmers and producers in September alone! Help us shatter last year’s record by purchasing Vermont products all month long. Track our collective progress on the Big Corn outside the front door!  

Happy LOCAL eating!

Co-op Annual Meeting and Celebration is September 10th

Join Us for our 48th Annual Meeting and Celebration!

On Tuesday, September 10th, 5:30-7:30 pm, we invite you to join us at American Flatbread for our 48th Annual Meeting! We’ll gather to dine on flatbread, salad, and desserts while we talk about the past year and the progress we’ve made in meeting our Ends.  

Our General Manager, Greg Prescott will update us on how the Co-op is doing and what next year may bring.  We’ll hear from our Board of Directors and make time for questions from our members.  Enjoy delicious flatbreads, salad, and desserts on us! This is always such a special time to gather with our community and we look forward to seeing you all there.

New to the Co-op’s Annual Meeting?  Have a look at some of the photos from past Annual Meeting Celebrations to see what’s in store!!

Record-Breaking Rally for Change

Catastrophic flooding devastated farms across the region last month, including many that supply the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op. During the first week of August, we asked members to round up their change at the register to support NOFA-VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund—and you stepped up! Together, we raised a record-breaking $6,006. This money goes directly from donors to farmers with no strings attached, providing critical support when they need it most.

Since its establishment in 1997, the NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund has supported farmers in times of challenge, and the extreme weather over the past 13 months has pushed the organization to raise more money than ever before. Last year, NOFA-VT supported over 100 farms with grants of $5,000 each. This money was raised by the sheer force of community solidarity. Your support truly makes a difference.

If more funds are raised than NOFA-VT has applications for, they will increase the funding available for each farm. Importantly, NOFA-VT does not take any administrative costs from the Emergency Fund, ensuring that all money directly reaches the farms in need.

For some farms, this will mark the start of a long rebuilding process. NOFA-VT will continue to advocate for meaningful federal and state disaster relief for farms, as the scale and scope of need far exceed what grants can cover. In the meantime, community support like the Farmer Emergency Fund helps farmers and farmworkers stay on their feet and make a plan for what’s next. Your donations provide a vital lifeline for farmers in the wake of this disaster, and we thank you for your support.

If you missed the fundraiser and would like to donate, you can give directly at this address: NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund.