Are you ready to learn more about YOUR co-op? And, well, maybe win a little something, too? Take a shot at entering January’s month’s Co-op Quiz question:
What is Our Co-op’s Food For All Program?
What IS our Co-op’s Food For All Program? Who benefits from this program? How do you become a Food For All member? What can Food For All do for YOU? So many questions, and only until the end of January to answer them! If you’re not sure how to answer, do some digging on our website and in our in-store materials near the entrance and the customer bathrooms to find out more. When you’re ready, write your answer on a raffle slip (located near the exit door) and drop it into our Co-op Quiz raffle box for a chance to win one of 10 Co-op Gift Cards, worth $25 each! Winners will be drawn at random, and then selected based on response accuracy.
For 29 years, the Co-op has had the pleasure of collaborating with Middlebury Studio School (formerly, Frog Hollow) to help us bring you our annual Empty Bowl dinner to benefit local food shelves, CVOEO, and HOPE, and our first-ever Empty Bowl Silent Auction last year. The Studio School has been instrumental in coordinating dozens of local potters to create 100 bowls for this event, each year. In 2021, the challenges of COVID 19 remain, and we feel that it would be irresponsible to host our traditional community dinner under these circumstances.
For the second year, the Co-op is hosting The Great Empty Bowl Silent Auction. From 11/15 to 12/15, stop by the Co-op’s “indoor seating area” to view beautiful hand-made bowls from Middlebury Studio School. When you find one that’s meant for you or someone you love, please write your bid, your name, and your phone number on our auction list, next to the bowl of your choice. A photograph of each bowl, with a corresponding number, will be included on the list. Bids start at $30 (the usual cost of an Empty Bowl Dinner ticket). The Co-op will match all final bids (maximum total match will be $5,000). Once the auction is over on 12/15, we’ll contact all participants with top bids to arrange for payment and pick-up.
Here’s How to Participate:
– Take a look at these beautiful bowls, handmade and donated by the generous artists at Middlebury Studio School.
– When you find one (or more!) that you like, match the number on the bowl to the number on the Auction List (center table). Fill in your name, phone number, and your bid (bidding starts at $30 and must increase by at least $5 for each additional bid).
– The auction ends on 12/15. After that date, if you have placed the highest bid on a bowl, we will contact you to let you know, so you can stop by to pay for and pick up your bowl.
The Co-op Will Match The Highest Bids for Every Bowl (maximum total match will be $5,000)
“Empty Bowls” is an international project to fight hunger, personalized by artists and arts organizations on a community level. It was founded by Lisa Blackburn and Art teacher John Hartom in 1990-91 when they joined a drive to raise charitable funds in his Michigan community. Hartom’s idea was to organize a charitable event to give artists and art students a way to make a personal difference. Hartom’s students made ceramic bowls in their high school art classes. The finished products were then used as individual serving pieces for a fund-raising meal of soup and bread. Contributing guests kept the empty bowl.
Today, hundreds of communities hold some version of an Empty Bowls event. Their efforts support food-related charities around the world and have raised millions of dollars to aid in the fight against hunger. Although the sponsors of the events may differ widely – from glass blowers to churches to Co-ops like ours, their goals remain the same:
Raise as much money as possible to feed the world’s hungry people.
Increase awareness of hunger and related issues. Through education, awareness, and action, concerned individuals can change human attitudes that allow hunger to exist.
Advocate for arts education. Nurturing the creative process through the arts enhances the possibility of finding new solutions to old problems.
According to the U.S. Census, Current Population Survey, 1 in 9 Vermonters are dealing with food insecurity. This is a number well below the national average, but for 12% of our State’s population, the number is still too high. Please place a bid at our Empty Bowl Auction and be a part of the effort to wipe out hunger in Addison County.
Share the Harvest is a great opportunity for you to support the Farm Share Program, which provides income-eligible Vermonters with the opportunity to support their local CSA farmer and receive reliable access to high-quality produce on weekly basis all season long.
With your support, the Farm Share Program assists hundreds of individuals and families in accessing a season’s worth of fresh farm products by providing half off the cost of shares. Throughout October, generous restaurants, coops, breweries, and food stores statewide participated in Share the Harvest. When the public eats out or shops at participating businesses in October, the businesses made a donation to the Farm Share Program.
If you were not able to join us for Share the Harvest this year, you can still make a gift to support the Farm Share Program today! See the DONATIONS section below and please consider making a donation today.
NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program is a great way that limited-income Vermonters can afford to purchase CSA (community supported agriculture) shares of fresh produce from their local farmers. Donations to the Farm Share Program go into a fund which helps subsidize CSA shares to needy Vermonters. NOFA Vermont believes that all Vermonters should be able to eat local organic food, regardless of their income level, while also making sure farmers get a good wage for their hard work.
Demand for Farm Share Program support is significant. The Farm Share Program is funded by individual donations and by the annual Share the Harvest fundraiser.
If you know of a restaurant, brewery, co-op, or food store who would like to participate in Share the Harvest 2021 or partner with the Farm Share Program, please contact Kayla Strom at kayla@nofavt.org or call (802) 434-4122.
Time to expand your herbal medicine shelf! Join local herbalist Julie Mitchell to explore the basics of preparing your own herbal medicines at home. Participants will explore some simple methods for making your own tinctures, salves, and steams using familiar plant medicines and ingredients. Come with a do-it-yourself mentality and curiosity about plant medicines and leave with recipes and a sampling of herbal preparations.
All Co-op classes at the Hannaford Career Center are $30 or free for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. In an effort to provide a safe experience, we ask that all class participants are vaccinated and masks are required for the duration of the class. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. Please register for classes at least one week in advance by contacting Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by phone at (802) 382-1004 or by email at dsenesac@pahcc.org.
Join Mushroom Shedfounder Amanda Heidel for a hands-on workshop that introduces participants to the wonderful world of fungi. Each participant will learn techniques to successfully grow mushrooms at home and engage in hands-on inoculation of coffee grounds and cardboard to grow delicious oyster mushrooms. The class will include information on the mushroom lifecycle, how to care for the mushrooms, and different cooking techniques and recipes. Participants will take home their own mushroom bucket kit and how-to guide.
All Co-op classes at the Hannaford Career Center are $30 or free for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. In an effort to provide a safe experience, we ask that all class participants are vaccinated and masks are required for the duration of the class. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. Please register for classes at least one week in advance by contacting Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by phone at (802) 382-1004 or by email at dsenesac@pahcc.org.
Join Nando Jaramillo of Moon and Stars Arepas for a hands-on lesson in preparing traditional arepas and empanadas! Nando is on a mission to grow organic, heirloom corn, provide high-quality nutritious foods, cultivate community, and demonstrate a new way forward connecting regenerative farming practices and cultural traditions. Join him to explore the cultural heritage of these foods, grind organic heirloom corn together by hand, then make versions that are both traditional and seasonal.
All Co-op classes at the Hannaford Career Center are $30 or free for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. In an effort to provide a safe experience, we ask that all class participants are vaccinated and masks are required for the duration of the class. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. Please register for classes at least one week in advance by contacting Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by phone at (802) 382-1004 or by email at dsenesac@pahcc.org.
Join Debbie Cook and Emily Landenberger to learn more about the miraculous substance known as biochar! Discover its potential for creating healthy soils, combating climate change, and explore different methods of producing biochar on your farm or homestead! Debbie discovered biochar while working at the North and South Rivers Watershed Association as communications director and state-wide coordinator of Greenscapes, a land care program. Since then, she has been on a journey to learn and share about this amazing substance, including a 6-week trip to the Amazon where she lived with the Kechwa people who are believed to have invented biochar 6000 years ago! Emily has been experimenting with small-scale biochar production and will share some of the ways that her family is utilizing this magical substance on her homestead in Weybridge – including as an integral part of their humanure composting system.
All Co-op classes at the Hannaford Career Center are $30 or free for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. In an effort to provide a safe experience, we ask that all class participants are vaccinated and masks are required for the duration of the class. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. Please register for classes at least one week in advance by contacting Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by phone at (802) 382-1004 or by email at dsenesac@pahcc.org.
Recognizing the different tastes and learning how to create flavor profiles are the foundations for all great cooking. Join Chef Matt Laux to explore putting flavors together and investigating your own palate. Matt will share examples of the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Then, participants will have the opportunity to practice adding layers of flavor based on their own preferences in different dishes. Let’s cook together!
All Co-op classes at the Hannaford Career Center are $30 or free for members of the Co-op’s Food For All program. In an effort to provide a safe experience, we ask that all class participants are vaccinated and masks are required for the duration of the class. Classes are capped at 12 participants. Enrollment is first-come, first-served. Please register for classes at least one week in advance by contacting Denise Senesac at the Hannaford Career Center by phone at (802) 382-1004 or by email at dsenesac@pahcc.org.
Co-op Member-Owners – check your receipts! All September, you can track how much you spend on LOCAL each time you shop at the Co-op. Choosing local products is always a winning choice for the Vermont Economy, and this September, choosing local could make YOU a winner, too! Read on to find out how:
JOIN THE EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE!
All September, check the bottom of your receipts to find out how much LOCAL you’ve purchased.
Receipts from LOCAL purchases of $25 or more are eligible to be entered into a drawing for one of six $25 Co-op Gift Cards.
Receipts from LOCAL purchases of $50 or more are eligible to be entered into a drawing for one of six $50 Co-op Gift Cards.
You may enter as many receipts as you like.
The more LOCAL you purchase, the greater your chances of winning. Raffle Boxes will be located at the Customer Service Desk near the Registers. Not sure if you’re buying LOCAL products? Just look for these signs:
OK, so big food events are off the table this fall. But, we just can’t miss the chance to appreciate our members for the loyalty, understanding, and appreciation you have extended to your Co-op over the past year. Plus, it’s the Co-op’s 45th Anniversary in 2021 – let’s have some fun before the year ends! With a little creativity, we can pull off a safe AND fun Member Appreciation Day – come join us!
Anyone Can Get a FREE Co-op T-Shirt When They:
Become a Co-op Member-Owner
Renew their Membership (12 months will be added to any renewed membership, so nothing is lost by renewing early)
