November 1, 2023

Do You Receive VA Benefits? Find Out What Food For All Can Do for YOU.

November 11th is Veterans’ Day, so it feels timely to send out a reminder to all who are recipients of Veterans Affairs Benefits. Possession of a valid VA Card is proof of eligibility for the Co-op’s Food For All Program. Food For All members enjoy a 10% discount on their groceries, co-op-sponsored member share purchases, and all the benefits of Co-op member ownership. Next time you are in the Co-op, stop by and pick up a Food For All Brochure and find out what Food for All can do for you. Or, find out more HERE.

For many of us, choosing to buy healthy food is not just about preference but price. At the Co-op, there are many ways to shop affordably to bring home products you trust – check out Co-op Basics, and Co-op Deals, and shop our Bulk Department. But if purchasing healthy foods is still a challenge for your budget, Food For All is here to help.

Who is eligible for Food For All?

Food For All is a Member Assistance Program for participants in SNAP, WIC, and Home Heating Assistance, and for clients of CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, and the Open Door Clinic. Currently, around 375 Households participate in this program. We are always hoping to grow this number!

What do you “get” from Food For All?

You get a 10% Discount on all purchases, every day (excludes alcohol, by law).
You become a Member-Owner of the Co-op – your $20 share is paid by MNFC, allowing you to build equity, accrue a patronage dividend, receive Member Deals, and have a voice in Co-op Elections.
You become eligible for free classes through our Sustainability Series with Hannaford Career Center.

All Food for All member benefits are shared with the people in your household (children, domestic partners, parents living with you, etc..)

How do you sign up?

Fill out an application online, or pick one up at the Co-op Customer Service Desk.
Show us your current EBT or WIC benefits card, your Home Heating Assistance statement, or your VA Benefits Card (we’ll make a copy when you come in).

OR

Bring us a letter of eligibility from one of our partner organizations (CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, Open Door Clinic, and Free and Reduced Lunch Programs). They’ll know what to do!

If you are not eligible for Food For All but know someone who might be, please spread the word. This Co-op belongs to its member-owners and its community…the WHOLE community. Help us serve you better.

November 1, 2022

Do You Receive VA Benefits? Find Out What Food For All Can Do for YOU.

November 11th is Veterans’ Day, so it feels timely to send out a reminder to all who are recipients of Veterans Affairs Benefits. Possession of a valid VA Card is proof of eligibility for the Co-op’s Food For All Program. Food For All members enjoy a 10% discount on their groceries, co-op-sponsored member share purchases, free classes through our Sustainable Living Series, and all the benefits of Co-op member ownership. Next time you are in the Co-op, stop by and pick up a Food For All Brochure and find out what Food for All can do for you. Or, find out more HERE.

For many of us, choosing to buy healthy food is not just about preference but price. At the Co-op, there are many ways to shop affordably to bring home products you trust – check out Co-op Basics, and Co-op Deals, and shop our Bulk Department. But if purchasing healthy foods is still a challenge for your budget, Food For All is here to help.

Who is eligible for Food For All?

Food For All is a Member Assistance Program for participants in SNAP, WIC, and Home Heating Assistance, and for clients of CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, and the Open Door Clinic. Currently, around 375 Households participate in this program. We are always hoping to grow this number!

What do you “get” from Food For All?

You get a 10% Discount on all purchases, every day (excludes alcohol, by law).
You become a Member-Owner of the Co-op – your $20 share is paid by MNFC, allowing you to build equity, accrue a patronage dividend, receive Member Deals, and have a voice in Co-op Elections.
You become eligible for free classes through our Sustainability Series with Hannaford Career Center.

All Food for All member benefits are shared with the people in your household (children, domestic partners, parents living with you, etc..)

How do you sign up?

Fill out an application online, or pick one up at the Co-op Customer Service Desk.
Show us your current EBT or WIC benefits card, your Home Heating Assistance statement, or your VA Benefits Card (we’ll make a copy when you come in).

OR

Bring us a letter of eligibility from one of our partner organizations (CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, Open Door Clinic, and Free and Reduced Lunch Programs). They’ll know what to do!

If you are not eligible for Food For All but know someone who might be, please spread the word. This Co-op belongs to its member-owners and its community…the WHOLE community. Help us serve you better.

October 6, 2021

Think You Can’t Afford to Shop at the Co-op? Find Out What Food For All Can Do for YOU.

Next time you’re waiting in the check-out line at the Co-op, let your eyes roam to the stretch of pale yellow wall above the street-facing windows. You may never have noticed the statement posted there: The Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op is dedicated to the health and well-being of the whole community, but it’s a statement that we return to continually, to help guide the decisions we make about how the Co-op grows.

For many of us, choosing to buy healthy food is not just about preference but price. At the Co-op, there are many ways to shop affordably to bring home products you trust – check out Co-op Basics, Co-op Deals, shop our Bulk Department, and use our Special Order system to get case discounts. But if purchasing healthy foods is still a challenge for your budget, Food For All is here to help.

Who is eligible for Food For All?

Food For All is a Member Assistance Program for participants in SNAP, WIC, and Home Heating Assistance, and for clients of CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, and the Open Door Clinic. Currently, around 260 Households take advantage of this program. We are always hoping to grow this number!

What do you “get” from Food For All?

You get a 10% Discount on all purchases, every day (excludes alcohol, by law)
You become a Member-Owner of the Co-op – your $20 share is paid by MNFC, allowing you to build equity, accrue a patronage dividend and have a voice in Co-op Elections

All Food for All member benefits are shared with the people in your household (children, domestic partners, parents living with you, etc..)

How do you sign up?

Fill out an application online, or pick one up at the Co-op Customer Service Desk.
Show us your current EBT or WIC benefits card, your Home Heating Assistance statement, or your VA Benefits Card (we’ll make a copy when you come in).

OR

Bring us a letter of eligibility from one of our partner organizations (CVOEO, HOPE, WomenSafe, Open Door Clinic, and Free and Reduced Lunch Programs). They’ll know what to do!

If you are not eligible for Food For All but know someone who might be, please spread the word. This Co-op belongs to its member-owners and its community…the WHOLE community. Help us serve you better.

August 31, 2016

WE DID IT!

With your help, The Co-op raised $3,355 for The Open Door Clinic! The money will be used to help support their dental program. Our Rally for Change for ODC lasted from August 18th to August 24th. During that time, Co-op Shoppers rounded up their purchase totals at the registers to donate to the Clinic. The Co-op matched the total Shopper donations, and it was our most successful Rally, ever! To find out more about how the Rally for Change worked, and about Open Door Clinic, click here!

August 15, 2016

Rally for Change for Open Door Clinic Starts August 18th

Join the Co-op’s Rally for Change for Addison County’s Open Door Clinic!

Between August 18th and 24th, round up your total at the registers, and the Co-op will match your donation. All donations will be used to support the Clinic’s dental program. Since November 2013, the Clinic has leveraged three distinct gifts/grants to help more than 84 patients access dental care. They have also arranged for a volunteer interpreter and free transportation for these appointments. While proud of these accomplishments, they want to establish a more comprehensive and sustainable dental program. In 2015, with the support of five local volunteer dentists and two grants, they launched an innovative dental program for their patients. In January, Dr. Adam Fasoli joined the program as their Volunteer Dental Director, and they hired a part-time dental hygienist to provide screenings and cleanings to their patients.

Check out their brand new video, to learn more!

All about the Open Door Clinic:

Their Mission: The Open Door Clinic provides access to quality healthcare services, free of charge, to those who are uninsured or under-insured and who meet financial eligibility guidelines; services are provided in a compassionate, respectful and culturally sensitive manner until a permanent healthcare provider can be established.
Founded in 1990, the Open Door Clinic started “on wheels”, when a bus would ride through Addison County increasing access to healthcare. By 1993, a free standing clinic was established in Middlebury, followed by a second site in Vergennes in 2010. They have been growing since and now hold more than 7 clinics per month.
In 2009, they received a federal grant to expand their outreach to area migrant farm workers. Over the last 7 years, they have grown from visiting 2 farms, serving 108 migrant workers, to 35 farms and 8 orchards, serving 270 Latino farm workers. The Latino migrant farm workers now comprise 57% of their total patient population.
The Clinic employs seven part-time staff and provides acute and chronic care to their patients through 140 volunteers, including their medical and dental directors. When needed, they refer patients to a wide variety of area specialists.

Find out more about the clinic on their website: http://www.opendoormidd.org/

Comic Book Program for Migrant Workers:

The Clinic’s migrant farm worker population now comprises more than half of their client load. Migrant workers face so many unique challenges, and the clinic is always innovating to accommodate their needs. The lives of many migrant workers are touched by physical, mental and emotional hardships that are almost intrinsic to their way of life. One particularly original (and kind of fun!) approach to helping workers make sense of these hardships comes from Julia Doucet, Outreach Nurse at the Open Door Clinic in Middlebury. Doucet started a comic book project by migrant farm workers in Addison County. Migrant workers provided the text for the series that explores a variety of themes important to the workers. The goal of this project, in Ms. Doucet’s words, is to “make someone feel slightly better and less alone,” and “to make them feel like there is a supportive community of people who can understand and hold their experience for them, to share their burden.” Here’s a link to a great article about this program from the Addison Independent:

http://www.addisonindependent.com/201607comic-books-illustrate-migrant-workers-lives