Our Community Food Store

Enticing food stores to locate downtown

2012-02-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, 7 February 2012
By DAN DAKIN Niagara Falls Review

Karrie Porter and Brennan Finley are two of the organizers
behind a movement to bring a co-op grocery store to downtown St. Catharines.
With them are Porter’s children Remy and Mira. QMI Agency

If you build it, will they come?

Not everyone thinks so.

With nearly every Niagara municipality scrambling to bring more people to their downtowns, the idea of a grocery store being needed as a draw has been discussed repeatedly.

In St. Catharines, there’s a growing movement to bring a co-op grocery store to the downtown core.

In Niagara Falls, the development company trying to revitalize downtown is hoping newly renovated apartments in the area will attract a similar retail outlet.

Even outside the region, it’s the same story. Hamilton city council recently offered up a $650,000 prize for any developer willing to open a grocery store in its downtown.

But are supermarkets the answer to reviving downtowns?

Retired Brock University urban geography professor Hugh Gayler said there’s a reason grocery stores abandoned downtowns decades ago.

“In St. Catharines, there were three or four grocery stores downtown until the 1960s,” he said. “Back then, downtown was the local shopping centre. The population was within walking distance.”

That all changed however, in the second half of the last century. The suburbs became the place to live and downtown shopping areas were replaced with malls.

“People suburbanized, families got smaller and places like downtown St. Catharines lost about two-thirds of its population,” Gayler said. “Of course, grocery stores suburbanized with them.”

“Stores are not stupid. They rely on a certain number of people to make the store profitable.”

Using downtown Toronto as an example, Gayler said large grocery stores can be successful, but it takes massive populations.

In Niagara, he feels small grocery stores could be the answer.

“In Europe they’re opening express stores downtown for the people that live there. Small stores are possible. It’s a matter of changing supermarket thinking,” he said. “Here, they’re going the other way. The medium-sized stores are being replaced with superstores.”

“There is a need in the inner-city for a grocery store that people can walk to,” he said. “There’s no reason why a small one couldn’t survive.”

That’s good news to Brennan Finley, one of the organizers behind the movement to bring a co-op grocery store to downtown St. Catharines.

The Our Community Food Store concept seems to be picking up steam. St. Catharines city council agreed to give the organizers $2,500 to help get the project rolling and then, last week, PenFinancial Credit Union matched that with another $2,500 in cash, plus consulting services and access to meeting space and volunteers.

Finley said the co-op grocery store idea makes sense for communities trying to revitalize their downtown cores because “the profit the co-op makes doesn’t leave the area. It stays in the community and benefits the members.”

Gayler said he agrees the concept could work.

“A co-op store is filling a niche that the big chains aren’t filling right now.”

Rick Brady, the director of community and development services for the Town of Fort Erie, thinks municipalities are being short-sighted if they think a grocery store will save a downtown.

“You’re talking about using a grocery store as a specific draw. But if you talk to people who run them, they’re not a draw, they’re built where people already are,” he said.

That’s a fact the companies themselves don’t shy away from. Opening a massive store in a location where the customer base is small wouldn’t make much sense.

“There are lots of factors that go into (deciding where to open a store), but there has to be a demand,” said Sarah Stover, who works in communications for Sobeys Inc.

And that’s why Gayler thinks it’s important for the communities themselves to take control.

“I think a city has to take ownership and we’ve failed to do that. We’ve let developers take advantage of our downtowns,” he said. “It will take time. But things are happening in downtowns. It will be niche retailers. It has to be something big supermarkets don’t do.”

Brady agrees.

“Large grocery stores want places that are easily accessible and have big, free parking lots. Downtowns have a difficult time competing with that. What you will see is more specialty items like bakeries,” he said.

Copyright © 2012 Niagara Falls Review : http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3462481

West End Food Co-op : our hero builds

2012-01-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

West End Food Co-operative (WEFC) is our hero. The co-op began informally 2008, when it organized a farmer's market in Sorauren Park in the Roncesvalles neighbourhood of Toronto.

For the first year, the market was summer-only. The market expanded to run year-round in 2009-2010. It operates in the winter out of a civic space created by the City of Toronto, the Sorauren Park Fieldhouse, which has washrooms, meeting space, storage, and a small kitchen

The informal group incorporated as the West End Food Co-operative in 2009. As well as the farmer's market, WEFC now operates a community cannery in the Parkdale neighbourhood that offers preserving workshops once or twice a month. The cannery has been hosted by community partners who share equipment and facilities with WEFC. (The cannery includes a 'Community Supported Orchard' project that works with the co-op's producer-members to preserve larger volumes of fruit.)

Now WECF has begun its most ambitious project: a community owned food hub in Parkdale, with a storefront at Queen and Dufferin. The hub will have retail food store that features locally-sourced produce and meats as well as packaged goods, food education and health programming, and delivery services.

WEFC will also feature a community kitchen that will be the new home of the cannery, train people in food handling and preparation, and offer affordable meals.

On a rainy morning in January, we visited the West End Food Co-op work-in-progress in the company of Ayal Dinner, Operations manager. This is what we saw.


Ayal Dinner looks in from Queen Street West at the entrance of the West End Food Co-op site.

Street entrance off Queen Street West. The food hub is co-located with Parkdale Community Health Centre.

You are here. The space is slightly irregular, about 2700 ft2 in area.

Floor area west view: from the entrance.

Floor area east view: towards the entrance (upper left), which features a ramp for accessibility.

The cart was used to experiment with floor design and movement.

Ayal stands in the kitchen chalk lines: moveable counters will allow multiple uses.

Kitchen hood and venting goes here ....

Dishwasher! (Boxed, at right.) Contributed by the city to support a nutrition education program.

Coming soon to this location : the West End Food Co-op food hub.

Rounded design : a grocery labyrinth (in a good way)

2011-12-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

A Cross Creative envisions a grocery store that promotes health not only through its selection, but also its layout. We decided to start with a labyrinth shape to allude to the thought that should go into choosing the foods that we eat.

With this contemplative theme in mind, the other aspects of our design grew out of the need to keep the market simple. The overall footprint should be small: about 3,000 square feet or less, to make it easy for people to run in and grab what they need. Checkout aisles will be shorter than the average market.

From 'GOOD' Redesign the Supermarket. GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. Since 2006 we've been making a magazine, videos, and events for people who give a damn.

It's Alive! It's Alive!

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Our Community Food Store has a Facebook Page. Click on the creature's toe to go there.

Nontoxic meetings

2011-12-13T15:43:00.000-05:00

It seems that the notion that 'meetings are toxic,' raised in the December 2011 newsletter from Our Community Food Store co-op, unsettled the Inner Bureaucrat of some, and delighted many others.

The idea comes from a new-ish business book by the founders of 37signals, creators of several fine web-based applications for collaboration, sharing information, and making decisions. 'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is a kind of minimalist manifesto of how to get things done quickly and simply, a collection of businesses aphorisms for the new entrepreneur.

Here is the 'full text' version of the section on meetings, part of a free chapter that can be downloaded from the 37signals website (PDF).

Meetings are toxic

The worst interruptions of all are meetings. Here’s why:

They’re usually about words and abstract concepts, not real things.
They usually convey an abysmally small amount of information per minute.
They drift off-subject easier than a Chicago cab in a snowstorm.
They require thorough preparation that most people don’t have time for.
They frequently have agendas so vague that nobody is really sure of the goal.
They often include at least one moron who inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone’s time with nonsense.
Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another . . .

Rework has a few suggestions to make the-activity-formerly-known-as-meeting more productive, such as invite as few people as possible to gather, and begin with a specific problem. The tactics in Rework are not so much unconventional, as accelerated. As well, they need to be reworked themselves to use in collaborative groups ... such as a co-operative. But that is the point: the rules are not the game.

We are 1,300-strong

2011-11-23T17:23:00.001-05:00

By way of encouragement for the 1,300 co-operative enterprises in Ontario to get to know each other better, the Ontario Co-operative Association (ON co-op) has distributed lists of 'neighbour' co-op enterprises.

The intention is to support the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) 2012, and to provide a resource or support network for neighbouring co-ops.

There are just over 100 co-op enterprises in the Niagara region, and 39 in St. Catharines (when all the branch offices of credit unions are counted individually).

As ON Co-op notes: "Co-op clusters and networks have already started forming in Ottawa, K-W, Cambridge & Brantford, and Guelph, with strong interest in Peel, Halton, Toronto, Kingston and Sudbury. The types of projects [to support IYC and co-operativism] the clusters are discussing range from a Santa Claus parade float, to a wine and cheese, to a city flag-raising celebration."

ON Co-op itself has developed a provincial billboard campaign, to begin with the New Year 2012. ON Co-op has purchased a number of 40’ x 10’ billboards to be placed in communities across Ontario for one month. ON Co-op notes that individually or as a group, billboards can be purchased through ON Co-op to promote a community or your particular co-op, credit union, or caisse populaire.

Below is a list of St. Catharines co-operatives, as supplied by ON Co-op. The information is taken from the ON Co-op 'Find A Co-op' directory.

Agnes MacPhail Women's Co-operative Homes	2 Ferndale Ave.
Arbour Village Co-operative Homes	25 Barnaby Drive, Unit 101
Commonwealth Co-operative Homes	15 Richardson Court
Cornerstone Co-op Homes	27 Lakeshore Road
Country Lane Co-operative Homes Inc.	412 Louth St.
FirstOntario Credit Union - Regional Office & Niagara St	148 Niagara St.
FirstOntario Credit Union - St. Catharines (Grantham)	486 Grantham Ave.
FirstOntario Credit Union - St. Catharines (Ontario St)	600 Ontario St.
FirstOntario Credit Union - St. Catharines (Pelham Rd)	215 Pelham Rd.
Garden Village Co-operative Homes	379 Niagara St.
Greenvale Co-operative Homes	61 Francis Creek Blvd. Suite 59
Mennonite Savings and Credit Union - St. Catharines	311 Geneva St., Unit 103
Meridian Credit Union - Grantham Plaza Branch	400 Scott St.
Meridian Credit Union - King Street Branch	106 King St.
Meridian Credit Union - Lake Street Branch	531 Lake St.
Meridian Credit Union - Pendale Plaza Branch	210 Glendale Ave.
Meridian Credit Union - Ridley Plaza Branch	111 Fourth Ave.
Meridian Credit Union (Corporate Office)	75 Corporate Park Dr.
Moonstone Co-operative Homes	82A Roehampton Ave. #104
Neighbours Community Co-operative Homes	56 Roehampton Ave.
North End Co-operative Pre-School	677 Niagara St.
Our Community Food Store	12-111 Fourth Ave. #200
PenFinancial Credit Union - Bunting Branch	2 - 300 Bunting Road
PenFinancial Credit Union - Heritage Branch	9 - 460 St. David's Rd.
PenFinancial Credit Union - Lake Street Branch	82 Lake St.
People's Choice Co-operative Homes	68 Louth St.
Pinecroft Co-operative Homes	85 Westland St. Unit 37 A
Power Glen Co-operative Nursery School	237 Rykert Street
Provincial Alliance Credit Union - St. Catharines	301 St. Paul St.
Regatta Place Housing Co-op	2 Lighthouse Rd.
St. Stanislaus - St. Casimir's Polish Parishes Credit Union	44 1/2 Facer St.
The Co-operators - Agency Office 173	45 Welland Ave.
The Co-operators - Agency Office 182	113 Lakeshore Rd
The Co-operators - Agency Office 183	278 Bunting Rd Unit 5
Ukrainian Credit Union - St. Catharines Branch	118 Niagara St.
UPI Energy LP - St. Catharines	75 Niagara Street
Ventura Park Housing Co-op	39 Ventura Dr. Unit 24
Village Glen Housing Co-op	5 Welstead Dr. Unit 21A
Watermark Housing Co-op	35 Christopher St.

Of Local Food and Finance

2011-11-22T15:34:00.001-05:00

21 Nov 2011, by Peter Pula via SocialFinance.ca

Paul Slomp, a beef farmer in Ottawa shared his story of local food and finance this Saturday at a Bring Home Food conference in Peterborough, Ontario. His story contains a great many lessons about local food, local finance and the possibility of a different, more intimate way of doing business.

When Paul set out to start his farm he sought seed capital. Finding no purchase through traditional means, he struck on another idea. A casual conversation with a lawyer friend of his led to a social finance innovation.

His friend encouraged Paul to write out a page and half outline of a bond he would like to issue to people interested in supporting his enterprise. Paul structured the terms of the bond in a way that expressed his best case arrangement. With a little help from his friend the bond structure was buttoned down. With it Paul approached colleagues, friends, and family to invite them to take out a bond with him to finance his start up. Paul made sure that each bond was small enough to enable most people to participate. Before long he had the money he needed to get started. It would appear that business has been healthy since.

One of the big gaps in local food is to 'rebuild the middle'. Not only is there a need for more diversity in farming there is a need for more farmers. Small acreage farmers, co-operative farms, and independent conventional farms are all locally-rooted producers our food system needs to be sustainable. Local food processing and distribution is another need. Locally owned and run abattoirs, food processors, and distributors are complementary to making a local food system work. In many cases meat processing requires stock to travel to a centralized abattoir. It is then is redistributed, sometimes across the province, breaking the local link.

Rebuilding the middle will require a consumer commitment to do business locally as well as ways to finance the various enterprises in the middle. It's likely these outfits will be as small as some of the farms whose food products they will move. They too will need financing options. The lessons learned from Paul's story then, are applicable to an entire array of localising efforts.

A familiar refrain amongst small investors; business people, teachers, civil servants, and hardworking people who have socked money away from all walks of life, is that they would like to be involved in local investments but have no clear pathway to participation.

With Occupy Wall Street sentiments circulating it is likely more people are, and will begin, asking how they can invest in something a little closer to home and has some personal meaning. Rebuilding the middle also means rebuilding the vehicles for intimate, local, and socially-driven investments.

Many people would like to participate in change or in new opportunities. Often the only thing they need is a clear pathway. Paul created one such pathway and on his own terms. That's why his story has much to offer.

First, he didn't get trapped by conventional finance or business patterns and boiler plates. On good advice he designed what he wanted to bring into being, created an investment vehicle that expressed his values, and secured financing in bites sized to suit the people he knew and wished to invite into his dream. He created something to suit his personal purposes. He broke free from the 'matrix'.

Second, his bond arrangement was flexible. There are ways for him to pay off a bond early if he felt he no longer needed the money, and ways for his bond holders to get their money out if needed.

Third, his bond arrangement was simple: A page and a half.

And most importantly, his arrangement is incredibly intimate. His personal network and his word are the glue holding it all together. What better security can you have than a relationship and a man's reputation? Neither of these can be accessed at a distance, you have to know the bond issuer and you have to be involved enough to know his reputation.

As re-localisation gains momentum this kind of 'social finance' holds great promise, in food and in other parts of our lives.

While there is no need to accept business as usual, there will be a need to connect with non-conventional lawyers and accountancies to build out an alternative. Paul's story is just the sort to lead the way. You can learn more about Paul's farm and philosophy at GrazingDays.com.

Transition Towns come to Niagara, 7 November 2011

2011-11-04T20:00:00.001-04:00

The animation 'Surfing the Waves of Change' (below) explores the idea of community resilience using the metaphor of a surfer. The animation comes from Cultivate, an Irish nongovernmental organization that promotes sustainable living, community resilience, and environmental causes.

One of the ways to build to community resilience touched on in 'Surfing the Waves of Change' is through 'transition towns.' This is a brand for environmental and social movements based upon the principles of permaculture.

"Communities are encouraged to seek out methods for reducing energy usage as well as reducing their reliance on long supply chains that are totally dependent on fossil fuels for essential items." (Wikipedia: Transition Towns). Food is a key area: transition town initiatives have included creating community gardens to grow food locally.

On 7 November 2011, Climate Action Niagara hosts representatives from Transition Toronto, Transition Guelph, and Transition Oakville, along with Niagara-area 'transitionists' Anthony Barrett, Daniel Bida, Sally Ludwig and Chris Mills. The presenters will share stories of the successes and challenges of Ontario communities and the many manifestations of the model of Transition Towns. The presentations will be followed by an open discussion on opportunities for Niagara.

Monday, 7 November 2011 at 7:00PM
111 Church Street, St Catharines ON
RSVP at 289 434 0474, or via email: info((at))climateactionniagara.ca
Free

MORE INFORMATION AT CLIMATE ACTION NIAGARA

Click on the link for a great video that encourages community building: 'Surfing the Waves of Change'

Need another goad to be grant-independent?

2011-10-28T09:53:00.000-04:00

Read this article from the Globe and Mail ( 28 October 2011, by Bill Curry ) about the coming reforms in charitable giving and nonprofit granting.

"Ottawa is conducting a sweeping overhaul of the way it finances charities and non-profit organizations, pledging a new era of accountability in which businesses and citizens shoulder more of the cost of giving.

"The government's lead minister for the changes said financing will come with more strings attached in an effort to ensure that organizations deliver promised social gains. . . . Policies being considered include new tax rules to allow charities and non-profits to raise money through side businesses, and boosting personal tax credits for charitable giving. The first step will be changes to traditional grants. . . .

"Many of the ideas the government is looking at are inspired by a report that was released last December and received little public attention. The 37-page National Task Force on Social Finance contained several recommendations on what Ottawa could do to mobilize "private capital for public good."

READ THE FULL GLOBE AND MAIL ARTICLE HERE.
DOWNLOAD THE 'Task Force on Social Finance' REPORT FROM HERE.

Buy confidently, buy local

2011-10-27T03:00:00.000-04:00

This should be of interest to those among us who feel overshadowed by commercial competition. It is a perspective from John Scott, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG), who spoke at the recent CFIG conference in Hamilton.

Scott said many independents focus on offering top quality goods, particularly fresh produce and meats. And, he said, while buying local is still important, the focus has changed slightly.

“Local is important but really it’s morphed into people wanting to know where their food is coming from. We’re in a cold climate so we don’t all want to eat just frozen food all winter,” he said. “It’s grown into consumer confidence. I would say buying local is being replaced with buying with confidence.”

Co-ops are the invisible giants

2011-10-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

Here is a recent article published by the Vancouver Sun that reveals some extraordinary facts about co-operatives in British Columbia. Such as: "fully one-third of British Columbians" are members of one or more co-ops in the province; and The VanCity credit union returns 30 percent of profits to members or the community, whereas commercial banks return one or two percent of profits.

Are Co-ops the solution to Occupy Wall Street woes?
Alternative business model called mechanism for democratizing the economy
By Tracy Sherlock, Vancouver Sun October 17, 2011

It's a business model in British Columbia that controls more than $10 billion in assets, employs 13,000 people and returns all profits to members. The model governs enterprises in banking, housing, retail and health care. Fully one-third of British Columbians are members in at least one of the 700 operations operating in this model: the co-operative.

For John Restakis, executive director of the B.C. Co-operative Association, co-ops are a mechanism for democratizing the economy, something the folks participating in Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Vancouver could turn to as a solution to their grievances.

"The whole point of Occupy Wall Street is reacting against corporate structure and the fact that people have no control over the economy is what's at the heart of it," Restakis said. "Co-ops are a concrete way to address that."

Doug Smith (behind) and Mark Parlett stock the produce section of the East End Food Co-op on Commercial Drive on Friday. The store's business model is that of a consumer co-op that is open to all shoppers, but provides specific benefits such as discounts to members. Photograph by: Ward Perrin, PNG, Vancouver Sun

Co-op Week in B.C. runs from today until Sunday and the United Nations has declared 2012 the international year of the co-operative to raise public awareness of this alternative business model and its contributions to poverty reduction and job creation.

"Co-operatives are a reminder to the international community that it is possible to pursue both economic viability and social responsibility," UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon said on the UN website.

Anyone can start a co-op and any type of business could potentially be established as one.

Co-ops really do come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like housing co-ops, provide lowercost housing to their members through partnership with the government, which provides low-cost mortgages and sometimes rent subsidies.

Others, like credit unions, return their profits to the community in the form of grants or modest dividends to their members. Still others are owned by their employees, and still others are large, for-profit food growers such as Ocean Spray, Welch's or Sunkist.

Some are consumer co-ops like the East End Food Co-op, which is open to all shoppers, but provides specific benefits such as discounts to members.

All co-ops require a share purchase to become a member, all of them have a board of directors and must hold an annual general meeting, and the members always decide what to do with the profits.

Vancity and Mountain Equipment Co-op are two of B.C.'s largest co-ops. Vancity, Canada's largest credit union, has 417,000 members and boasts $15 billion in member assets. The credit union returns 30 per cent of profits to members or the community, where a bank owned by shareholders might return one or two per cent to the community, Tamara Vrooman, Vancity chief executive said.

"When I go and get service at a publicly traded company, I know that I'm buying a service, but the benefit of that service ultimately is accruing to someone else - to a shareholder," Vrooman said. "The benefits for our members as customers and the benefits for our members as owners are the same, and that allows us to be more flexible, it allows us to put more money back into the community more quickly and it allows us to be more responsive to individual members' needs."

Mountain Equipment Co-op is a consumer co-operative, celebrating its fortieth birthday this year. The business has $261 million in annual sales and has 3.3 million members.

Restakis says co-ops are often on the vanguard of new ideas, citing the local, organic food movement and alternative energy as two areas where coops have led the way.

"The co-op model is pioneering in some sectors; it's leading the field," Restakis said. "Co-ops are sort of like antennae where people actually get together to create a service or product that's not currently available."

tsherlock@vancouversun.com | Blog: vancouversun.com/yourmoney | © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World!

2011-10-26T09:46:00.000-04:00

[A little explanatory note: this is taken from a leaflet that some cooperants are distributing within the 'Occupy Toronto' gathering.]

The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Co-operatives.

A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

Co-ops are the fastest growing socio-economic movement in the world, with close to one billion members. Canada has a vibrant co-op sector with 9,000 co-operatives, 17 million memberships, employing 150,000 people and over $300 billion in assets. There are co-operatives of every type in Canada.

Co-operatives are based on values not capital.

Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Principles: Co-operative guidelines by which co-ops put their values into practice.

Open and Voluntary Membership
Democratic: One member, one vote
Economic Participation: Owned and Operated by the Members
Independent and Autonomous
Co-operative Education
Co-operation Among Co-operatives
Concern for Community and Environment

For more information, see www.coopzone.coop

16-22 October 2011 is Co-op Week in Canada

2011-10-16T02:30:00.000-04:00

It's Co-op Week in Canada!

Canada's two national co-operative associations, the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) and the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité (CCCM) have launched Co-op Week in Canada with the theme "Co-operative Enterprises Build a Better World/Les coopératives, des entreprises pour un monde meilleur."

Mark Ventry, Co-op Community Manager of our membership body, the Ontario Co-operative Association, has suggested a bunch of ways to celebrate Co-op Week:

Attend the Co-operative Conference and Gala, October 19, in Burlington, ON. It's held right in the middle of Co-op Week, and the day before International Credit Union Day!! It's not too late to register: http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1777&EID=10157
Have a staff luncheon. Talk about how your organization is different because it's a co-op. Discuss how the co-op principles can apply to your sector, and the way you do business. Download the FactSheet, Making the Co-op Principles work for You here: http://www.ontario.coop/cms/documents/210/FACTSheet_-_Making_the_coop_principles_work_for_you.pdf
Locate another co-operative or credit union in your neighbourhood and arrange a meeting; a coffee or a lunch. Not sure where the co-ops are in your area, search the co-op directory here: http://www.ontario.coop/find_a_coop
Drop into your local chamber of commerce or business enterprise centre and leave some brochures with the staff. Take a few minutes and chat with them about your organization.
Create a profile of your co-operative: Describe your membership, your function and the different ways your organization contributes to your community. Send it to your local media outlets, city hall and your MP/MPP.
Offer to speak about your co-op at a local school, community club or business networking association. Talk about your projects, your contributions to your community, IYC, etc.
Tell two people, outside of your normal co-op contacts, about your role in the co-operative sector.
Hold an open house or member appreciation day.

Are you a leader or a steward?

2011-10-15T14:31:00.005-04:00

An excellent discernment from Tim Rayner at the 'Coalition of the Willing' blog.

"Leadership is important. But stewardship is most valuable in a world of syncretic networks.

"Stewardship is similar to leadership. It assumes the initial functions of leadership: it reaches out to a community, extends invitations for collaboration, puts pieces together, and nurtures a project once it gets going. Stewards know that to grow collaboration, it is necessary to create a space of sharing and engagement. Transparency, flexibility, and generousity are all important here.

"Stewards watch over the earth. They are the guardians of life as an evolving process.

"Stewardship is a feature of sustainable and successful collaboration. The good steward is a person who assumes responsibility for their role in a project and checks in at regular intervals to see that the project is proceeding correctly. In open projects and think tanks, stewards watch over the evolving discussion and steer it by providing perspectives on where the discussion is at, in the sense of what has been achieved, and what needs to be achieved, to complete the project.

"Social cohesion and innovation need not be enemies of one another. Under the syncretistic gaze of a good steward, it is possible for a project to evolve in various directions without coming apart at the seams."

A Great Manual to Consider Using

2011-09-30T22:22:00.000-04:00

http://www.cgin.coop/files/manual.pdf

SAMPLE MODEL SURVEYS

2011-09-30T22:20:00.000-04:00

We soon will be surveying the downtown neighbourhood to see if there is a sincere interest for participation in and need for a DOWNTOWN, FOOD, STORE, CO-OP. Here are a few surveys I found on-line.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=GSQbmlMI07hmBEafPreKDQ_3d_3d

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/survey.php

http://www.moscowfood.coop/content/view/2376/218/

http://lesfoodcoop.org/

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L5VMQDC

An Article of Interest to Me --- Corporate Theft of Seeds (Why? A Food Co-op Requires Good Food Choices)

2011-09-26T06:54:00.001-04:00

Just sharing what is of concern to me (Rose Ann Vita), (click on title above for article on multi-national corporations controlling seeds and the future of food production)

Here is an excerpt from that article:

"But the biggest threat we face is the control of seed and food moving out of the hands of farmers and communities and into a few corporate hands. Monopoly control of cottonseed and the introduction of genetically engineered Bt cotton has already given rise to an epidemic of farmers’ suicides in India. A quarter-million farmers have taken their lives because of debt induced by the high costs of nonrenewable seed, which spins billions of dollars of royalty for firms like Monsanto."

If you are not yet aware of the food movement, see also this article by Frances Moore Lappe (http://www.thenation.com/article/163403/food-movement-its-power-and-possibilities).

Not sure what a LOCAL, downtown food store co-op can do, but at some point we'll need to "be local, act global."

Stop by the OUR COMMUNITY FOOD STORE Table at the HARVEST FESTIVAL - October 1

2011-09-24T07:15:00.001-04:00

100 Miles Food Website

2011-09-24T06:43:00.000-04:00

Someone sharing our vision. Check-out http://www.100kmfoods.com/Home.html

Community Meal - September 28 @ Start Me Up Niagara

2011-09-16T07:24:00.003-04:00

Let's get a table at Start Me Up Niagara's Pasta Supper Fundraiser (Donation $10) on Wednesday, September 28th located at 17 Gale Crescent, St. Catharines, ON.

It will be a wonderful opportunity for "nourishing bodies and building community-spirit."

Meet at 6:00! No RVPS's needed. Just Be There!

OCFS - Agenda for Wednesday September 14 at 7 pm (NOTE: new time /new place)

2011-09-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

OCFS: Our Community-Food Store

Meeting: September 14, 2011 at 7 pm

Start Me Up Niagara, 17 Gale Crescent, Lower Level

AGENDA

7:00 Welcome & Check-in

7:15 Overview of Progress to Date / Timeline / Blog

7:30 What passions / skills / talents / interests do you bring?

7:45 Harvest Festival - Saturday, October 1, 11:00 to 3:00

OCFS Presence

OCFS Presentation / Publicity / Promotion

OCFS Community Survey

8:05 Adoption of

OCFS - Logo / Letterhead - Briefing Sheet

8:10 New Business

Community Meal - Friday - September 16 at 7 pm (See information below)

________________________________________

8:20 Evaluation

8:30 Adjourn

COMMUNITY MEAL - an opportunity to experience nourishing our bodies and building community-spirit. The first of these repeatable events takes place this Friday evening, September 16 at 7 pm at the community space (comfortable to seat eight people) on Martindale Road. (Exact location to those who RSVP to rose.ann.vita@gmail.com). An example of such an experience can be gleaned from http://www.brocku.ca/community-learning/The-Recipe-Project/recipes

I will provide a bean soup and hearty bread . . . you are welcome to bring fresh fruit, a salad, a meat dish, cheese, etc., Please indicate your contribution when you reply.

A Community Meal - September 16 @ 7 pm

2011-09-09T06:12:00.002-04:00

You are invited to bring a dish to share on Friday, September 16 at 7 pm at a location in St. Catharines. Purpose of this gathering is to continue to create an experience that "nourishes body and builds community spirit in Downtown St. Catharines." Please RSVP to rose.ann.vita@gmail.com for directions. Cheers!

OCFS meets this Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7 pm (new time / new place)

2011-09-09T06:09:00.001-04:00

Reminder that the "vision-keepers" for Our Community Food Store are meeting this week in the evening (so those who have a 9 to 5 commitment can join in the dreaming) at START ME UP NIAGARA 17 Gale Crescent, St. Catharines, Ontario.

If you have items for the agenda, please send them to rose.ann.vita@gmail.com by Monday . . . our meeting agenda will be posted on Tuesday. Cheers!

Globally inspired, locally driven - FOOD TRUCK

2011-08-21T07:09:00.003-04:00

Zucchini feta fritters, tempura garden vegetables, coconut green curry chicken with cucumber, coriander, fried shallot and lime juice are just a few of the menu items available at el gastrónomo vagabundo. Except this is not a restaurant – it is a food truck, globally inspired and locally driven.

Every Thursday at the St. Catharines Market Square the el gastrónomo vagabundo food truck can be found, operated by Australian chef Adam Hynam-Smith and his Canadian partner Tamara Jensen, who together own peapod cuisine inc.

What separates el gastrónomo from other food trucks is that it is the first of its kind in Canada, serving world inspired menu items using locally grown ingredients. Aside from the garden that Hynam-Smith and Jensen own and depend on, other local organic, free range and grass-fed farms such as Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm in Wellandport, Goshen Farms in Wainfleet and Lake Land Meats in St. Catharines are suppliers.

(Click on the link in the title above to read more . . . )

Rose Ann Vita

Co-op meeting agenda : Wednesday, 10 August 2011

2011-08-04T12:33:00.001-04:00

DRAFT AGENDA : OUR COMMUNITY FOOD STORE CO-OP MEETING

10 August 2011, Wednesday
4:00-5:30PM, Silver Spire United Church
366 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines ON L2R 3N2
T: 905-682-8328

Continuing theme : DEVELOPING YOUR CO-OP
Please refer to the Core Doc: Starting a Co-op Guide (PDF)

4:00 - 4:05
Short Re-Cap of Our Progress To-Date:
The Adoption of Our Fourfold Objective: Downtown, Storefront, Food, Co-operative

4:05 - 4:20
Check-in and Update on our Conversations with People in the Community and Related Research

4:20-4:25
Introduction to Today's Topic: Building Our Base for the Viability of the Co-op

4:25-4:45
Group Discussion on How to Build Our Base and the Action Required to Do So

4:45-4:55
Report from Marketing Workgroup on Community/Marketing Survey
(FYI: We have reserved a table at the Harvest Festival: Saturday October 1 (11:00 to 3:00)
at Centennial Park for a Taking a Survey)

4:55-5:10
Next Steps: Preparing for the September 14 (7 pm @ SMUN)

Meeting Topic: Feasibility Study
    A.Forming a Board / Steering Committee
    B.Seeking Financial Seed Money
    C.Real Estate Research Team

5:10-5:25
New Business and Other Topics of General Interest

5:25-5:30
Evaluation and Check Out

5:30
Adjourn

Local producer : Creek Shore Farms

2011-07-31T04:34:00.002-04:00

Ryan and Amanda Thiessen show off some of their vegetables at Brock. (Photo: The Brock News)

Creek Shore Farms, is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operation near Jordan ON.

Run by Ryan and Amanda Thiessen, Creek Shore Farms produces food "safely, organically, and ethically" and donates a portion of their production to Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.

The farm was recently profiled in The Brock News (Ryan Thiessen works for Brock, and Amanda Thiessen is an alumnus). According to the Brock News report, the Creek Shore Farms CSA currently has 37 members, who each pay a share price of $575 for a weekly basket of vegetables. The summer CSA runs for 23 weeks, from about mid-May to October. The Thiessens also offer a winter CSA, which will at first have greenhouse-produced fresh vegetables in the basket, followed by stored and frozen produce as the winter season progresses.

The Thiessens began to farm their 10-acre property in 2009, after they "broke ground" in a youth gardening project in Vineland sponsored by their church. One of the motivations to donate food to Community Care arose out of the belief that "everybody deserves to eat good quality fresh local produce.” Another motivator was the low quality of other produce donations to Community Care, "stuff I’d feed the chickens,” as Ryan Thiessen observed.

The main focus of Creek Shore Farms is a wide variety of sustainably grown vegetables that are sold at local markets and through the CSA program. However, the Thiessens also raise Newfoundland sheep (a rare breed), Muscovy ducks, and sell free range eggs. "Everything we raise or grow is done with the idea of aiding the natural process, rather than working against it," as they say on their website.

Local producer : innovations in organic strawberries

2011-07-30T15:39:00.000-04:00

From The Brock news, 8 July 2011
Grads with organic strawberry business win Nitsopoulos award

Marty Verhey, left, and Nico Verhoef stand in their first strawberry patch.

Two Brock graduates who have devised a way to mass produce strawberries have received this year’s Nitsopoulos Family Entrepreneurship Award.

Marty Verhey and Nico Verhoef have founded Perfect Patch Organic Growers, a Niagara company that uses leading edge technology to grow strawberries. The unique idea has won them the annual $10,000 award designed to foster businesses started by Brock graduates.
With a strawberry patch on a Lincoln farm, Verhey and Verhoef, both 23, are pioneering new above-ground technology that allows strawberries to be mass produced. The berries are planted in chest-high troughs so they can reduce harvest labour costs and extend the season, harvesting strawberries both earlier and later in the year.

“Our goal is to grow the perfect organic strawberry in a cost-effective manner on a scalable level,” said Verhey. “We see a lot of strawberry farmers with two acres of berries, selling their product at roadside stands. We thought ‘There has to be a way to efficiently produce at a larger scale.’”

The pair also won the national Nicol Entrepreneurial Award in 2010 for their concept. They have partnered with Lincoln farmer Dan Tigchelaar to test their growing system.

Verhey and Verhoef, who graduated in 2010 with Bachelors of Business Administration, are no strangers to the business world. Verhoef runs his own landscaping company in his native St. Catharines. Verhey operates a tree farm with his brother and works for his family’s business in Ancaster.

The pair will plant their first berries on their test site – which is 1,000 linear feet of trough – sometime this month. They have space for about 4,000 plants.

The Nitsopoulos award is a big boost, they said.

“From a practical perspective, it helps us get off the ground,” Verhey said.

And in terms of morale, Verhoef said, “it’s an award that’s backed by the community. It’s from an entrepreneur who knows the strengths of Niagara.”

The Nitsopoulos Family Entrepreneurship Award was established by the Nitsopoulos family, who own the Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre, the Holiday Inn and Days Inn in St. Catharines.

The award reimburses expenditures of the winning company to a maximum of $10,000. The winners, who are chosen by a review committee, are also entitled to a free consulting session with a Faculty of Business appointed mentor, or the services of the Brock MBA Business Consulting Group.

STORY ON BROCK UNIVERSITY WEBSITE HERE.

A net is also a trap

2011-07-29T08:20:00.001-04:00

Here is another cautionary tale out of the GTA. An activity that depends on public money also depends on unreliable political sympathies. The only route to food security and a measure of equity is through self-sufficiency in all things. [RWS]

News release from Food Share (The Good Food Box)
July 28, 2011 - For Immediate Release

FoodShare asks Mayor and City of Toronto to Reconsider Cuts:
Do Not Destroy the Social Safety Net –
You will make Toronto Unliveable for All

FoodShare Executive Director Debbie Field today will today ask Mayor Ford and the Executive Committee to reconsider cuts to community programs and ensure that Toronto's social safety net is not destroyed, creating profound human cost more deep than any financial one, which would make Toronto unliveable for all.

Our city infrastructure is not just made up of roads and physical structures," says Debbie Field. "Over many years, the City of Toronto has pioneered community and social programs that support a human infrastructure, our social safety net. Today you are considering eliminating that social safety net, the very foundation that makes Toronto a leader and a great liveable city, a city that tourists want to visit and a city that companies want to do business in. I urge you to consider the great costs to our city if you dismantle this infrastructure. These costs will have compounding negative impacts that resonate for years to come. There's a much bigger budget balancing process at stake here, one that will impact every single citizen of Toronto, and the entire city's economic prospects for years to come."

In 1985, when then-Mayor Art Eggleton recommended that the City fund the creation of FoodShare, Toronto took a pioneering step in North America and the world, prioritizing food, and recognizing the multifaceted impacts it brings, to create strong healthy liveable communities and great cities.

This week in Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is spearheading a movement to turn Chicago around using urban agriculture programs. As Toronto City Council considers cuts to vital community programs like urban agriculture, other cities have just deemed these programs essential services.

Toronto needs to remain a city that puts food first. Not only does food provide the nutrition on which good health is built, it also builds and sustains healthy vibrant cities. And as 'the great connector,' something all of us have in common, it becomes a conduit through which great things are made possible:

Building diverse and inclusive healthy communities.
Breaking down social isolation and creating vibrant public spaces.
Reducing violence.
Ensuring prosperity and a strong economy.

FoodShare and our community partners are participating in the deputation process at City Hall to be sure that Mayor Ford and City Council know that when Torontonians voted for cost cutting and lower taxes, Torontonians were not voting for a fire sale and wholesale destruction of services that we use each and every day. Community Program Funding supports core services not frills.

Toronto must not go down the path taken by Boston, New York City and Los Angeles," urges Field, "cities that have all made the mistakes you are considering - cutting community and student nutrition programs, selling off public properties, closing schools - only to and reinstate them years later at greater municipal costs, after realizing far more profound human costs. Do not be pound foolish. These are essential services."

AND READ THE COMPLETE RELEASE HERE.

From Our Farm to Your Door

2011-07-29T05:05:00.000-04:00

Click on the title above to see what happening in my old neighbourhood.

I know the vendors because they were the people living in town. In fact, Peter Ludlow, the organist who started playing at our church when he was 14 years old, . . . his family, the Ludlows, produces Mecox Cheese from the cows that graze on their farmland. Nice to know not only where, but from whom, your food comes. Makes it personal. Rose Ann

Model : Foodlink Waterloo Region

2011-07-28T13:27:00.001-04:00

Although not exactly a co-op, Foodlink Waterloo Region seems to function in many of the ways we have discussed for our co-op. There seems to be a niche for 'clearinghouse' or 'portal' online activities that distribute information about local food, but not the food itself. [RWS]

"Foodlink Waterloo Region is a non-profit organization that promotes local food, supports and connects farms and food businesses, provides local food education and outreach in our community, and engages decision makers in putting local food policy on the community's agenda.

"Our board of directors reflects the diversity of the food system including farms, food processors, food retail, food distributors, restaurants and the hospitality industry, the non-profit sector, community food education, food media and, of course, food consumers.

"While not officially a membership-based organization, more than 10% of Waterloo Region's 1,440 farms have participated in our Buy Local! Buy Fresh! program. We also work closely with a strong network of Farmers' Markets across the region, CSA programs, the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative and a growing roster of retail outlets that carry the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! brand. More than 30 local restaurants have participated in our annual "Taste Local! Taste Fresh!" culinary showcase."

http://www.foodlink.ca/

Food access is not the simple answer

2011-07-26T11:16:00.001-04:00

Obesity: Access to supermarkets doesn't improve diets, study finds - latimes.com

This would bolster the case for a 'food hub' or co-op presence that included education and 'nutitional convenience' foods. [RWS]

"Better access to supermarkets — long touted as a way to curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods — doesn't improve people's diets, according to new research. The study, which tracked thousands of people in several large cities for 15 years, found that people didn't eat more fruits and vegetables when they had supermarkets available in their neighborhoods.

"Instead, income — and proximity to fast-food restaurants — were the strongest factors in food choice.....

"As other studies have reported, the researchers found that living near fast-food restaurants was associated with a greater consumption of fast food, especially, in this case, among low-income men. But the scientists also found that easy access to supermarkets was not linked to a greater consumption of healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats and whole grains."

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE (Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2011)

More than ever, we need local food security

2011-07-25T18:07:00.004-04:00

Sticker shock hits food-buying Canadians - The Globe and Mail
25 July 2011, ROB

In Ontario, food from stores is up 5.8 per cent.

Food is gobbling up a greater share of Canadians’ wallets. Here are some examples of steep year-over-year food price increases:

Fresh or frozen beef: 9.2 per cent.
Eggs: 6.8 per cent.
Cereal: 4 per cent.
Flour: 12.2 per cent.
Potatoes: 25.8 per cent.
Lettuce: 16.5 per cent.
Coffee and tea: 11.8 per cent.

Pop-up food sellers! Could it happen in Niagara?

2011-07-23T09:10:00.000-04:00

Toronto is La Carnita Crazy | Foodpr0n.com

Food equity webinar

2011-07-22T11:34:00.002-04:00

I (RWS) attended this 'webinar' yesterday (21 July 2011). Although it was somewhat rough, and disappointed on the main idea, there was useful information. Others can follow the link, and play the recorded webinar at any time. (The roughness continues : the link may throw an error. Find the webinar also here on YouTube.)
The most useful information gleaned was from the presentation of the 'Farm to Family' initiative. Farm to Family bought, and now operates the Sappington Farmers’ Market in St. Louis, Missouri as a 'Farm Fresh Food Hub.' It is on a scale to which we can only aspire, but as a model, it sure appeals.

Clearing the Roadblocks:
Market Based Strategies for Getting Good Food to All Communities

"Three cutting edge models for food access explained and demonstrated.

"It's an age-old conundrum:
How do you supply all communities with Good Food - healthy, fair, affordable and green - while simultaneously ensuring that your food business will itself be sustainable?

"The Wallace Center, as administrator of the Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development (HUFED) Center, has a broad, national perspective on the most innovative market based food access work in the country.

"In this webinar, we explore three of the most promising strategies and their business models for clearing away common barriers to increasing access to fresh, healthy, regionally sourced food. Learn how mobile markets, food hubs and processing / cold chain facilities each have a crucial role in easing bottlenecks to widespread Good Food.

"Taking each model in turn, we describe the model from a national perspective, including the essential features, some of the challenges and opportunities of the model, and point you to several programs using the model. Then an innovative organization doing cutting edge work will dive deep into the details of their project to illustrate one way that theory translates into practice. Each presenter is a recipient of a Wallace HUFED grant."

http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-cluster-calls/clearing-the-roadblocks-market-based-strategies-for-getting-good-food-to-all-communities#section-2

And yet another idea ~ Farm to Front Door

2011-07-21T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here is a glimpse of what's happning in my homeland, Long Island, NY ~ http://ecoeastend.com/farm-menu.shtml

Rose Ann

Another idea ~ A Community Kitchen

2011-07-20T07:40:00.001-04:00

The Community Kitchen http://www.palgravekitchen.org/ is part of Palrave United Church . . . interesting . . . also interesting is the Food in the Hills blog:

http://www.foodinthehills.ca/2011/06/blogs/hayville/

Rose Ann

Our hero: West End Food Co-operative

2011-07-17T16:22:00.001-04:00

Food co-op offers cornucopia of options in Toronto’s Parkdale
by Tim Alamenciak, The Globe and Mail, Monday, 11 July 2011

In the basement of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Church, a dozen food-curious people have gathered for a group lesson in making strawberry jam. Canning masters James Partanen and Heather Kilner walk them through the process of boiling the strawberries, adding balsamic vinegar and black pepper, and finally testing it by pouring the mixture on a chilled plate and seeing if it sets.

The seminar is a core feature of the cannery wing of the West End Food Co-operative, a non-profit organization comprised of farmers, workers, community members and service organizations. They run events in different venues across Parkdale, including the Sorauren Farmers’ Market, but soon will have their own community grocery store, complete with a kitchen and café.

The west-end neighbourhood is a natural place for this sort of operation, says Victor Willis, executive director of PARC, a local drop-in centre. The area is home to a large low-income population, particularly concentrated in south Parkdale. Some residents have problems affording food and face dwindling options for healthy food within their price range, especially at restaurants in the area, Mr. Willis said. But Parkdale also has an increasing high-income population that is interested in working to improve the community.

“The seeds have been germinated for collaborative initiatives that are intentionally trying to bridge the solitudes that exist between people who don’t have access to things and people who do have access,” Mr. Willis said. “I think that the West End Food Co-op is absolutely something that is a part [of addressing food security] – it’s one of the spokes on the wheel.”

For the past three years, the WEFC has received government grants and has been raising money from members of the co-operative and organizations to open a community-owned grocery store and kitchen. The co-op is entering the last stretch of its fundraising drive, attempting to raise enough to open the store before the end of the year.

They have already raised more than $100,000 of their $180,000 goal. About 60 per cent of that money is from community contributions – members who have bought a membership or invested through a bond purchase program. Once the goal is met, the store, featuring a natural plaster exterior, will be set up in the Parkdale Community Health Centre, complete with an environmentally retrofitted community kitchen that will recycle heat byproduct from the walk-in freezers.

The food co-operative will also run like a regular grocery store, shelves stocked with local produce sourced from farmers whom the WEFC staff have brought into the fold. The store is still in the planning stage. A lifetime membership is available for $5, but will not necessarily be required to shop there.

“We recognize that people from day to day, people living in poverty, are not necessarily going to be able to access everything in the store,” said Sally Miller, co-ordinator of WEFC, adding that through consultation, they’ve discovered a need to expand their community kitchen offerings. The co-op will have some employees, but will also offer food-for-service, or ‘sweat equity’ as it’s sometimes called. Members can volunteer with the co-op, either in the kitchen or storefront, in exchange for food vouchers.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Ideafile : Toronto Underground Market

2011-07-16T09:51:00.001-04:00

"The Toronto Underground Market (TUM) is a social food market for the community to sample the food of Toronto home cooks. It is a venue for budding entrepreneurs to showcase their products. These vendors are not necessarily chefs, although some will be. This is a new kind of community market; not a farmer's market, or a food festival, but something completely unique and new to Toronto.

"The driving force behind the TUM is my sheer amazement at the wealth of delicious, professional quality food being made in home kitchens. The TUM will provide an opportunity to let the broader community taste this delicious food that would otherwise only be consumed by friends and family"

Toronto Underground Market (TUM) WEBSITE.

Read a detailed Globe and Mail article HERE.

A pear for all reasons

2011-07-15T06:00:00.006-04:00

Harovin Sundown Pear ... coming to a co-op foodstore near you?

The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is marketing a new pear, Harovin Sundown. The pear was the outcome of traditional breeding progam, begun 24 years ago by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The pear was specifically bred to be disease-resistant, in order to cut down or eliminate the use of herbicides.

"Research such as the federal pear program is important to ensure consumers are getting healthy, fresh fruits, Hunter said. He said the Harovin Sundown can combat fire blight without the assistance of pesticides, which is something consumers are looking for when choosing fruits and vegetables.

“The goal is to provide the consumer with healthy food,” said Hunter, who will be embarking on an apple program in conjunction with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, which has been handling the marketing of the Harovin Sundown. “The consumer is ultimately who we are working for.”

"VRIC is working with Vineland Growers to market the premium pear variety, which will be available on a limited basis this growing season, with trees having been planted in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. The variety will be in full production within five years."

MORE in Niagara this Week, Amanda Street, Jul 13, 2011.

Zero-waste grocery

2011-07-14T11:56:00.001-04:00

Synchronicity seems to be at work in our co-op activities. 'Zero waste' is mentioned at a meeting, and the next morning another member forwards a link to just such an innovation :

"In.gredients, set to open in the fall [2011], will be the first zero-waste packaging-free grocery store in the nation. All groceries are offered by the bulk and shoppers are encouraged to bring their own containers to transport their goods." - The Daily Texan, 7 July 2011, by Pooneh Momeni

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

A Farmer's Market Opens on Long Island, NY

2011-07-14T06:13:00.000-04:00

This is my Old Stomping Grounds, the states' best farm lands, few farmer's markets . . .

Kudos from Rose Ann Vita

* * * *

Long Island NEWSDAY, July 12, 2011 by Stacey Altherr

New farmers market opens in Flanders

In a community devoid of supermarkets and fresh farm products, and surrounded by an area famous for its farm fresh vegetables and fruits, a new farmers market will open this weekend.

The Town of Southampton-run Flanders Farm Fresh Food Project will open at Flanders Crohan Community Center, 665 Flanders Rd. (Route 24) Saturday. It is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday throughout October.

The fresh food will come from eight local farms, according to town officials. The market will accept food stamps and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers, as well as WIC vouchers, a federal program to provide nutrition to low-income pregnant and nursing mothers.

The idea was to model the market after similar ones in Roosevelt and Bellport, said Southampton Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, who spearheaded the Flanders project. The market is being funded with a $10,000 grant from the town and run with assistance from Sustainable Long Island, a not-for-profit group interested in economic and ecological growth.

“Based on the agricultural heritage and current agriculture culture of our area, and that the Flanders area does not have a grocery store, it seemed to me to be a perfect fit,” Fleming said.

The farm will also employ teens interested in learning skills related to the farmers market business.

The hamlets of Flanders, Riverside and Northampton have few avenues to buy fresh foods locally, according to Fleming. The closest supermarkets are in Riverhead or Hampton Bays.

A cautionary tale

2011-07-08T10:44:00.001-04:00

Local food movement takes a hit
By John Robbins, Niagara Falls Review | (August 2010)

A store whose owners had hoped to cash in on a growing appetite for locally grown produce is closing.

Niagara Markets, on Queen St., is set to close by the end of the month.

The store, which is owned by Tammy and Andre Bourgeault, opened just over a year ago.
Tammy Bourgeault said the business was growing and was building a good client base, including patrons who would travel to the store from Fort Erie and St. Catharines to shop.

Photo : Mike Dibattista

However, the business just wasn't growing fast enough for them to continue operating.
The store's regular customers were disappointed to hear the shop is closing, she said.
A message posted to the Niagara Markets Facebook page explained the reason for the decision to customers.

"We have seen a slow and steady growth in our customer base," the message read in part. "Our downtown location has also brought awareness to both locals and tourists. As Niagara Falls' downtown core grows, so does the traffic to area merchants.

"The bad news is that both the local food movement and Queen St. revitalization has not been enough to carry us through year two. We have exhausted our resources and are unable to continue operating efficiently and effectively based on the slow growth of sales."
A liquidation sale will continue through Aug. 31.

Niagara Markets was one of about 20 new businesses that opened on Queen St. during 2009 -- a year that was seen as a pivotal one in the continuing efforts to revitalize the downtown core.

Historic Niagara Development, a major downtown property owner, has been spearheading the revitalization efforts.

A spokesman for Historic Niagara was not immediately available to comment.

(c) Niagara Falls Review, fair use claimed

Original Story here.

Check Out Apple Tree Market

2011-07-06T13:15:00.003-04:00

Fresh foods and prepared meals from local farmers . . . now moving to Orchard Blvd. & Yonge . . .

AppleTree Markets will now be open from 11am-7pm each and every Thursday during our outdoor season! Have a local-licious lunch with us each week from some of our new prepared food vendors, and pick up some fresh and tasty foods for your dinner table from your favourite friendly farmers! Grand opening party of the new urban park and AppleTree Market relocation Orchardview Blvd and Yonge Street (between the HMV and Royal Bank)

July 14th
11am-7pm
Great music! Great food! Great fun!

http://www.dailyapple.ca/

Posted by Rose Ann

A model : Your Local Market Co-op, Stratford ON

2011-07-06T09:43:00.001-04:00

"The idea was to create an affordable, one-stop locally owned and produced grocery store that is a fair outlet for local farmers and producers in downtown Stratford. The aim is to create employment opportunities locally and as an employer is to create an empowering workplace by treating employees fairly and giving them a voice.

"We will give our customers quality products for a fair price and give them peace of mind knowing they are supporting their community while making it more sustainable. We strive to make healthy, local food available to all people. We believe in strengthening our local economy by providing an outlet for Farmers and Producers to be able to sell their products in their region and feel good about it.

"With an onsite bakery, full line of local produce, dairy, meats, preserves and other products we hope you will find what you are looking for when doing your weekly grocery shop. And if you’re looking for something on the go we offer our own line of world-inspired seasonal street eats available for takeout....

"We are offering an annual subscription for The Co-op. This subscription will be a great way not only to save money on groceries, but to get the inside scoop on what we are doing and what we have. (Though the subscription is a great way to save money and keep in touch you DON’T need one to shop at our store.)

"Benefits of the subscription:

    * 10% discount on all grocery items*
    * Quarterly newsletter
    * First call for all events.
    * Email notification of new or limited run products coming into the store.
    * Opportunity to buy bulk items at wholesale prices

*(does not include take-out or consignment items)"

http://www.yourlocalmarketcoop.com/

Local food movement goes national : Globe and Mail

2011-07-02T10:21:00.000-04:00

Globe and Mail, Saturday, 2 July 2011
Jessica Leeder, Globe Food Reporter

Local food is going national in Canada.

Driving the movement is Lori Stahlbrand, a journalist-turned-food-advocate who has spent the last six years and several million donor dollars animating her dream of creating an alternative food system that stars environmentally- and animal-friendly Canadian farmers.

Ms. Stahlbrand’s first building block was creating Local Food Plus, a non-profit that issues its private certification to progressive farmers who conform to the tough set of sustainability and production standards written for the agency by a crack team of agricultural and environmental experts. The agency then helps link certified farmers with local buyers who would not have made the connections alone, providing critical strength to the local and regional supply chain.

READ MORE

Toronto Youth Food Policy Council | July 11, 2011

2011-06-30T07:57:00.001-04:00

The Toronto Youth Food Policy Council (TYFPC) has had quite the year as North America’s first YOUTH Food Policy Council… We held two exciting events – the “So You Think You(th) Can Cook” competition and the “Youth Food Fair”, started a Youth Food Journal, secured two permanent seats on the Toronto Food Policy Council and inspired Youth Food Policy Councils across the continent. And most importantly, we held four Community Meetings which highlighted sustainable food-related topics that are important to YOU – Toronto’s Food Passionate Youth Community!

Throughout the 2010-2011 year, we discussed issues of Food Literacy, Hunger and Underserved Populations, Urban Agriculture and Farmland Preservation. Please join us for our last Community Meeting of the Council Term on July 11th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Metro Hall, room 308 where we will revisit each of the four topics. We’ll be joined by exceptional food movement leaders who will answer your questions including Don Mills of Local Food Plus and the National Farmers Untion, Brooke Ziebell of FoodShare, James Kuhns of CRC Toronto and Barbara Emanuel of the Toronto Food Strategy within Toronto Public Health. Join us at 6:00 for a migling social and delicious hors d’oeurves!

Eating Niagara: Melissa Hellwig, NOTL Sustainability Network

2011-06-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

Sidewalk border + chives = urban food (garnish)

Chive Walk has a certain cachet for Melissa Hellwig.

When she hears those words, she envisions the freshly poured sidewalk leading to the Niagara-on-the-Lake community centre lined with the garlicky herb, ripe for the picking by anyone who wants a few sprigs.

"This is food we can grow with no effort," said Hellwig, president of the town's Sustainability Network, a non-profit community environmental advocacy group. "There should never be chives in grocery stores. Why not eliminate chives in grocery stores like plastic bags?"

It's not that Hellwig is anti-chive. Instead, she's pro-food security and keen on the idea of using as much public space as a municipality can muster to plant edibles rather than ornamental flowers.

Inspired by Incredible Edible Todmorden, a movement in an English town that has seen fire departments, police stations and schools plant fruit trees and install raised-bed gardens wherever they can make the space, Hellwig sees Niagara-on-the-Lake as fertile ground for a similar movement.

READ MORE HERE.

Consider the whole picture

2011-06-29T09:51:00.001-04:00

This, from a Globe and Mail (Tuesday, Jun. 28, 2011) article on Canadian farms, framed by a documentary project of John Varty, McMaster University:

"While hobby farms catering to local and organic foodies are one of the fastest growing segments of Canadian agriculture, farmers are increasingly choosing to incorporate and operate on a large scale – some Prairie farms run 40,000 acres. Family members being groomed for succession might still start out operating equipment at a young age, but now they go on to earn commerce and agriculture degrees before taking over the farm.

“The one thing [Prof. Varty] will find is people running their farms more like a business. They’re dealing with such huge dollars now,” said Liz Robertson, executive director of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors, a non-profit organization. She added: “Young farmers nowadays, they don’t want to be called farmers. They want to be called businessmen.”

Article here: Professor sets out to harvest the truth about the Canadian farm

Take the Survey & Let "Them" Know How You Feel

2011-06-24T05:53:00.003-04:00

Here's a survey from St. Catharines [to help 're-brand' the city].
Rose Ann Vita

[If the links do not work, go to the City of St. Catharines page, and look for the survey button on the top right of the opening page.]

Another link - Albion Hills Community Farm

2011-06-23T05:44:00.001-04:00

Albion Hills Community Farm

AHCF and Caledon Countryside Alliance are partnering together this summer on an exciting Ag"venture" called HAYville! Harvesting Agriculture Youth. Ages 12 - 19 yrs.

An overnight camp Mon July 4 - Fri July 8th at Albion Hills Field Centre ($75 inclusive) and then participate in farmer's market and additional workshops this summer.
karen@caledoncountryside.org

A Possible Partner? - Sustainable Niagara

2011-06-23T05:30:00.003-04:00

Niagara Region Wants Your Feedback on Sustainability - Location Change

Niagara Region, June 15, 2011 - The Region is inviting the public to participate in a Community Forum to discuss how to measure Niagara's progress in achieving sustainability goals.

The Sustainable Niagara plan includes a community vision for Niagara in 2060 and long-range goals designed to achieve that vision. The Community Forum is an opportunity for individuals and organizations interested in shaping Niagara's future to hear about the work done to date on the elements of the vision and goals and offer suggestions for how to measure and report progress on those goals.

Please note the change in location for the Sustainable Niagara Community Forum:

Location	Dates and Times:
Niagara Regional Headquarters Building 2201 St. David's Rd., Thorold, ON Learning Centre: Rooms CE 101/102	Date: June 27, 2011 Time: 5 - 8 p.m.

Contact:
Kirk Weaver
Niagara Region
905-685-4225 ext. 3727 or 1-800-263-7215

Ontario Co-operative Association AGM

2011-06-16T16:37:00.001-04:00

The Ontario Co-operative Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place at The Guelph Country Club on June 14, 2011.

Glenn Valliere, Ontario Natural Food Co-op, was elected as a director-at-large, and Amy Skeggs of Rochdale Credit Union was elected as the youth director. The appointments to the board of Lisa Gugliettie, The Co-operators and Dave Sitaram, Central 1, were ratified by the membership.

A resolution to allow electronic membership meetings and voting was approved.

The 2010-2011 On Co-op Annual Report was also released. Download or read the annual report here (PDF doc).

Two additional resolutions empowered On Co-op, through its 'Regs and Legs' (Government Regulations and Goverment Relations) committee, to begin discussions with FSCO (Financial Services Commission of Ontario) on changes to the Co-operative Corporations Act : 1) to repeal the 50% rule for all Ontario co-operatives except for Worker Co-ops and Housing Co-ops, and 2) to retain the par value provisions of the Act.

An IYC (United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2012) Ontario task force meeting followed the AGM.

Barry Hannah, Chair of the Ontario Co-operative Association, addresses the 2011 AGM
as Executive Director Denyse Guy listens intently.
Co-op meetings are formal : co-op people ... not so much.

Market Research Meeting

2011-06-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

We would like to send an open invite to anyone interested in helping with market research to attend an initial planning meeting tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, June 16th. We will be meeting at 2 p.m at the Fine Grind Cafe on James Street. Please come by if you have any interest or insights on market research for the coop.

Teleconference with Howard Kaplan

2011-06-14T09:24:00.003-04:00

Here is a brief summary of our teleconference Q&A session with Howard Kaplan, President of Karma Food Coop. Thanks Liz for making the connection to Howard for us. It was a very informative conversation and I think we can take a lot away from his experience and the model of Karma.

For more information about Karma membership please see the membership handbook for further details on the Karma model.

Read over the summary and if you have anything to add, please leave a comment below.

Supermarket fun facts

2011-06-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

Supermarkets assume any customer more than 8 minutes away will find their store inconvenient.
55% of the products in Super Centers (combo discount department and grocery stores) are supermarket items.
60% of home improvement superstore customers are women.
Supermarkets assume each person spends about $50/week on groceries.

This is from the sidebar to an article that appears in the current (12 June 2011) Atlantic Monthly magazine online. The article itself is about an integrated database tool used for store location research : "... TAS Unity, the flagship product of a tech company called Trade Area Systems. TAS Unity is an example of a unified market knowledge system (UMKS), a relatively new technology which large retailers and commercial real estate developers are using to improve the murky process of site selection." The technology is perhaps way over our food co-op heads, but the article is of interest for the look-in on the process of market research for store location. [ RWS ]

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/print/2011/06/the-new-tech-helping-retailers-pick-the-right-spot/240313/

Farmers Markets in Niagara

2011-06-13T05:57:00.014-04:00

St. Catharines Standard, 10 June 2010, "Farmers Markets a mainstay in Niagara,"
by John Matisz, Special to The Standard

Market Square, St. Catharines ON

Niagara is undoubtedly one of the top producers of fresh produce in the province. Its reputation as a food growing region has been cradled by farmers' markets since the St. Catharines Farmers' Market was launched in the 1860s.

Following its creation, nine other communities within the region, spanning from Grimsby to Fort Erie, have opened with the common goal of promoting local food appreciation and consumption.

Secondary aims are to create a family-oriented environment where farmers and consumers can mingle. Arts and crafts, live music and other forms of entertainment have been welcomed additions to area markets over the years.

In 2011, the farmers of Niagara will welcome an 11th market. On June 18, the Town of Lincoln is trying market-hosting on for size with the opening of the Beamsville Farmers' Market.

For both first-time attendees and loyal visitors, each and every market in the region provides a distinct experience.

ST CATHARINES FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Market Square, 51 King St., St. Catharines
When: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 6 a.m.–3 p.m. (All year)

A staple of the community since the 1860s.
This year's edition includes a variety of seafood, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, meats and even homemade exotic jellies.
Jan Bechard, market and event co-ordinator for the City of St. Catharines, has been organizing the oldest farmers' market in the region for the past two years.
Bechard said even though there are more than 50 vendors to visit while at the St. Catharines Farmers' Market, an intimate setting is still created.
"It's a great opportunity to be one-on-one with farmers," she said.
She also noted some vendors have been stalwarts of the market for almost a century. Beamers Fruit Market from Pelham, which is well-known for its apples, has been setting up shop at the market for about 90 years.
Other vendors travel from local communities as well as the Greater Toronto Area and, as Bechard mentioned, bring their unique wares with them.
"Every vendor brings something different to the table," Bechard said.

BROCK UNIVERSITY FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Jubilee Courtyard, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines
When: Fridays from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. (All year)

Local artisan bread, honey and maple syrup highlight the Brock University Farmers' Market, which enters its fourth season.
Iain Glass, one of the market's managers, said that craft vendors will be on hand throughout the season in order to create a festival-like feel.
"We feature live music performed from the musical talents from the Brock community," Glass said.
"It is an outdoor market 'in the round,' with picnic table seating for 400-plus patrons."
As opposed to the academic year's market, which boasts vendors who travel from outside the region, the summer edition promises to have only Niagara food for sale.
And although it is an outdoor event, the show goes on rain or shine.

WELLAND FARMERS' MARKET
Where: 50 Market Square, between Young and Division streets, Welland
When: Saturdays from 6 a.m.–noon. (All year)

When it was created in 1907, the Welland Farmers' Market sold eggs at 15 cents a dozen and butter for 28 cents per pound.
Since then, the prices have naturally increased, but its start time and day of operation has remained the same.
City of Welland employee Bernice Booth said the market is the largest of its kind in Niagara. It has two permanent buildings filled with a diverse selection of vendors, 80% of which are Niagara-based.
She added that newcomers should expect to be "amazed" with the market's variety of food, crafts and drinks.
Booth offered a few more pieces of advice to anyone looking to take in the market for the first time.
"Bring plenty of smaller bills," she said. "Bring large sturdy bags with thick comfortable shoulder straps to carry your purchases in.
"Bring an open mind to try new things, and, most importantly, don't be afraid to ask questions."

GRIMSBY FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Main St., between Christie and Maple streets, Grimsby
When: Thursdays from 3 p.m.–7 p.m. (May–October)

Although it is less than five years old, the Grimsby Farmers' Market has experienced a location switch. Thanks to help from the Grimsby Downtown Improvement Association, it is now larger and more central, right in the middle of downtown. A section of Main St. between Christie and Ontario streets is closed off every Thursday for the event.
Michelle Seaborn, one of the market's organizers, said there has been nothing but positive feedback pertaining to the move.
"Merchants and residents alike are enthused about the upcoming new market, which will create a festive atmosphere in our downtown core," Seaborn said.
With an afternoon time slot, Grimsby's market is one of only two markets in the area to have an afternoon spot (Pelham is the other).
"The Thursday afternoon market often means that the fruit and vegetables were picked that morning," Seaborn said.
Aside from food, speciality items sold at the Grimsby Farmers' Market include hand-tooled leather goods, wool, yarns and antiques.
Something new in 2011 is a children's area. The educational zone will feature arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations and planting projects for children to learn the importance of good nutrition and healthy snaking.

BEAMSVILLE FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Great Lakes Christian High School, 4875 King St., Beamsville
When: Saturdays from 8 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (June–October)

June 18 will mark the start of a new chapter in Beamsville's history. It is the date of the official opening of the Beamsville Farmers' Market.
Co-chair of the market steering committee, Steve Metelsky, said to his knowledge it's the first of its kind in Lincoln.
The idea was developed last fall and has since come to fruition with the assistance of Great Lakes Christian High School.
Metelsky noted that the logo for the new market was created through a community competition.
Public support has been monumental to the start-up so far, said Metelsky.
Fruits, vegetables, pastries, honey and cheeses will be the market's main draws. One particular vendor, Beamsville and District Lions Club, will offer a couple unique treats: bacon on a bun for breakfast and sausage on a bun for lunch.
With most of the groundwork complete, organizers of the Beamsville Farmers' Market are moving onto the task of fetching entertainment.
"We're trying to find some musical groups now," Metelsky said.

FARMERS' MARKET AT THE VILLAGE, NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
Where: 111 Garrison Village Dr., Niagara-on-the-Lake
When: Saturdays from 8 a.m.–1 p.m.

Established in 1997, the Farmers' Market at the Village runs this year from May 22 to Oct. 9.
Market manager Jay Hawley said that not only is every vendor from Niagara, every product available for purchase is, at the most, a couple days old.
The budding tradition of taking in the market's sights, sounds and food in Niagara-on-the-Lake has been solidified by an onsite pig roast courtesy of PigOut Ontario Inc. After a roasting from 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m., lunch is available to patrons shortly after. Other standout vendors include Bartel Organics, Ridge Meadow Farm and Quiet Acres.
Hawley summed up the market's atmosphere in a sentence.
"A great destination for local foods and to enjoy the morning," Hawley said.

RIDGEWAY FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Municipal Parking Lot at Friendship Trail, Ridge Rd., Ridgeway
When: Saturdays from 7 a.m.–1 p.m. (May–October)

Located in the downtown core of Ridgeway, Fort Erie's farmers' market has been up and running for five years.
With strict guidelines in place to protect local growers, market clerk Karin DiBiase said the market puts great emphasis on what the region has to offer.
"No vendors come from outside of Niagara and the furthest any of our farmers travels is from Jordan, so the food is both fresh and local as well as environmentally friendly in that our greenhouse foot print is small," DiBiase said.
She also said that organizers encourage visitors to come early in the season to fully enjoy everything from sweet cherries and raspberries to samosas and cabbage rolls.

NIAGARA FALLS FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Sylvia Place Market, between Main St. and Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls
When: Saturdays from 6 a.m.–noon. (All year)

PELHAM FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Municipal Town Hall Parking Lot, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill
When: Thursdays from 4:30 p.m.–dusk (May–October)

SMITHVILLE FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Convenience Street Parking Lot, Downtown, West Lincoln
When: Saturdays from 7:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (May–October)

PORT COLBORNE FARMERS' MARKET
Where: Front of city hall, 66 Charlotte St., Port Colborne
When: Fridays from 6 a.m.–1 p.m. (All year)

Copyright © 2011 St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Region, Sun Media

Ontario Natural Food Co-op (ONFC) visitor

2011-06-09T12:29:00.000-04:00

We had a very pleasant and productive visit from Hannah Renglich, of the Ontario Natural Food Co-op (ONFC). The ONFC has a 35-year history of providing natural foodstuffs and products to co-ops and retail stores in Ontario.

The ONFC has recently repurposed its activities as a distributor to "bring to market natural, organic and local foods and products within a co-operative network." Hannah spoke to us about the "second tier" network of food co-ops that ONFC has begun. The ONFC network intends to rationalize organic and natural food distribution, and bring efficiencies of scale to local co-ops. ONFC has even developed a private-label brand of local, Ontario-grown-and-produced food -- "Ontario Natural."

Several people wanted follow up with Hannah on the ONFC, and she has given us permission to post her contact information to the blog. Hannah Renglich, Assistant Project Co-ordinator, Local Organic Food Co-ops | T: 905 507 2021 ext. 240 |
E: HRenglich(you know what goes here)onfc.ca | W: www.onfc.ca

The Importance of Organic

2011-06-08T21:36:00.002-04:00

You need to watch this to the end. Unbelievable! Rose Ann

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exBEFCiWyW0&feature=youtu.be

ON Co-op - Annual General Meeting

2011-06-08T12:50:00.000-04:00

Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Co-operative Association

TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2011 10.00AM - 1.00PM
Location: Guelph Country Club, 133 Woodlawn Road East, Guelph, ON

On Co-op's AGM will take place at The Guelph Country Club from 10:00am-12:00pm. Lunch begins at 12noon and an optional IYC Task Force Meeting follows at 1.30pm. You may attend the AGM, the IYC Ontario task force meeting or both.

AGM Agenda items will include:
Chair and Executive Director Report
Election to the Board of Directors
Review and Approval of Audited Financial Statements as of March 31, 2011
Appointment of Auditors – BDO Canada
Resolution to change the bylaws of the Ontario Co-operative Association to allow electronic voting
Discussion and approval of recommendations dealing with the 50% rule and Par Value Shares
IYC 2012 information

2010 ON Co-op AGM

Conversation with Alex from Pan

2011-06-07T14:31:00.004-04:00

I had the opportunity to talk with Alex, the owner of Pan Cafe to gain her perspective on food co-ops. Being an all-natural Cafe owner, I thought that Alex would have some good thoughts, and indeed she did. Read this summary of my conversation with Alex to understand a few things that we may need to keep in mind when moving forward.

Reminder: Next Meeting ~ Wednesday, June 8 at 4pm at Silver Spire United Church

2011-06-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hi!

Hope all who are seriously interested can come and continue our discussion on the viability of a co-operative adventure in downtown St. Catharines on Wednesday June 8 (4:00 to 5:00).

Rose Ann Vita 905.682.8328

Location of meeting: 366 St. Paul Street (East), St. Catharines, Ontario

Organic Farms being co-opted?

2011-06-05T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Here is a trailer worth future discussion.

Rose Ann

Market Research

2011-06-01T15:36:00.003-04:00

A group of us took a seminar on Market Research at the St. Catharines Enterprise Centre last week. It was an interesting discussion on knowing the market, your consumers and competitors. If you are interested in what we learned, click here.

Food Bank Diary

2011-05-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

Starting Monday, 30 May 2011, St. Catharines Standard reporter Grant Grant LaFleche writes about what is is like to try and live on five days' worth of Commmunity Care food bank rations.

The story entries are of interest in themselves, but also look at the comments. They give another insight into the temper of the community in St. Catharines towards poverty, hunger, and social service clients.

The way The Standard puts its information online is flaky, you might have to look here or here to find the series.

[RWS contribution]

Garden Party, Start Me Up Niagara Style

2011-05-26T21:00:00.002-04:00

All photos : Julia Blushak

Popularity of community gardens is growing fast

2011-05-26T19:40:00.000-04:00

(St. Catharines Standard, 25 May 2011, By Karena Walter, Standard Staff)

With dirt hugging her heels, Helen Hegedus leans forward and dusts the ground with radish seeds.

She explains to the newly minted gardener standing beside her how the seeds need to be spaced out just so, and then gently covered using a rake.

"I love farming," said Hegedus, who grew up on a farm but now lives in the city. "It's good for the soul. Back to the earth."

Volunteers were sewing seeds for Start Me Up Niagara's community garden, which kicked off its second year Wednesday on Vineland Research an Innovation Centre's land south of the QEW.

Experienced and new gardeners from the St. Catharines non-profit agency, Gateway Residential and Support Services, Community Living and Westview Church got to work digging and planting.

One of several community gardens to pop up in recent years, Start Me Up's project drew 60 volunteers last year who shared in the harvest with the agency.

Hegedus said she eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, so growing her own supply saved a lot of money.

"I canned a fair amount of stuff," she said. "It was really nice doing this. It's much healthier eating."

Start Me Up executive director Susan Venditti said the garden made a significant difference to people's own supply of food. The organization's Gale Cres. drop-in centre also served the fresh, healthy produce. It had 25,000 drop-in visits last year and served 12,000 lunches.

READ MORE HERE ...

Hamilton Area Ecological Market Garden Bus Tour

2011-05-26T13:08:00.002-04:00

This bus tour will introduce aspiring farmers to the opportunities and
challenges of starting and running an organic market garden business.
Participants will have the opportunity to visit a variety of successful
ecological market garden farms and learn from the farmers themselves! We
will visit Heart’s Content Organic Farmstead which operates a CSA, uses
draft horses and has recently partnered with FarmStart to develop an
incubator farm facility that provides new farmers with access to land,
equipment and other resources. We will then drive to Plan B Organic
Farm, which operates a large CSA and a number of greenhouses and has
been training new farmers for many years. Finally, we will visit
Underground Organics which in addition to vegetables and herbs grows 125
different types of cut flowers. The three farms offer a wide range of
perspectives on starting a market garden, production techniques,
marketing strategies, and community involvement. Join us for
what promises to be a great day!
For more information on the farms we will be visiting, please go to:

Heart’s Content Organic Farmstead
Plan B Organic Farm
Underground Organics
When: Saturday, June 11, 2011. 9 am to 5 pm
Where: First pick up location in Hamilton and the second at Duff’s Corner in Ancaster. See addresses below.
Cost: $55 or $100 per farm team pair
To register: Click here.
Pick up Schedule:
Pick up Location 1: Hamilton GO Station 9:10am – 9:20am
36 Hunter St. E., Hamilton. View Map.
Pick up Location 2: Duff’s Corner Carpool Lot 9:35 -9:45am
Hwy 403/RR 52/Wilson St. View Map

Another reason (not the best) to buy local ...

2011-05-25T07:59:00.004-04:00

Exploding watermelons? Canadians say 'no thanks' to Chinese food imports by Wency Leung - Globe and Mail, Tuesday, May. 24, 2011

Leanne Palmerston was about to buy a can of condensed milk at her local grocery store to make soup for her family. Then she noticed the label had Chinese characters printed on it.

“I thought, ‘Wait a minute. I’m not sure I can verify the contents of this can,’” the Hamilton resident says.

She promptly returned it to the shelf and bought a carton of locally produced cream to substitute in her recipe instead.

Like a growing number of Canadians, Ms. Palmerston has become much more vigilant lately about where her food comes from. And the relentless stream of food horror stories out of China, from tainted milk to exploding watermelons, has strengthened her resolve to avoid food imported from that country.

So far, Chinese consumers have been the ones facing the brunt of China’s food scares and poisonings, but some Canadians are worried about the risk of unsafe products making their way into the food supply here. In the past month, Chinese inspectors have reportedly seized tons of contaminated milk, pork treated with steroids that sickened hundreds of Chinese citizens, and pork treated with sodium borate to make it look like beef. In Jiangsu province, reports emerged last week of watermelon crops bursting after farmers misused a chemical growth accelerator, forchlorfenuron.

READ MORE HERE ...

Niagara Local Food Coop

2011-05-18T10:40:00.003-04:00

I know this has been posted already, but I would like to repost this link and see if anyone had any connections with the Niagara Local Food Co-op. From what I can tell this coop is geared more towards producers than consumers. Is this correct? They have a limited number of pick up locations but many producers a part of the coop. Would anyone be interested in looking into this coop for our next meeting and potentially exploring what resources they may have to offer us? Leave a comment if you are interested.

What a co-op looks like : Karma Co-op (Toronto)

2011-05-17T22:15:00.000-04:00

The co-op is tucked away off the street in what is essentially a large back yard. There is space for bicycles, plants, pedestirans ... and delivery trucks.

The shelves feature fresh veggies : there is choice and variety.

Milk and all the basics are stocked.

Beans. Of course, there are beans to be had.

Everything your heart can desire and your conscience permits is available : gum, cosmetics, herbal supplements, baked goods, cleaning products, etc., etc., etc.

The store is also a community : the 'unrestricted postering zone' is full of announcements, events, notes and notices.

The staff are given star turns on the entranceway portrait gallery.

Tomatoes come from Utopia

Unique Food Co-op Partners with Community Health Centre

2011-05-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

[Press release, May 9, 2011]

Non-profit West End Food Co-op launches “Food Close to Home Campaign” to raise final funds to open local food store at Parkdale Community Health Centre

TORONTO—Popular Sorauren Farmers’ Market organizer the West End Food Co-op (WEFC) aims to open a store in Parkdale by the end of the year, promoting local food and food security. WEFC has partnered with key community health provider, Parkdale Community Health Centre at the corner of Queen and Dufferin and will launch their store in the lower level of the building.

“The West End Food Co-op has been offered a unique and historic opportunity to take up residence at Parkdale CHC,” said WEFC Financial Coordinator Sally Miller, “this opportunity will link two non-profit, community-oriented organizations in food security work to create a stronger and healthier west end.”

Read more here ...

Another "How-to" Guide

2011-05-09T11:20:00.003-04:00

I found this Guide and thought I would pass it on. The Guide is a comprehensive map through the various steps recommended in starting a Food Co-op. It also includes some great Case studies that are very encouraging to read. If you have the time to skim through this guide [PDF], I would highly recommend it.

Another Co-op --- Westend Food Co-op, Toronto

2011-05-07T19:28:00.000-04:00

The West End Food Co-operative (WEFC) is a nonprofit multi-stakeholder co-operative – with consumer, employee, and producer/supplier members. WEFC is committed to the development of community food culture in Toronto’s West End, and acts as a catalyst for local food security. This is accomplished through coordinating community driven food initiatives, such as the ongoing Sorauren Farmers’ Market, Parkdale community food mapping, and the new Parkdale Processing Project.

Food Resources in Toronto

2011-05-07T19:21:00.002-04:00

A comprehensive listing of non-profit food organizations and projects in Toronto's food movement

Food Forward is a member of Sustain Ontario and the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance. See these groups' members lists for food organizations and businesses across Ontario.

Advocacy
Justicia for Migrant Farm Workers
Toronto Environmental Alliance

Agriculture and farming
Canadian Organic Growers Toronto
Local Food Plus
Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee

Culinary and diet
Hot Yam
Slow Food Toronto
Toronto Vegetarian Association
Women's Culinary Network

Food distribution
Ontario Association of Food Banks
Daily Bread Food Bank
Meal Exchange
North York Harvest Food Bank
Ontario Vegetarian Food Bank
Second Harvest

Food centres and multiple services
Afri-Can Food Basket
FoodShare
PACT
Scadding Court Community Centre
The Stop Community Food Centre

Garden & urban agriculture
Toronto Community Garden Network
Dig In! U of T Campus Agriculture
Live Green Toronto
Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Not Far From the Tree
Sharing Backyards Toronto
Toronto Beekeepers Co-operative
Toronto Green Community
Toronto Urban Farm
Urban Agriculture Society & U of T Sky Garden
Young Urban Farmers

Markets
Toronto Farmers' Market Network
Greenbeltfresh.ca - Greenbelt Farmers' Online Market

Food Media & Writing
Alternatives Journal
Doc Op
Edible Toronto
Good Food Revolution

Outreach and education
Asian Migrant Farm Workers' Health Promotion Project - ACAS

Research and Policy
Alphabet City
Centre For Local Research into Public Space (CELOS)
Food Secure Canada
Sustain Ontario
Toronto Food Policy Council
Toronto Youth Food Policy Council

Nutrition
Toronto Partners for Student Nutririon

Check out PUSH FOOD FORWARD

2011-05-07T19:16:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for our meeting on Wednesday May 11 at 4pm at Silver Spire (366 St. Paul Street). This month's topic is FOOD CO-OP's . . . Friends, check out what's happening in Toronto with Push Food Forward. Hope to see you soon. Rose Ann

The essential reading list

2011-05-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

A new section has been added to the blog : 'Core Docs'. Use the navigation tab at the top of any page to go there. Find (and please read) information here that is basic to the development stage of the downtown food co-op.

The first two docs posted are from Ontario Co-operative Association (ON Co-op) : 'Co-op Self Assessment,' and 'Starting a co-operative.'

Rise Above Bakery

2011-04-23T12:43:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Krystal Peterson, Sign Holder: Gordon Yack

"We're a small bakery located in the heart of downtown St. Catharines, Ontario. All of our products are free from animal cruelty and are made by hand from start to finish. We do special orders with at least one days notice. You can pick them up from our storefront by appointment until we're open to the public. If you're interested in catering or any of our dinner parties feel free to email us with any questions."
Link : Rise Above Bakery

Resetting the Table: A People's Food Policy for Canada | People's Food Policy

2011-04-21T19:02:00.000-04:00

This document reflects a growing wave of concern amongst regular people across Canada about the future of food. It is the result of 3500 talking about food at over 250 kitchen table talks. It contains our ideas about how to make Canada's food system fair, healthy and ecological.
Released 18 April 2011.

Executive Summary

The Context: Canada urgently needs a national food policy. Close to two and a half million Canadians are food insecure. Farmers and fishers are going out of business, our natural environment is being pushed to the limit, a quarter of Canadians are considered obese, and we are the only G8 country without a nationally-funded school meal program. The status quo is no longer an option.

The need for change is widely recognized and plans to develop national food policies or strategies are being advanced by many sectors, including all five federal political parties and influential industry groups. The People’s Food Policy is significantly different from these initiatives. It is the first-ever national food policy to be developed by the food movement itself – a diverse and dynamic network of organizations and individuals working to build a healthy, ecological and just food system for Canada.

The People’s Food Policy embodies a wave of concern, interest and action by citizens who are increasingly questioning how our current food system is organized. From connecting directly with food producers, to reclaiming indigenous food systems, to setting up food policy councils, people across Canada are taking actions daily that are transforming our food system from the ground up. These actions need to be translated into policy.

The Process: Over the course of two years, over 3500 Canadians participated in a groundbreaking grassroots project to define paths towards a food system that can provide adequate amounts of healthy, acceptable, and accessible food for all. The People’s Food Policy is based on ten detailed policy discussion papers. These discussion papers were generated through an extensive process that included three hundred and fifty Kitchen Table Talks, hundreds of policy submissions, dozens of tele-conferences, ongoing online discussions, and three cross-Canada conferences. These discussion papers include both whole-of-government policy recommendations and concrete guidelines for how the proposed changes can be put into action.

The Proposal: The People’s Food Policy is rooted in the concept of food sovereignty. This is an internationally-recognized approach where food is viewed as a primary foundation for healthy lives, communities, economies and eco-systems. Key elements include:

Ensuring that food is eaten as close as possible to where it is produced (eg,: domestic/regional purchasing policies for institutions and large food retailers, community-supported agriculture, local farmers markets, etc.).
Supporting food providers in a widespread shift to ecological production in both urban and rural settings (eg, organic agriculture, community-managed fisheries, indigenous food systems, etc.), including policies for the entry of new farmers into agriculture.

Enacting a strong federal poverty elimination and prevention program, with measurable targets and timelines, to ensure Canadians can better afford healthy food.

Creating a nationally-funded Children and Food strategy (including school meal programs, school gardens, and food literacy programs) to ensure that all children at all times have access to the food required for healthy lives.

Ensuring that the public, especially the most marginalized, are actively involved in decisions that affect the food system.

The People's Food Policy is being launched in collaboration with Food Secure Canada, the voice of the food movement in Canada, uniting groups and individuals working towards a food system that is healthy, ecological, and fair for producers and consumers.

Get the report as PDF here.

Money needed urgently

2011-04-21T18:16:00.000-04:00

St. Catharines Standard, 21 April 2010
Story by Marlene Bergsma

If April Campbell suddenly had extra money to spend on food, she'd buy a steak.

"A T-bone steak," she said. "I haven't had one in years. With some good broccoli and a baked potato with sour cream."

Campbell is one of the thousands of Niagara residents living on social assistance getting by on less than $600 a month.

With rent at a cheap apartment set at about $450 a month, there's not much left over for food, said Campbell, who has relied on Ontario Works payments since 2006, when she lost her job and suffered a heart attack that robbed her of half of her heart's function.

Now she stretches her grocery money by visiting food banks, soup kitchens and drop-in centres. When she does shop, fresh fruit and vegetables seldom make their way into her grocery cart.

She knows it's not good, but she has no choice.

"I am not supposed to be eating too much canned food because of the sodium, because of my heart," she said.

"You are buying noodles and pasta sauce and spaghetti, stuff that will last through the month. I always travel to buy my groceries, to see if I can find a better deal."

That's why Campbell, who is also a volunteer at Start Me Up Niagara's Gale Crescent drop-in centre, welcomes an Ontariowide initiative that is urging the province to immediately provide a $100 Healthy Food Supplement to people living on social assistance.

At this week's city council meeting, St. Catharines councillors unanimously endorsed a motion from Merritton Coun. Jeff Burch, which calls on the province to set social assistance rates "that are based on the real cost of living a healthy, dignified life."

In addition to the provincial review of social assistance rates, the "Put Food in the Budget" campaign also calls for an immediate $100 monthly boost.

MORE HERE

Food power to the people

2011-04-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

JESSICA LEEDER — Global Food Reporter
Globe and Mail, Published Sunday, Apr. 17, 2011

The food movement has spoken.

Thirty years after a cross-country team of Canadian food advocates first convened in an effort to develop a national food strategy, a revamped and expanded version of that group will today issue a 27-page roadmap to food system change.

The People’s Food Policy Project, an umbrella group representing grassroots organizations and individuals from coast-to-coast, canvassed more than 3,500 Canadians over two years to come up with its findings. They are based on the concept of food sovereignty, the idea that people have a rightful say in determining how their food is produced and where it comes from. Not only does food sovereignty need to be restored in Canada, the project argues, policies at all levels of government need to be overhauled to enable it.

One of four civil-society efforts currently under way to develop long-term food strategies, the PFPP is the most comprehensive attempt to develop a truly national strategy. Some experts say, however, it is also the least likely to have a direct policy effect. Instead, the value of the project is in its galvanization of thousands of Canadians who have become attuned to how the food system works and which parts could work better if tweaked and aligned with policies on health and the environment.

By creating a sense of democracy around food – the term for that is food citizenship – the project is giving people the sense that they deserve to have more say in the way the food system is set up.

CONTINUE ARTICLE at the Globe and Mail website.

Karma Co-op

2011-04-15T19:55:00.001-04:00

As discussed at our 13 April 2011 meeting :

"Karma Co-op is a non-profit food store, owned co-operatively by the people who shop there - its members. Founded in 1972, Karma provides its members with wholesome, economical food. We have about 500 working members households and 389 non-working member households and 1 corporate.

"Our store is located on 739 Palmerston Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, close to the Bathurst subway station. Collectively, we do what is required to make the store work. Together, we are able to achieve control over the sources,quality and price of our food. That makes Karma a real alternative to commercial stores.

"Shopping at Karma is a friendly experience, without the Muzak, gimmickry or hard-sell tactics of supermarkets. You can hang up your coat, mind your child in the membership room, meet your neighbours who have similar interests and make a phone call. It's our store. And nobody profits except the members.

"Karma's Mission Statement

"Our aim is to:

Create a community of actively participating members;
Foster a healthy connection to the food we eat, the people who grow it, and the other organization who share our beliefs;
Co-operatively educate ourselves on environmental issues;
Exercise political and economic control over our food; by operating a viable co-operative food store."

A Co-op Resource from Antje Wirth, former owner of the Peanut Mill

2011-04-08T11:34:00.002-04:00

CDS Consulting Co-op

The cooperative difference is our competitive advantage. CDS Consulting Co-op is dedicated to building and strengthening cooperative businesses.
We use assessment, planning, resource access, training, coaching, support, and continuous improvement. We tailor our services to your needs in these comprehensive areas of development:
CBLD / Leadership Development
Improving Performance
Expansion and Growth of Cooperatives
Membership Development
Consulting for Startup Co-ops
Our consultants specialize in working with food cooperatives to achieve growth, increase profitability, improve board leadership, strengthen management, and fully serve their members and community. Together, we have over 200 years of combined experience consulting with food co-ops and an average of 22 years in the industry.
We provide top-notch services that are comprehensive and personalized. Our consultants and programs have worked on over 500 projects helping cooperatives achieve their goals.

Find out about CBLD

Enrollment is open for co-ops to participate in Cooperative Board Leadership Development. Find out more about CBLD

Definition #2 WHAT IS A CO-OP?

2011-04-06T05:28:00.002-04:00

A co-op is a group of people or organizations that come together for each person or group's mutual benefit. Co-ops are owned by members and are democratically structured, meaning one member, one vote. Co-ops share certain characteristics, including:

They are all democratic, volunteer associations.
They are created to benefit everyone and are, in fact, a business.
The only owners are the members of the co-op.
They do not work to make a profit. Any extra money is shared among the member/owners.

There are generally two types of food cooperatives -- co-operative grocery stores and buying clubs.

Co-operative Grocery Stores

Food co-operatives, often simply called co-ops, are voluntary organizations owned and controlled by members to provide low cost, healthy food primarily to members of the co-op, though some also sell to the public.
Food co-ops are operated for members by members at a non-profit or cost basis. Individuals who belong to the co-op have a say in decision making over issues surrounding the organization.
Most food from co-ops is organic, though some is "natural" -- produced with a minimum of processing with little or no additives or preservatives.
To find a co-op in your area, visit the Co-op Directory or check out Local Harvest's Food Co-op section.

Food Buying Clubs

Food buying clubs are simply a group of people who come together to buy food in bulk, thus getting discounts for members of the club. They are usually an informal organization of friends, members of church groups, neighborhood groups, etc, who share the chores of collecting money from the member families, placing the order with the distributor, helping unload the truck when it arrives at the drop-off site, and dividing up the individual orders. Food is generally purchased through a natural foods regional distributor or a food co-op warehouse. Regional distributors provide food for both buying clubs and co-op stores.
For more information on buying clubs and how to start one, please visit the Co-op Directory.

Definition #1: What is a Co-op?

2011-04-06T05:24:00.000-04:00

What Is A Coop?

In the loosest sense, a co-op is any voluntary organization composed of a group of individuals (or organizations) formed for their mutual (generally, financial) benefit. A familiar example is a group of roommates who rent an apartment together to save money.

These informal associations and the more formal ones discussed below all share a number of common features.

They all are democratic, volunteer associations.
They are formed for mutual financial benefit (to save money or to increase buying power); in short, they are businesses.
They have no owners other than their members.
They are non-profit organizations; what would be profit in other organizations is returned to the member/owners.

Coops are all around us - they are everywhere! They include:

Credit unions
Mutual insurance companies (Invented by Ben Franklin in 1752)
Housing co-ops
Rural electric power co-ops
Consumer goods co-ops (REI comes to mind)
Distribution coops (Ace Hardware)
Producer co-ops (Sunkist, Land’O Lakes)

For more information on the various types of co-ops in the US and around the world check out the National Cooperative Business Association and the International Cooperative Alliance sites.

The CDS is dedicated to promoting one form of consumer co-op, namely the natural food co-op. These natural food co-ops deal primarily with food products that are "natural" – those produced with a minimum of processing and with little or no additives or preservatives (much of this food is also organically grown).

There are three types of natural food coops that CDS deals with:

BUYING CLUBS - these are (generally) informal organizations of friends, members of church groups, etc. who buy food together from a food co-op warehouse.

COOP GROCERY STORES – much like a buying club except that they are (generally) formal co-op corporations often with thousands of member/owners. It must be emphasized that you do not have to be a member of the food co-op to shop in these stores.

COOP DISTRIBUTORS - These supply their members/owners (including buying clubs and grocery stores) with food. Until last year all of the distributors we list were, themselves, co-ops owned by their member/customers. Due to unbearable market forces one of them folded and two others sold out to a private firm – the remaining two have not as of this writing, succumbed. With, as they say, a heavy heart we will provide links to these commercial warehouses as long as they continue to support sales to co-op buying clubs.

Otherwise, each of these coops are non-profit organizations formed by people to provide low cost healthy food primarily to members of their organization.

What Is A Buying Club?

The short answer is: a group of people who buy food together from a Coop Distributor.

The long answer is: to really know what a buying club is requires knowledge of how it operates.

Typically, they are composed of seven or more families, who share the chores of collecting money from the member families, placing the order with the distributor, helping unload the truck when it arrives at the drop-off site and dividing up the individual orders.

How Can I Find One Near Me?

Look for one listed on the Coop Directory. If you can’t find one near you, then contact your regional Coop Distributor and ask them if they can give you information about a buying club in your area. Sometimes they will take your name and pass it on to the local buying clubs who may elect to contact you.

Please appreciate that many buying clubs consider themselves private organizations that want to be careful about accepting new members.

Note many of the distributors allow you to link to a location on their site that will lead you to a buying club near you.

How To Start And Run A Buying Club

What resources are available to help me do this?

The basic rule is very simple --- contact the Coop Distributor in your area and follow their advice.

Note that the number of buying clubs in the US is probably over twenty times the number of food co-op storefronts. These buying clubs are a very important source of business for the Coop Distributor. Most have customer service representatives that are dedicated to servicing the needs of buying clubs. You may want to follow their procedures for locating and perhaps joining an existing buying club.

In fact, if you want to start your own buying club it is highly recommended that you join an existing club temporarily to “learn the ropes.”

Some other resources on starting buying clubs and grocery stores are available:

A nice collection of tips on running a buying club has been provided by Blooming Prairie.

How To Start A Cooperative Food Buying Club

Starting Out Right (Guidelines for Organizing a New Retail Cooperative) Paperback $7

How to Organize and Run a Coop Food Buying Club, video $19

Food Buying Club Special : Starting Out Right, paperback , and How to Organize and Run a Coop Food Buying Club, video $24
Consumer Co-ops: Managing a Pre-Order Food Cooperative
Some nice (free) software has been developed to assist buying clubs manage their accounts.
If your buying club grows very large and your group is considering opening a store front (= co-op grocery store), you may want to contact The North Country Cooperative Development Fund which may provide technical assistance and loans to your group. Their membership area includes 11 upper midwestern states.

A Co-op in Toronto

2011-04-06T05:20:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to check . . .

http://www.karmacoop.org/

A FOOD CO-OP for our Reference

2011-04-04T06:28:00.001-04:00

Hi Rose Ann,

Here is the link for the Niagara Local Food Co-operative, which is a sort of model in our area.

http://www.niagaralocalfoodcoop.ca/

Perhaps they might be interested in linking with you.

Regards

George

Rev. George Addison

39 Ann Street

St. Catharines ON L2N 5E9

Home: 905-934-7293

Cell: 905-246-1472

Email: gaddison@brocku.ca

Politics of Local Food

2011-04-04T06:25:00.000-04:00

The Politics of Local Food:
Enhancing Food Security in St. Catharines – Niagara

Friday, April 8th, 2011, at 7pm

Niagara Artists Centre, 354 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

For the Facebook page [click here]

Come enjoy some food, drink & stimulating discussion at this timely event, featuring:

► Dr. Mustafa Koc, Founding coordinator of the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Ryerson University & author of Hunger Proof Cities (1999)

► Tom Neufeld, Campden Farmer & Director of the St. Catharines Farmers’ Market

► Malcolm Allen, Welland MP & NDP Deputy Critic of Agriculture & Food Security

Popular interest in how and where our food is produced has risen dramatically in recent years, spurred on by a growing awareness of how our current industrial food system, with its mass production and long-distance distribution of cheap food commodities is not environmentally, economically or socially sustainable.

In our region and beyond, mounting consumer interest in local food can be seen in the increased popularity of farmers markets and community supported agriculture programs, and in the development of community gardens and food cooperatives. It is also reflected in the growing vogue for highbrow “locavore” cuisine, and in the often tokenistic and PR-driven efforts of corporate retailers to present themselves as friends of local agriculture.

While consumer interest in local food has helped to foster some useful debate about the problems of our current food system, this debate has often been framed in a rather limited way. In Niagara, for instance, the cultural cache of local food has risen even as other types of food insecurity have continued to worsen. Local farmers and food producers continue to struggle against enormous odds to make a living and stay afloat in a system that is heavily stacked against them. Poor and socially marginalized people continue to lack adequate financial and physical access to healthy food, with food banks desperately attempting to plug the gap. As oil prices sky-rocket and the dire economic and environmental costs of our long global food chain become more apparent, local food production and processing facilities continue to dwindle, and sprawl continues to destroy much of the region’s most fertile agricultural land.

This panel attempts to deepen the debate over local food in Niagara, addressing some of the concrete changes that need to be undertaken in the effort to build a more secure, sustainable, ethical and self-reliant food economy that supports local producers’ livelihoods, fosters greater equality and public health, and enhances the social, economic and environmental vitality of our communities.

- - - - - - -
Sponsored by the Brock University Sociology Department Speakers Series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rev. George Addison

39 Ann Street

St. Catharines ON L2N 5E9

Home: 905-934-7293

Cell: 905-246-1472

Email: gaddison@brocku.ca

Our Next Meeting: Looking at Co-Ops ~ Wednesday April 13 at 4:30

2011-03-25T14:45:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you have Wednesday, April 13 marked on your calendar and that you are finding time to be very nosey about Co-Ops . . . at our last meeting we discovered that there is not much viability or potential in luring a chain-store to help provide a food place in the downtown --- there is not enough buying power to sustain one.

So our next exploration is a cop-op, a store or conglumeration of merchants, whrer the owners own part of the adventure, and payment can be made in working at the store --- or something like that.

Everyone said they would look into a co-op, check their web site, evaluate their mission and vision, find their annual report and financials, even make a few phone calls to them. I had posted a list of co-ops earlier and will repeat it again for easy access.

Please post (and if you can't, then email me (rev.rose.ann.vita@silverspire.ca) the name of the co-op you are investigating by FRIDAY, APRIL 1 (April Fool's Day), and I will circulate the list before the April 13 meeting.

Thanks,
And thanks again!

Rose Ann
905 327-8328 cell

Response from the Mayor's Office

2011-03-07T06:36:00.000-05:00

I sent an email to the mayor asking for information about his comments made to the Downtown Business Association regarding a possible Sobey's store near the Police Station. Here is the response received on February 28th

Good morning,

I have discussed your email with our economic development office. At this point, there is no conformation that a Sobeys will be in downtown St. Catharines. The economic development office does think a grocery store in the downtown would be ideal and have been promoting the idea, but there is no news with respect to an investor or decision of a business to move into the downtown. I would encourage you to keep in touch with our economic development office, namely Brian York at byork@stcatharines.ca. I would also encourage you to look into the Good Food Box program in Welland. It’s an interesting program done in partnership with the Market Square and I thought you might find it of interest. Information can be found at http://www.welland.ca/Hottopics/GoodFoodBox.asp

Thank you for your email. I hope you find this information useful.

Thank you,

Maggie

Maggie Riopelle

Executive Assistant to Mayor Brian McMullan

City of St. Catharines

905-688-5600 ext. 1549

FAX: 905-688-5955

TTY: 905-688-4TTY (4889)

mriopelle@stcatharines.ca

March 9, 2011 - Agenda

2011-03-07T06:31:00.000-05:00

Our Community-Food Store

Wednesday, March 9 at 4:00 ~ Starting on time, please arrive early

Silver Spire United Church - 366 St. Paul Street - 905.682.8328

Agenda

4:00 - 4:10 Who's at our Table - Round Table Introductions
4:10 - 4:15 Summary of Last Meeting's Progress
4:15 - 4:35 Presentation by a Grocer
4:35 - 4:45 Questions . . .
4:45 - 4:55 Next Steps / Next Agenda Item
4:55 - 5:00 Evaluation

5:15 - 5:30 Presentation on How on to access our Blog, for those who have not yet done so.

Please RSVP by posting a comment . . . (if you haven't been able to do that yet, please send me an email ~ rev.rose.ann.vita@silverspire.ca ~ thanks)

Worth Checking Out

2011-02-28T06:57:00.000-05:00

http://www.bozo.coop/membership/why-join

A Survey Monkey Questionaire

2011-02-22T08:45:00.002-05:00

I just opened an account with Survey Monkey, a very easy way to poll our opinions.

What questions would you like us to ask one another before our March 9 meeting?

Please post your questions by February 27th.

Thank you.

Rose Ann

House Meeting Participant Questionaire

2011-02-22T08:43:00.001-05:00

"Yes! My Opinion Counts!"

Name: _______________________________________________________________________

Contact Information: Email: __________________________ Phone: _____________________

I live (what neighbourhood?)

This makes me mad / angry about my neighbourhood:

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

One thing I would love to change about my neighbourhood

_____________________________________________________________________________

I food shop (where?)

I get there (bus/walk/drive/other)

I travel (how far?)

I would shop in a closer neighbourhood store (how close?)

I would participate in a co-operative adventures

Other

A Video about Monsanto Hiding the Truth about Bovine Growth Hormone

2011-02-22T08:34:00.003-05:00

Some information to influence our values:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqepg46qtDA

Rose Ann

Web Sites Worth Checking Out

2011-02-17T20:50:00.000-05:00

http://lexington.coop/

http://www.thestop.org/

http://www.onfc.ca/

http://davisfoodcoop.blogspot.com/

http://www.theworkingcentre.org/ct/qsc/qsc.html

Add to our list!

Next Steps ~ Suggested Agenda for March 9 @ 4pm

2011-02-17T19:38:00.000-05:00

NEXT STEPS mentioned at our February 9, 2011 meeting

Invite a Grocer to come
Invite someone from the City to come

In all honesty I should have said, "Let's wait until we are clear about WHAT WE WANT before we invite people who may have their own agendas" . . . but I didn't. So let's "talk amongst ourselves" by POSTING COMMENTS on our blog. This is one way we can get to know what is important to us and hopefully stay on our agenda.

NEW ATTENDEES AT OUR MARCH 9th MEETING

Susan Venditti indicated she would invite Bob Merritt, manager of _________
Barbara Skelton indicated she would invite Greg Shannon of Food Basics
Bernie Slepkov has already invited David Oakes, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the city.
Tiffany Mayer (_________), Naomi O'Brien (Niagara Regional Housing), and George Addison ( someone with community-organizing experience), have already been invited to our first meeting.

I will talk with David Oakes so he has the background of our last meeting. And I will ask Susan and Barbara to do the same with Bob Merritt and Greg Shannon, respectively. Tiffany, Naomi, and George will receive be invited to our blog and therefore will have access to our minutes and comments.

Before our next meeting, please host a "House Meeting" . . . which can take place anywhere 4 to 8 people can gather for a 45 minute discussion about their (Queenston/Downtown) neighbourhood. I will post the House Meeting Question Sheet next week.

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR OUR MARCH 9 MEETING
(If you have any suggestions, please post a comment)

What are our values? (See Minutes)
What is our demographic statistics? Is there enough "buying power" in our neighbourhood?
What is the "work-for-food" power in our neighbourhood? Is a co-op a viable option?
What is a short-term solution?

At the March 9 meeting you will be asked to meet with someone from the Round Table before the next meeting (April 13 - the second Wednesday of the month @ 4pm). The purpose of this exercise is for us to get to know one another and find out what sparks our passion for what we do. It is a great way for us to start "Building a Better Community" movement. And it is fun!

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS!
Just click on the "Comment" link in the area below (on the right-hand side).

Minutes ~ February 9, 2011

2011-02-17T18:04:00.006-05:00

To the best of my knowledge we imagined these
SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS ~

Bernie - - A LEARNING CENTRE that uses our local educational resources

Find someone who will teach us "How to start a food store"
Talk with a Green Grocer, an entrepreneur
Meet with the High School "food and hospitality" educators/students
Access the knowledge of the city planners

(Bernie was involved in the discussion of the new use of the General Hospital land)

John - - Use the buses sitting idle in church lots

Bring people to the food
Bring the food to the people ~ a moving food store, like the Health Bus
Use students to help with the shopping for the elderly

Susan - - START ME UP will set-up a summer fruit & vegetable stand with the produce they grow on their community farm. SMUN will work with Niagara Regional Housing

Then our discussion turned to how to get CONSENSUS OF THE NEED FOR FOOD

Liz - - We need to study our demographics and have a formula for determining the need for a food store and the potential buying power of the neighbourhood.

Kim - - We can get resources/statistics from Social Assistance and "man-power" from Job Co-ops

Erica - - Westview United Church offers food at a minimal cost from their Community Cupboard, in small, user-friendly portions.

Someone said, bring in Bulk Barn, see if the chain stores would open a low cost satellite.

Rose Ann - - Let's develop the little shops that are already in our area, the "Fish Store" and the Vietnamese Food Store. (Later someone added that there could be a Market Place that housed these little stores, something like the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto)

These are the ideas that I captured on the flip chart paper.
I know I missed some. And if I missed yours, or you have another idea ---
PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS!

Of course, there were ideas generated during the conversations after the meeting --- people stayed over an hour energetically talking. The vibrations were amazing!

Even with all that discussion, we still need to define
"WHAT DO WE WANT?"

WHAT ARE OUR VALUES?

Is it simply about our getting food into our neighbourhood?
Is it just about bringing in accessible, low-cost food or about delivering healthy, nutritional food?
Will we educate about good food choices?
Or do we just want the ease and expertise of a chain-store that brings in imported food and exports our money out of our neighbourhood?
Are we concerned about multi-national corporations (like Monsanto) that use Genetically Modified Organism (?) (GMO) and hormones to produce "cheap" "food" or do we want to support our local farmers and engage in a 100-mile diet?
Do we want to excite the members of our community to shape their own neighbourhood and spur-on the spirit of the Harvest Festival or do we just want to solve the immediate food shortage?
Aren't we really concerned about creating places for human interaction (a coffee spot in the co-op) to build a vibrant community?
Come-on, we can surely imagine a new kind of neighbourhood, one that strengthens our local economy and brings out our artists/artisans. We can imagine a place where people really want to live, because it is life-giving!

Do I sound like a preacher or what!
But you know what I mean.
We have some real talking and thinking to do about what we really want
(and ultimately need to be fully alive).

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS!
I will be sending you the House Meeting questions. It is so important to gather a group of 4 to 8 people together and begin the discussion. The purpose will be (1) to have their input for our next meeting and (2) to spark their imagination and hope and have lively conversations continue throughout our neighbourhood.

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS!
That is the purpose of this blog.
To keep the energy and excitement of the meeting going in between meetings. I am really looking forward to reading your comments. Please post them!
Rose Ann Vita

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
See previous post for NEXT STEPS and suggested agenda topic.

Agenda & Best-Practices ~ February 9, 2011

2011-02-17T16:48:00.009-05:00

BEST PRACTICES FOR OUR TIME TOGETHER:

Meetings will start on time and end on time as a courtesy to all who attend.
Attend the whole meeting as to not be disruptive nor interruptive.
Attend the whole meeting to prevent mis-information from not hearing the whole discussion.
All voices are valued, therefore one person speaks at a time so all may hear their voice.

Other best practices can be added as needed.
If you have a suggestion, please post it.

THE AGENDA OF OUR FEBRUARY 9, 2011 MEETING

4:00-4:05 OVERVIEW - History of the Harvest Festival, of building community-spirit and pride, and of the awareness of the need for a food store in the Queenston Area. As a result of working together on a common project there were many discussions about the benefits of creating a cooperative food-market adventure vs. inviting a food-chain store into our neighbourhood. Important concepts voiced in the initial discussions:

Healthy
Food-Security
Co-op
Accessible ~ both physical and financial
A neighbourhood fresh food and dry-goods distribution centre (store, co-op, bus-bringing-products into the area) serving the diverse, broad-spectrum population of the downtown

These threads need to be explored around our table and through "house meetings" in our neighbourhood.

(I will post the HOUSE MEETING Questions next week.)

4:05-4:10 METHOD - Organizing and Connecting with the Neighbourhood

Steering Committee ~ Round Table "activists" who strategize and plan
House Meetings ~ Gatherings of 4 to 8 people who express their neighbourhood concerns, anger, and needs

4:10-4:20 INTRODUCTIONS around the table. (See Who's Who)

4:20-4:50 BRAIN-STORMING about the possible short-term and long-term solutions.

4:50-4:55 NEXT STEPS

4:55-5:00 EVALUATION

NEXT MEETING -- March 9, 2011 at 4:00 at Silver Spire

See previous post for Minutes of this meeting.

Who's Who at Our First Meeting ~ February 9, 2011

2011-02-17T16:24:00.003-05:00

Please correct by posting a comment of any errors or omissions.
Thanks!

Time and Place:   Wednesday February 9, 2011 at 4 pm
   Silver Spire United Church
Facilitator:   Rose Ann Vita - Silver Spire United Church

Round Table Activists:

Susan Venditti - Start Me Up Niagara

Liz Roulston - Start Me Up Niagara

Dave Roulston - Start Me Up Niagara

Barb Skelton - Silver Spire United Church

Bernadette Corbin - Silver Spire United Church

Lori-Anne Rzic - Silver Spire United United

Amy Peters - Quest

Jaime Foy - Quest

John Osuzypho - Gateway of Niagara

Mike Lethby - The Raft

Kim Losier LaVacca - Niagara Region

Bernie Slepkov - ____________

Erika Klassen - Westview Christian Fellowship

Will Klassen - Westview Christian Fellowship

Vic Ratzlaff - Westview Christian Fellowship
Suzanne Veenstra - The Raft