Food for Thought - March 5, 2021
bi-monthly eBlast for followers and supporters of the Food Shed Co-op - March 5, 2021
We have a goal to reach 1200 total owners by July 2021. Help us move to the next step on our journey to open our community owned grocery store in the fall of 2022 by clicking HERE or on the Become an Owner button!
JOB OPENING!
The Food Shed Co-op is hiring! We are searching for someone to fill a part-time position (20 hours per week) as our Outreach Coordinator. This part-time position will work with the Food Shed Co-op Outreach Committee to increase the number of owner-members and build community awareness of the Food Shed Co-op. Interested? Review the JOB DESCRIPTION HERE. If you have the time and talent to GROW OUR OWNER BASE - contact the Co-op at [email protected].
Why You Too Should Become an Owner of the Food Shed Co-op
Thoughts from Food Shed Owner #640 and new Board Member Vern Heinen
With the December 2020 purchase of the land for the grocery store, the Food Shed Co-op started the “Grow Our Ownership” campaign with the goal of having 1,200 owners by July 2021. This is the magic number of owners needed for us to feel like we’re truly ready to invest in our store construction; the ‘critical mass’ of owners who will help us succeed with the upcoming “Community Investment Campaign.” Please join now as a Founding Owner!
The sooner we reach our 1,200 ownership goal, the sooner we can open the store and better serve you and your community. Until then, we are asking you to see the value in supporting us now. The Food Shed Board is busy planning for the future: building relationships with local farmers and businesses, forming a sustainability committee to ensure that we adhere to these values, designing an educational Earth Day toolkit for local teachers, beginning the search for a General Manager, and so much more!
Again, even without a storefront, one of the main benefits of being an owner in your Co-op is the right to participate in our meetings and vote in the affairs of the co-op, including the election of the Board of Directors. By being an owner now, you can help steer the direction of the Food Shed Co-op far into the future. You may even be able to influence what further benefits owners will receive once the store is open such as: owner-only discounts, product specials, educational classes, meet-your-farmer events, etc.
Then, in the Fall of 2022 pending a successful Community Investment Campaign, you will reap the added benefits of finally shopping and gathering at our Food Shed. You’ll find locally grown, healthful food that is grown more sustainably compared with food available at commercial grocery stores. We are dreaming of ways to not only offer fresh produce, but also meals prepared in our deli and frozen sections with these same local ingredients so you can eat healthy regardless of your meal plan for the day. Importantly, this also means that a greater portion of your food dollars will be spent locally, which improves our local economy and, ultimately, the livelihoods of those growing for, working with, and shopping at the Food Shed. We hope you can appreciate these benefits and consider joining us today!
Thinking Globally / Acting Locally
Thoughts from Food Shed Owner #115 and new Board Member Emily Zack
I am Food Shed Owner number 115. I became an owner in November of 2014 while attending the Green Living Expo at McHenry County College. My family and I had been trying to eat more locally for a few years at that point and were very excited to learn about the Food Shed Co-op. Imagine a place that has all your local favorites in one place! A lot has changed since 2014 and a local co-op is needed now more than ever.
The news of environmental disasters, melting ice caps and the effect of climate change can be overwhelming. Everyday something new is 
brought to my attention that changes how we shop, live, eat and buy. I learned about rainforests disappearing due to palm oil production so now we aren’t buying products with that. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) in everything - avoiding those is almost impossible, but we seek out the non-GMO label. Saturated fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors - a constant question of what is in our food is running through our heads. Roundup found in baby formula, cereal and granola bars then labeled as a carcinogenic so now we choose organic. The rotting food in our landfills producing methane means we now compost all of our food scraps. Then we see pictures of floating islands of plastic in our oceans, sea turtles with plastic straws stuffed up their noses and ocean mammals suffocating on plastic bags. So, we reduce our use of plastic. No more straws, only reusable bags at the stores, avoiding plastic in food packaging and recycling all we can back to the store. No bottled waters, no beverages in plastic containers or individually wrapped snacks. We buy efficient cars and limit multiple trips to the store. We hoard Styrofoam, lightbulbs and batteries until the next recycling drive to dispose of them responsibly. When we sort and organize, we donate as much as we can to thrift stores, turn stained t-shirts to rags and give old kid clothes to the family, thus avoiding landfills as much as we can. We buy American made products when given a choice. We worry about those without a living wage, clean water, access to healthy food and healthcare and a good education - the whole thing is overwhelming.
So how does one person make a difference? All we can do is control our little world around us, our home, our family and our personal decisions. The Food Shed Co-op is one place where we know people care. The bags at the produce stand will be compostable. Shelves will be stocked with plenty of organic and local fruits and veggies. Food will be sold in bulk, limiting plastic. A place to stock our shelves with staples like cereal (no artificial colors or flavorings), coffee (fair trade and organic), jarred salsa (small batch, local ingredients) and oatmeal (heritage grains, Midwest grown). A place to buy meat from Woodstock raised with Regenerative Agriculture practices plus organic veggies from Harvard and hand-picked, seasonal fruit from Michigan. Additionally our artisan neighbors will no doubt be stocking the shelves with home-made lotions and soaps, candles and cleaning supplies and pet food without fillers. And finally, knowledgeable informed Food Shed Co-op employees that share these same values and in exchange will be paid a living wage.
It’s the little things we do in our miniscule spot on the planet that can make a difference in our community. The Food Shed can be step one.
Upcoming Events
Potato Print Workshop
When: Friday, March 12 at 6:00 PM
Where: Zoom
Description: join this fun and simple craft for all ages which can be done with items that most folks already have in their home. Using just a potato and some type of paint or pigment (we will use beet juice for the demonstration), you can get messy and creative. You can produce potato prints on paper for cards, wrapping paper or create unique works of art. Potato printing is also a great way to personalize your home by printing on fabric for pillows, curtains or canvas bags as well as on other surfaces, like a wall to create a pattern or border. The possibilities are endless!
Click here to register and hurry since class size is limited
MCCD Earth Day
When: Saturday, April 17th at Noon
Where: Prairieview Education Center
Description: Join the Food Shed Co-op as we collaborate with the McHenry County Conservation District as we explore ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle. This is a rain-or-shine event with both indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Click here to register
Volunteer Opportunities
Calling all Tweeters - follow us on Twitter @foodshedcoop and help us spread the word about our new site or the value of having a food co-op in McHenry County or both. How easy is that!
Click on our social media icon links at the bottom of the page so you can LIKE, Comment and Share our posts with your friends and followers.
Help us spread the word about our community owned grocery store by sharing our posts with your followers on social media. And why not BECOME AN OWNER now?
Mission
Our mission is to build a LOCAL food COOPERATIVE promoting a HEALTHY, ETHICAL and RESILIENT COMMUNITY.
Core Values
- Promote and foster better food choices
- Cultivate and strengthen our local economy
- Inspire and empower community
- Champion environmentally responsible practices
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Food for Thought - February 2021
monthly eBlast for followers and supporters of the Food Shed Co-op - February 5, 2021
We have a goal to reach 1200 total owners by July 2021. Help us move to the next step on our journey to open our community owned grocery store in the fall of 2022 by clicking HERE or on the Become an Owner button!
What is a food co-op? Just in case you forgot, a food co-op is a grocery store owned by your neighbors (and by you, if you choose). Unlike corporate chains, co-ops are totally independent and owned by folks in the community that shop there.
Store Location Announced
Hopefully by now you have heard that the Food Shed Coop has a place to call home. We purchased a plot of land at the intersection of US HWY 14 and Lake Shore Drive between Crystal Lake and Woodstock. Our current member-owners are thrilled about the convenient location, boasting access to the Prairie Trail bike path and neighbors like McHenry County College (MCC) and ShadowView Brewing. We were happy to make this important announcement and celebrate with our owners, in 2020 fashion, via Zoom party on December 11, 2020. The festivities included showing a video COMPILATION, complete with drone footage of the site and highlighted a song written and recorded for the Food Shed by local singer/songwriter Cassandra Vohs-Demann.
We intend to start construction of our new grocery store in the Spring of 2022, pending a successful capital campaign. We’re looking forward to celebrating with everyone in person when that day comes!
We Are Not Alone
In case you missed it, there was an excellent article, on the front page of the Chicago Tribune last weekend about food co-ops. The Food Shed was mentioned as one of several startups in the Chicagoland area.
The article highlights the amount of time, commitment, and community support needed to open a successful co-op by saying, “These food co-ops serve their neighborhood so they move slowly and deliberately. It is the communities’ resources, not a sole proprietor risking their money.”
The article also touches on how COVID has impacted food supply chains and impacted how people respond, noting that “[during] these periods... people get together and solve problems on a community level.” They emphasize that buying from numerous local vendors and farmers has been mutually beneficial, helping to sustain the food on the shelves and their businesses.
We, at the Food Shed, wholeheartedly agree that we want a shopping experience that meets our values, especially “when we are trying to nourish ourselves in this time.” Or, anytime really.
CLICK HERE to read the article and learn more about why food co-ops are so “cool.”
Help us spread the word about our community owned grocery store by sharing our posts with your followers on social media. And why not BECOME AN OWNER now?
Mission
Our mission is to build a LOCAL food COOPERATIVE promoting a HEALTHY, ETHICAL and RESILIENT COMMUNITY.
Core Values
- Promote and foster better food choices
- Cultivate and strengthen our local economy
- Inspire and empower community
- Champion environmentally responsible practices
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Food For Thought - July 2020
Let's Do This!
We are so close to our GOAL OF 1000 OWNERS! Share with your neighbors, your families and your friends so we can take the next step!
Food co-ops are retail cooperatives that are owned by the people who shop there. This means that food co-ops are owned by members of the community – not outside investors.
Each member-owner has a say in decisions that affect the co-op; and instead of paying outside investors, co-ops return their profits to their member-owners in the form of patronage refunds – dividends, cash, discounts or store credit.
Food co-ops source products from more local farmers and producers, donate proportionally more dollars to charity, have better worker wages and benefits, and give back more to the local economy than traditional grocery stores.
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In the company of bees...
I’m a beekeeper. As I look at this picture of my little friends I’m amazed at the striking similarities between my colonies of bees and the McHenry County community.
Let me explain…
If you take the time to really examine a colony of bees what you’ll see is solidarity. Several thousand bees working toward a common goal – preservation of the hive.
This same type of community spirit has shown itself here in McHenry County as we struggle through the coronavirus pandemic. Through all the many breakdowns in federal support during this crisis we have seen our community step up to fill in the gaps.
People like Crystal Lake’s Jon Weger and his Facebook group of friends who used their 3D printers to make face shields for local healthcare workers. And Woodstock residents Heather Madaus and Linnea Kooistra who started sewing face masks for clinics and non-profits in need of PPE (personal protective equipment).
All over the county we see neighbor helping neighbor – a cohesive, solid community at work just like my bees. People who see a need and unselfishly step up to fill that need.
As grocery store shelves found themselves depleted because of a breakdown in our national food supply chains, our local farmers stepped up to provide the community with fresh, local produce and meats.
A community. People helping people. That’s what the Food Shed Co-op is all about. Strengthening our community using local resources.
It’s been said that something good always comes from something bad. Maybe that’s what this virus is here to teach us. Maybe part of the lesson is to show everyone how important it is to build a “healthy, ethical, and resilient community” just like our mission says…
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Ever dream of becoming a farmer?
If you're a farmer or are dreaming of becoming one, you can join the Food Shed Farmers Group on Facebook!
This group is intended to facilitate conversations between farmers and other sustainable agriculture stakeholders in and around McHenry County, Illinois.
The goal is to inspire the community and ensure food security for our region. Join now for some inspiring and informative conversations!
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Live your best life!