October 2012 Newsletter

OCTOBER 2012 NEWSLETTER

The Fall Celebration on October 6th was a huge success. We cleaned up the “backyard” area behind the store and created a perfect space for a party. Great, resourceful work, people! The music, the food, the dancing, the costumes, the chickens, the kids' activities, and the vibe were just right. The person decked out in plastic bags who frightened all the children was just right too. Big thanks to everyone who helped out. We opened the store to the public that day, allowing The Co-op to achieve record sales while enlisting a handful of new members. But most importantly, lots of folks who hadn't visited the store before were elated to see what we have going on! Check out party photos here and here. We just may make this an annual event. There’s a General Meeting on Tuesday night and a whole lot of news in this here newsletter...

GENERAL MEETING: OCTOBER 16TH WHEN: Tuesday, October 16th, 7-9pm WHERE: 138 S. Oxford St Brooklyn NY (MAP) ON THE AGENDA: Officers Election - The membership elects the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary of the Co-op (Governance, Giselle 10 minutes) Dormant Members - What if a member isn’t working but also isn’t shopping? The Membership committee wants to get a snapshot of just the active members in the Co-op; they have a proposal and want your input. (Membership, Nick, 10 minutes) Inclement Weather + Store Holiday Schedule - Come hear and discuss the plans for the fall and Holiday Season open hours. (Merch, Aaron, 15 minutes) Recording Work - Should there be a time limit for recording work hours? The Membership committee has a proposal that will help keep their records up to date. (Membership, Nick, 10 minutes)

GET YOUR TURKEY ORDERS IN BY TOMORROW! This fall, we're taking special orders on turkeys, ducks, geese, and tofurkys. All orders must be submitted by the end of the day on Wednesday, October 17th, 2012. Visit this link to place your order The wonderful world of Tofurky The turkeys, ducks, and geese are local and from our friends at Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op.

TOUR THE BROOKLYN GRANGE ROOFTOP FARM! On Sunday November 11th, we have arranged a tour of Brooklyn Grange exclusively for Co-op members! Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Grange is possibly the largest rooftop farm in the world at 40,000 sq feet. Greene Hill sourced hundreds of pounds of vegetables from Brooklyn Grange this past season, so this is a great opportunity to visit a local farm where your food is grown, as well as witness cutting edge urban agriculture in the works. Space is limited, so sign up now by emailing Education@GreeneHillFood.coop. There will be a $5-$10 fee per-person for this tour (depending on how many members sign up). Proceeds benefit Brooklyn Grange. Aaron, who orders much of the food for The Co-op, will speak briefly about this at the GM on Tuesday. Members will have a chance to ask questions.

STORE HOURS INCLUDE MONDAYS, YOU KNOW... The Greene Hill Food Co-op is now open: Monday 1:30pm - 8pm Wednesday 6pm - 10pm Saturday 10am - 4pm Head on over to shiftplanning.com and grab a future Monday shift! We need to fill those up to keep Mondays going!

SQUASH! This is the time of year when you are required to eat squash. The Greene Hill Food Co-op can help. We carry four or five different kinds of squash most weeks. Including but not limited to: Acorn (Carnival, Gold, Green, White) Butternut Gold Hubbard Green Acorn Kabocha Winter Pumpkin Neck Queensland Blue Spaghetti Sucrine Du Berry Sweet Dumpling Thelma Sanders If you know a lot about squash, this list is very exciting to you. If you don’t, start Googling, or just pick up a huge pumpkin for the ridiculously low price of $4.64. You can find a delicious Moroccan spiced spaghetti squash recipe (and other Co-op recipes) on our website.

TIME TO CAST ELECTION BALLOTS Please use the link below to cast your ballot online for election of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of Greene Hill Food Co-op. Instructions for voting can be found on the ballot. Online voting ends at 7:00pm on Oct. 16th. Paper ballots will also be available at the Oct. 16th General Meeting. CAST YOUR BALLOT HERE If you experience trouble casting your ballot contact Silas Allard at si.webster@gmail.com.

CHILD CARE + BIJA YOGA? We know it is difficult to make time work and shop in our small aisles when you have little ones to care for. That is why we are so excited to introduce Bija Kids -- which has preschool and afterschool programs that teach yoga and meditation -- and it's just steps from the Co-op. The founder of Bija Kids, Lauren Maples (a new Co-op member!), is very interested in collaborating with us to find creative solutions to our childcare needs. So much so that she is currently offering a special discount (for Coop members only!) of 10% off all classes and birthday parties, and 5% off preschool, after school, and camp programs. Just mention you're a member when you sign up. We couldn't dream of finding childrens' programs more aligned with Green Hill Food Co-op than this! Stay tuned as we continue to work with Bija Kids to find more affordable childcare options!

SECRETARY Want a great opportunity to take part in the General Meeting while earning your work credit? Nominate yourself or a friend to be Secretary of the Greene Hill Food Co-op! The secretary attends the general meetings and notes all votes and decisions, then post the minutes online. If you're interested please contact governance@greenehillfood.coop

MEMBERSHIP POINTS Membership Office Shifts have been fixed over at shiftplanning.com, and now we need you to sign up for these shifts. It’s particularly important for people to sign up for these shifts as we welcome more and more members in the store, and we get in touch with members who are missing two or more shifts. Questions? Contact membership@greenehillfood.coop At long last, here is a link to the Membership Handbook! Make yourself a cup of tea and have a read. At the last General Meeting, it was agreed that a small group of members would help prepare a recommendation to take to the GM in January for members to access their banked hours in some shape or form beginning in February 2013. This group will also help the membership committee implement any procedures necessary. We need 2-3 members to work on this between now and mid January; without help, we cannot move forward on accessing banked hours! Contact membership@greenehillfood.coop The Membership Relief Council needs a facilitator! What is the Membership Relief Council? It is a small group of members who provide council at the General Meeting about questions submitted by members in regard to one or several components of their membership. We are looking for someone who can facilitate these exchanges via email with the group and prepare recommendations to be discussed and hopefully approved at the general meeting. Contact membership@greenehillfood.coop This group cannot function without a facilitator, and right now, we have one pending question to be discussed, so please sign up and release our question!

MORE ON THE MURAL At the Fall Celebration, attendees were asked to provide their input on the future of the mural on the back of the building through an interactive activity. Melissa Godoy Nieto created signs asking attendees to write their ideas for themes, imagery, and colors for the mural. Volunteers Melissa Godoy Nieto and Julie Flynn staffed the activity station, explaining the activity and encouraging people to participate. Attendees contributed over 100 ideas and comments about the mural through this activity. While the ideas are quite varied, key themes of “community,” “farm to table,” and “nature” led the way and will likely be a part of what eventually becomes our mural. To get involved in the mural-making process, send an email to Rachel Robbins at rrobbins46@gmail.com

MEET A FELLOW CO-OP MEMBER: JAMES Q: What are some of your favorite things to buy at The Co-op? My number one favorite thing? Barry’s Tempeh. It’s a revelation. I get a jar of sauerkraut, a jar of vegan mayonnaise (to mix up some homemade 1,000 Island dressing), fry up the tempeh in olive oil with a finishing splash of tamari, and bam – Vegan Reuben. Cheese is for the weak. Q: What sort of jobs have you worked at The Co-op? I’ve been slowly working my way up from Checkout Assistant to Cashier, and now Cashier Leader. It’s all part of my nigh-secret plan to make shopping on Wednesday nights an all-out punk rock party. Shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. You’re not actually planning to print this right? Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your organization, National People's Action? We work with everyday people to change the world. Progressive people’s populist politics. We’re currently fighting with the big banks to get them to fix loans so that families can stay in their homes, and get them to stop investing in destructive industries like dirty coal, mountaintop removal, private prisons, and payday lending. I’m shocked that so many Co-op members still use Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Chase. Those banks are Satan. Move your money to a credit union or community bank now! Q: What are some ways that ordinary civilians like Joe Average Food Co-op Newsletter Reader can help work towards economic and racial justice in our community? Everyone should ask themselves some hard questions – am I involved in something that takes power away from corporations and the 1% and gives power to people instead? Am I aware of my race, class, gender, sexual identity, and how this impacts others? In thirty years, can I envision structural change that will bring about a new economy, just democracy, and racial justice? Am I involved with an effort or organization that will do this? If not, join or start something. No one is going to do this for you. Q: Do you there's anything wrong with enjoying a slice of pizza on the subway? What about a plate of spaghetti? Soup? Nope, nothing wrong with eating on the subway as long as you use a Full Body Cocoon ™ to prevent splatter and a Pocket Shop-Vac ™ for those inevitable times when you spill your soup all over the damn place. Q: I know you are soon to have your first baby. Any thoughts on becoming a dad? Holy &#^%#. This is really happening. Q: Did you know we're now open Mondays from 1:30 to 8? Thank goodness, I was wondering where to go during the day on Mondays for emergency bulk organic black beans.