July 2014 Newsletter

THE GREENE HILL FOOD COOP - JULY 2014 NEWSLETTER

In this issue Greetings! Welcome to July! We hope you have been enjoying yourselves this summer. We have some very important news to share with you. First, please be sure to come to the Next General Meeting on Thursday July 24th at 7pm. This meeting is very important, and your attendance counts towards work hours! Next up are some amazing opportunities to support local business and get discounts with your Greene Hill keyfob! Make your Co-op membership go even farther by checking out local restaurants and businesses. We know you love your Co-op, and you know that the store cannot run without your help! Please be sure to complete your work shifts every month and don’t forget to come during our shopping hours! If you want to get involved even more, check out the call for nominations to the Board of Directors. Trying to stretch every ounce of fun out of summer? Get your stretch on with Free School Yoga! Think nut butters are just for sandwiches? Think again! This month our product spotlight features the stores popular nut butters. Feeling fruity instead? Try making a summer salsa featuring peaches, nectarines, and peppers. Last but not least, scan through our Help Wanted section to see if there are any new ways you want to get involved at Greene Hill! Have a great month, and happy shopping!

Greene Hill News Next General Meeting: July 24th, 7pm Have questions about the Co-op? Have concerns? At each general meeting, there’s time for members to bring these up. Join us on July 24th, at 138 South Oxford St. from 7-9pm, and don’t hold back! You’ll get work credit and participate in running your Co-op. Some of the topics we will be discussing include: Learning what our Education Committee has planned for the future. Reasons to increase work shift requirements for all members. Review of our Store Coordinator and potential for hiring a second position. For more details, check out the Thursday July 24th meeting agenda. And save the date for the subsequent meeting on Monday, September 23rd. (Please note there is no General Meeting in August).

Greene Hill News Capitalize on your Co-op membership at local businesses The Win-Win-Win Program supports local businesses that support the Co-op. Co-op members can show their membership fob at participating businesses to receive discounts on meals, goods and services. Get great deals like 10% off at ICI and Olea, and more! Check out greenehillfood.coop/winwinwin often to see which of your favorite local businesses is offering new deals! Know a business that the Co-op should support (and where you'd love to get a discount)? Contact outreach@greenehillfood.coop to get them in on Win-Win-Win! Here are the first businesses to come on board: Alice's Arbor http://alicesarbor.com/ 5% discount at the restaurant and in the store, applicable to Co-op members and their immediate family Bija Kids http://www.bijakids.com/ 10% off camp registrations, birthday parties and afternoon playgroup. Maximum discount offered is $250 per Co-op family. Dou Yoga http://www.dou-yoga.com/ Community Discount rate: 1 drop in class for $12, 5-class pack for $55, 10-class pack for $99 Fulton Bikes http://www.fultonbikes.com/ Tune-ups for $35 in the fall (exact dates TBD) ICI http://www.icirestaurant.com/ 10% off (excluding Happy Hour or PF Wednesday) (Tip not included; that is, please tip on the undiscounted amount.) Olea http://www.oleabrooklyn.com/ 10% off entire bill (Tip not included; that is, please tip on the undiscounted amount.) Thirst http://thirstmerchants.com/ 5% off discountable items Life’s a Beach but We Need You at the Co-op by Renée Bergan, Vice President and DK Holland, Board Member It’s summer time, and the beach beckons... but with that comes a lull in sales and open work shifts at the Co-op. We’ve made huge improvements on our members’ shopping experience, such as the new fridges, Sunday shopping hours, and soon we’ll have a new point of sales system that will help you check out more quickly. But improvements require cash and labor. This is where you come in! The summer lull in sales and members that don’t show up for their shift affects our store operations tremendously. But you can easily change that. If all our active members spent only $20/more a month, we could make even more improvements towards a better store and shopping experience for all members. So don’t forget to shop! And don’t forget to do your work shift either! The rewards are enormous: here’s to awesome savings, great food and good community! Greene Hill Food Co-op Board of Directors Annual Election Call for Nominees Have you been a member of the Co-op for over a year? Are you looking to get more involved in the administration of the organization? The Co-op is looking for a few new members for the Board of Directors! Membership on the board means that you will be taking a very active role in the business of the Co-op, and you get work credit for your time! The board of directors is responsible for overseeing the monthly general meetings and helping to see through to action any decisions made by the membership. The directors are expected to attend the general meetings as often as possible, to ensure a quorum and full participation. They may also meet outside of the General Meetings to discuss and take action on any important topics. To be a director you must be a member in good standing with a minimum of one year of membership. If this is you, and you would like to become more involved in the workings of the Co-op, then send an email to governance@greenehillfood.coop, with a bit of explanation about any experience that you might have that would make you a good candidate for the Greene Hill Board of Directors. Good luck! Work Shift Contact Information Update Please note that the shifts@greenehillfood.coop email is being checked only a few times a week. For a more timely response, especially if you will be missing a shift, please email allison@greenehillfood.coop or call the store at 347-799-1939. If you need to permanently drop a shift, have changes made to your Shift Planning account, or questions that don't require an immediate response, you can continue to email shifts@greenehillfood.coop with these requests. Accessible Community Yoga Credit:Tara Eden Photography: http://www.taraeden.com/ In December 2011, Greene Hill Food Co-op member Gwendolyn Beetham, and friend to the Co-op (and member of the Park Slope Food Coop!) Christina Ferwerda started Free School Yoga. The collaborative project was born out of their love of practice and desire to share it with their friends and neighbors in Clinton Hill. Guided by this love for the community and the belief that yoga should be accessible to everyone, they offered their weekly classes on a sliding-scale. Today, Gwendolyn, Christina, and fellow teacher Heather Morowitz continue to offer yoga classes in the community, together with occasional workshops on nutrition and Ayurvedic principles run by a certified holistic health counselor. Weekly Free School Yoga classes take place on Sundays at the Brooklyn Free School (Clinton Avenue between Greene Avenue and Lafayette) and are open to all, regardless of experience. Students include advanced yogis, beginners, new and expectant parents, those working with injuries, and those who are looking to exercise both their body and mind. The teachers are available to schedule affordable private sessions and other wellness services, such as Thai massage and nutrition counseling. This August, they are offering their first weekend retreat at Bethel Farm Yoga & Living Art Center in New Hampshire. Being active in the community is an important part of Free School Yoga's mission, and they have partnered with local businesses and organizations, including the Brooklyn Free School, Brooklyn Public Library (Clinton Hill Branch), Clifton Place Community Garden, Early Life Early Childhood Education, and...the Greene Hill Food Co-op! If you see Gwendolyn shopping or working (she's a member of the Finance Committee), feel free to get in touch and ask her more. You can also visit the Free School Yoga website at freeschoolyoga.com, or find them on Facebook.

Product Spotlight: Nut Butters Credit: onceagainnutbutter.com One of our most popular categories at the Co-op is nut butters. From big-business Smuckers to the more local Once Again and the unconventional Justin’s (to name just a few), we stock a variety of brands and types. Nut butters are an excellent source of protein and energy, great for cheap and easy lunches and snacks, as well as some tasty recipes (try this one for African groundnut stew, or this one for sesame noodles). Smuckers natural peanut butters are friendly to your wallet and they’re made of just peanuts and salt. Some people prefer creamy, but the crunchy is our best seller by far. Once Again nut butters fly off our shelves. Like us, they’re an employee-owned, democratically run company, and since 1976 they’ve been making GMO-free, organic almond, cashew, and sunflower butter, as well as sesame tahini in rural Nunda, NY. For something a little more unusual, we also stock Justin’s, which is produced in Colorado. Founder Justin Gold started small, selling his home-blended nut butters at the Boulder, CO farmer’s market, but eventually went national. Justin’s makes peanut butter, sure, but that’s not all: our most popular Justin’s product is the chocolate hazelnut butter, which is creamy, chocolatey, and just plain delicious. You can also check out the Justin’s peanut butter cups just above the cookies if you want even more peanutty goodness.

Recipe: Mild Peach/Nectarine and Pepper Salsa Yields 4 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup salsa) $5.40 per recipe ($1.35/serving) using nectarines, and $5.24 or $5.31 per recipe ($1.31 or $1.33/ serving) using the currently listed price for white and yellow peaches, respectively. Ingredients 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped peaches or nectarines 1 cup chopped bell pepper (about 1 medium) 1/3 cup thinly sliced spring onion 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons) chopped fresh oregano, to taste 1 garlic clove, minced 1/8 teaspoon salt Directions Combine all ingredients and toss gently. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. This is a great accompaniment to grilled fish in the summer and is also a lovely sweet dip!

Help WantedAll members work a 2 hour shift every 4 weeks. It's part of being a member /owner. Here are some opportunities to earn work credit. Like Our Newsletter? Join Our Team and Work from Home! The Newsletter team is looking for a chair and/or new member. The responsibilities will include the general oversight of the newsletter workings and helping out with monthly tasks, such as getting material for publication from other committees, adding artwork and ensuring a consistent tone of the newsletter, copy-editing, and incorporating feedback from the board. Majority of the work will predictably fall during the first and/or third weeks of the month. Interested? Contact newsletter@greenehillfood.coop. New Members Needed for the Governance Committee The Governance Committee needs at least three new members in order to continue to ensure that the Co-op complies with local, state and federal laws, as well as our own by-laws. Regular governance committee member tasks include: Conducting annual and interim board/officer elections as needed. Assisting with getting necessary permits and licenses. Maximizing our organizational capacity through occasional formal strategic planning meetings, ongoing informal project management efforts, and a variety of process suggestions. Getting answers to legal issue questions as they arise. Contact us at governance@greenehillfood.coop. Board of Directors Seeks a Secretary Have you been a member of the Co-op for over a year? Are you looking to get more involved in the leadership of the organization? The Co-op is looking for a new Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for ensuring that minutes are taken at the monthly general meetings and at board meetings, that they are kept in a safe, accessible repository, and are posted on the Co-op’s website. The Secretary is not required to attend every monthly meeting and board meeting, however, s/he is responsible for delegating the task of minute-taking to another individual if s/he cannot be present. To be the Secretary you must be a member in good standing with the Co-op. Interested? Send an email to governance@greenehillfood.coop for details! Help Wanted! Design Build is Looking for New Members with Building and Millwork Experience or an Architecture/Design Background to Fill Supporting Roles There is also an opening for a new co-chair. Please email DesignBuildout@GreeneHillFood.coop if you are interested in helping us with the Expansion Space Buildout! There are plenty of hands-on and design tasks at the moment and on the radar for coming months including: expansion space buildout planning compost turning shifts carpentry work millwork design and fabrication maintenance New Tabling and Canvassing Opportunities It’s finally summertime, which means our tabling season is in full swing! Are you interested in a shift that’s outdoors in the sun? Do you like to talk to people and engage with your community? Then this is the job for you! Just sign up on ShiftPlanning (under the label, “community tabling”) for the location of your choice. Please make sure to review the tabling instructions and contact Juliana at tabling@greenehillfood.coop before embarking on your shift. We also need canvassers to help spread the word about the Co-op! This is a great job for those of you who want to work on a flexible schedule, take strolls around the neighborhood, and love to talk with people. Canvassers pick an area and drop off promotional material at restaurants, stores, churches, apartment buildings (with their approval) and to passers-by on the streets. A copy of the canvassing map is available here. E-mail outreach@greenehillfood.coop and tabling@greenehillfood.coop if you’re interested in joining the team! Special Events Tabling Coordinator Needed The Outreach Committee is looking for a Special Events Tabling Coordinator for one-time events where the Co-op can promote healthy eating and shopping, such as local health fairs, food festivals and other appropriate events. This person will coordinate with the event organizers about the logistics of the day, and then organize and schedule tablers to represent the Greene Hill Food Co-op at these events. This role sometimes includes working with the Education Committee to coordinate food demos at these events. We already have a list of special events to start with, but this is a great job for someone who enjoys finding new opportunities for Outreach within the community. This is a 5-month position only (June-Oct.) and can be done from the comfort of your own home and on your own time. But having clear communication skills is key. If you’re interested, please contact Tara at outreach@greenehillfood.coop to learn more! Outreach Committee Administrative Co-Chair The Outreach Committee is in need of a new co-chair! This is the perfect job for someone who wants to work from home – great for parents! Our committee consists of several sub-committees, headed by fabulous leaders, who keep things moving smoothly out in the field. We now need someone to take on a few administrative duties like Outreach email correspondence, drafting of meeting agendas/notes, and approval of hours. This co-chair would also attend our monthly meetings when possible. The position may require some time additional time (2-4 hours per month), so this is also ideal for people wanting to bank hours for future time off. One year commitment is requested. If you're interested please email: outreach@greenehillfood.coop. Operations Committee Co-Chair and New Members The role of the Operations Committee is to establish procedures to ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the store. These include: Developing and updating written maintenance procedures and schedules for our physical plant and equipment along with contact and operations lists with information on procedures to be followed in case of emergency. Maintaining necessary supplies (reordering if necessary) on hand for regular cleaning and maintenance (e.g. twine, trash bags, ink, price gun stamps, tape, etc.) Providing descriptions and a list of responsibilities for each work shift, including opening, store operations, closing and receiving. Creating and clearly labeling areas for storage of practical materials needed for store function. Coordinating preparations for government inspections. Coordinating preparations for utilities, repairs, exterminator visits. Liaising with various committees necessary to store operation (IT, Merchandising, Finance, Branding) on ongoing needs. Coordinating snow removal. Contact us at ops@greenehillfood.coop.

Et cetera Credits: Free People Yoga photo by Tara Eden Photography: http://www.taraeden.com/; Recipe and photos by Shannon K Sodano. The Greene Hill Food Co-op Newsletter is edited and published by (in alphabetical order) Anna Avrekh, Carola Burroughs, Roxanne Earley, Sonia Garbes-Putzel, Debbie Grossman, and Alexandra Miller. Contact us with any feedback, suggestions, or requests at newsletter@greenehillfood.coop. Join or follow the Greene Hill Food Co-op! Interested in joining the Greene Hill Food Co-op? Check out our website to learn about membership, like us on Facebook, or stop by our store at 18 Putnam Ave. (off Grand Ave.) with any questions!