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Catching You Up on Co-Op News
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Though the weather has been crazy lately, it will soon officially be spring!
Join us for the first Open House of the season on Saturday, April 8. This is a fun way to get new members to join the Co-op, so tell your friends and family that anyone is welcome to shop!
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We need all hands on deck to keep the Co-op running smoothly.
Please stay current with your work shifts and, if you have time, sign up to bank extra hours by filling in some open slots. If you’re looking for a new opportunity, we have lots of options listed in the
Help Wanted section below. We’re seeking
Membership Desk representatives to welcome and sign up new members. We’re also
hiring new Store Coordinators, a paid, part-time position.
Meet Jill Hoffman, health coach and outreach committee member, in this month’s
Co-op Q&A.
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Do you have a vision for the Co-op? Want to be part of its five-person board? Or know a member who is interested? A member who is inclined to think in terms of ‘dollars and sense’ would be a great fit to fill this spot. The election will be held at our meeting on Wednesday April 19th, 7-9pm. Of course, work credit applies.
See Article 4 in the bylaws. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please email
governance@greenehillfood.coop for next steps.
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What's Up Next at the Co-op?
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The Co-op’s
next board meeting is on Wednesday, March 29, from 7 pm to 9 pm, at the store (18 Putnam Ave) and the April board meeting scheduled for April 26. Board meetings are open to all members. Join us and get a better understanding of the Co-op's priorities and decision-making process. You can view past agendas and meeting notes online at
http://www.greenehillfood.coop/category/meeting-notes/.
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Shout Out to our Newest Co-op Members
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Help us give a warm welcome to the latest additions to our Co-op community!
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Green A
Amir B
Blake B
Ariadne B
Gonzalo C
Jesse F
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Leanne J
Karma J
Lauren L
Tristan O
Sara S
Abby W
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New to the Co-op? Get Oriented!
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Orientations are a chance to learn more about the history of the Co-op and how it works. They’re also a great opportunity to meet fellow new member-owners!
All new members are required to attend an orientation session. The next one is coming up soon: Sunday, April 2 from 11 am to 12 pm. We’ve also now posted Facebook events for the orientations so you can see the dates several months out and RSVP.
Check it out! Orientations last one hour, take place at the Co-op, and
earn you a full work shift credit. You can also RSVP or direct any questions to
membership@greenehillfood.coop.
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Spring is in the air and we’re getting ready for our next Open House. Come celebrate with us!
We’ll have free food samples, music and festivities. These events are a great way for the Co-op to bring in new members. In fact, anyone that signs up at the Open House will save $25 on the admin fee! Help us spread the word by forwarding this email to friends and family. Be sure to let them know that ALL are welcome to shop!
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Done Your Work Shift Lately?
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To keep our co-op open and humming smoothly seven days a week,
it’s more important than ever that all member-owners work their shifts. And it’s vital for our long-term growth and success. We can’t order the goods, stock the shelves, track the finances or a million other things without you!
All member-owners are required to work
a minimum of 2½ hours (one standard shift) every four weeks. If you’re behind on hours, please sign up now for a make-up shift or two. It’s easy and contributes to keeping the store running smoothly. We have plenty of shifts to choose from! Simply log into
Shift Planning and find what works for you. Any excess hours you work are banked for you to apply later.
If you’re in good standing, consider banking extra hours by signing up to work red highlighted shifts on the
Shift Coverage Sheet. Every shift helps!
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Paid Positions! Store Coordinator Job Openings
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The Co-op is looking for additional Store Coordinators to support store operations, member training, and education. These positions will involve a combination of retail grocery management and community organizing. During their first six months, new hires will be Store-Coordinators-in-Training. Depending on individual availability, this position ranges from 8-20 hours per week at $18/hour.
You can see more details about the job on the Co-op website.
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Urgently Seeking Membership Desk Representatives
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We need a total of four folks to fill this recurring, in-store shift on either Saturday or Sunday. You choose the day and the 2 ½ hour timeframe that works best for you! We’re looking to fill four shifts—one for each week in the work cycle.
Responsibilities include:
- Signing up new members
- Answering member questions
- Helping with Membership Committee administrative work (answering emails, updating membership records, etc.)
Training will be provided by a current Membership Committee member. Interested? Have questions? Contact Chad Donnick at
membership@greenehillfood.coop.
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Product Spotlight: Dr. Bronner's Soap
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If you’re looking to start your day with a sudsy, all-natural zing, try Dr. Bronner’s liquid or bar soap. We have a whole rainbow of scents here at the Co-op: tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rose, almond, and peppermint. And while you’re smelling great, you’ll be supporting high ecological standards, progressive business practices and Dr. Bronner’s All-One mission.
The soap company, famous for it’s peace-promoting label, was founded by Dr. Emil Bronner, a German-Jewish refugee and third-generation soap maker who came to America in 1929. His passion for all-natural soap went hand-in-hand with his mission to spread world peace in the wake of the Holocaust and World War II. According to the Dr. Bronner
website, “He used the labels on his superb ecological soaps to spread his message that we must realize our unity across religious & ethnic divides or perish: We are All-One or None!”
Today, the company is run in part by Dr. Bronner’s grandson, David, who steered the soap company into a zero-waste operation. They source all major raw products from Fair Trade sources, and they’re certified organic. When you use products with virtuous designations such as these, you know that what you’re using is safe for your body, the earth, and our waterways. Looking for one more reason to add a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s to your basket? They practice what they call “
constructive capitalism,” through which the company shares it’s profits with its employees and suppliers in every link of the supply chain.
Placing a special order of Dr. Bronner’s soaps makes for big savings! Save 25% off the store price when you purchase in bulk. Write to
specialorders@greenehillfood.coop.
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Social Justice Spotlight: Donate at the Register to the Audre Lord Project
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In the spirit of cooperative principle #7—concern for community-—please consider adding a donation to your grocery purchase at register to support the
Audre Lorde Project (ALP). ALP is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color center for community organizing, focusing on the New York City area. Through mobilization, education and capacity-building, ALP works for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice. You can learn more and donate directly online on
their website.
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Spicy Roasted Broccoli with Almonds
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This recipe gives boring old broccoli a kick in the pants with the spice of ginger and garlic. Feel free to add more or less to your taste. The sauce is so good and there’s lots left over to pour over rice, tofu or any protein you like.
Serves 2-4.
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- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T tamari
- 1 T sesame oil
- ½ T rice wine vinegar
- ½ T fresh ginger, minced
- ½ T garlic, minced
- 2 T toasted almonds, chopped
- 2 T scallions, sliced
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Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling. Blanch broccoli for 30 seconds and remove to large bowl of ice water to shock and stop cooking. Remove the broccoli, drain and set aside. Once drained, toss in olive oil.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. While it’s heating, make the sauce by combining, tamari, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger and garlic. Set aside.
Roast broccoli on a sheet pan until slightly crispy, about 25 minutes. Remove and toss in two tablespoons of the sauce. Serve on a platter or in a bowl and garnish with the almonds and scallions. Simple and delicious!
Cost estimate: $6 total or $1.50 - $3 per serving.
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The Co-op Q&A With Jill Hoffman
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This month we were thrilled to interview Jill Hoffman, who is a health coach and a member of the Outreach committee.
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Photo courtesy of Jill Hoffman.
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Q: When did you join the Co-op and what inspired you?
A: I joined four years ago. I am a health coach so I’m really into health and nutrition. I’ve always been looking for ways to get access to healthier and organic foods. I really like the idea of being a part of a growing community, and having access to healthy, local foods. That for me was a big deal. We come here once a week and do most of our shopping here because it has everything that we need!
Q: What are some of the perks of being a member, in your opinion?
A: The food is really, really good and it’s cheaper than at a lot of places. We eat lots of produce, so it just makes sense! That’s a big incentive for us. Plus it’s easy. When we come here, it’s not packed—when we go to Fairway it’s a big process, a lot to navigate and very crowded. It’s not a big deal to come here! It’s nice to come in and feel a community here, getting to know people in the area.
Q: What is your role at the Co-op and what are some of the things you’re working on?
A: I’m the chair of the Outreach committee, and we’re getting ready for our next open house, which will be on April 8. We try to make it an event, with food demos and lots of volunteers. We’re also interested in finding a way for members to raffle their services and talents—so stay tuned!
We’re also trying make sure that trial members feel taken care of. We’re following up with trial members, asking for their feedback, and finding out how we can improve.
Q: What do you like to do outside of the Co-op?
A: I enjoy Latin dancing, yoga, meditation and kickboxing. I also love taking my dog on walks in the park.
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All members work a 2½ hour shift every 4 weeks. It's part of being a member/owner. Here are some opportunities to earn work credit.
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PHP/LAMP Stack Developer Needed for IT Committee The IT Committee is looking for help with the Co-op’s public-facing website (www.greenehillfood.coop) as well as our internal systems, including our CRM and Shift Planning. If you have skills with PHP, Drupal, MySQL and CRMs (we use CiviCRM), then we could use your expertise. This work can be done remotely and is critical to ongoing success of our co-op. For further information, email Chad Donnick at membership@greenehillfood.coop.
Finance Committee Members Needed! If you have an interest in being involved in the day-to-day financial operations or finance strategy for the Co-op, please email finance@greenehillfood.coop.
Finance Office Assistant Shifts Available Interested in doing some office work at the store? Your role would focus on handling invoices and entering data into our accounting software. You'll get all the training and guidance you need, while working at a dedicated Finance desk and computer, and you'd be helping the Co-op produce financial statements on a regular basis. You can set your own hours! Please email officeassistant@greenehillfood.coop if you'd like to join us.
Inventory Committee Members Needed!
Inventory links Merchandising and Finance, and has a foot in both worlds. This particular role involves becoming an expert in Revel systems.The data in Revel feeds into our financial reporting to help us keep the business sound and provides important information and analysis to the Merchandise Committee when they make decisions about what to buy for our store. It also supports cashiers so that everything scans correctly at the point of sale.
The key to all of this is excellent data integrity--and we need a few more experts! The weekly receiving and counting tasks require a shift in the store, but it’s not a set time, so it’s also great if you need something slightly more flexible! This role requires sitting at the computer and is very detail oriented.
Please contact GHFC-Inventory-team@googlegroups.com if you are interested.
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Looking for Leaders: New Member Orientation Do you know the Co-op in and out? Do you like speaking to others about the Co-op? We’re looking for new folks to help run the monthly orientations. You need only commit to a minimum of two orientations for an entire year. They last one hour, and you get a full work shift credit for conducting them. Help us educate the new generation of Co-op member-owners! Contact Membership@greenehillfood.coop if you are interested.
Is Social Media Your “Thing”?
Join the social media team! Help us keep the Co-op Facebook, Twitter and Instagram going. Our aim is to keep members-owners informed, on everything from events to hours to product spotlights. If you’d like to fulfill your work hours remotely by helping out with social media, please email socialmedia@greenehillfood.coop for details.
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Et cetera
Credits: Dr. Bronner’s image courtesy of the website, recipe picture by Molly Neuman, “try a sample,” work shift and membership desk pics by Kelsey Chauvin; photo of Jill Hoffman and friend courtesy of Jill Hoffman.
The Greene Hill Food Co-op Newsletter is edited and published by (in alphabetical order) Carola Burroughs, Sonia Garbes Putzel, DK Holland, Alexandra (Aly) Miller, Molly Neuman, Shannon Sodano Heffernan, Alejandro Varela, and Gitta Zomorodi. Contact us with any feedback, suggestions, or requests at newsletter@greenehillfood.coop.
Join and/or follow the Greene Hill Food-Op!
Interested in joining the Greene Hill Food Co-op? Check out our website to learn about membership, Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. Or simply stop by our store at 18 Putnam Avenue (off Grand Avenue) with any questions!
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