FROM THE BOARD Keepi it cal

with Joanna Wnorowski Pecoraro

Do you ever wonder how our food co-op's got started? Or what it was like before every supermarket carried organic produce? Do you appreciate what you have in your pantry that came from the co-op? Do you know how we got here?

Once upon a time, women like me (with help from dads) studied old fashioned ways, planted gardens, harvested local fruit and met up to create buying clubs. We wanted control over where our food came from and we wanted our own system to be independent from huge corporations.

At the time we couldn't easily get the high quality organic food we wanted. We split 25 and 50 pound sacks of beans, rice, and sugar. We sat on the floor of our living rooms while keeping toddlers occupied. Then a truck from Mountain People's Warehouse would arrive at one home and we would hustle there for pick up. We enjoyed laughing and connecting. These buying clubs became small co-ops. Some made it longer and some didn't.

Co-ops had bulletin boards that directed us to resources like local midwives, children's activities and much more. Back then our co-ops sourced local fruit and met up to create buying clubs. We wanted control over where our food came from and we wanted our own system to be independent from huge corporations.

Look how far we have come! Things we couldn't find back then are at Safeway. You can buy herbal tinctures made in Oregon in New York City. What is important now is sourcing local produce and products as often as possible.

I was excited when I saw the opportunity to put in my application for the AFC Board last year. My experiences and studies in Oregon since the 1970's have been about healthy food, natural/integrated healing, group dynamics and collaboration, learning styles, teaching and storytelling. My family calls me the walking antenna. Over the decades I participated in many community projects in Ashland and Jackson county. I love bringing people together, matchmaking them for solutions.

In my 20's here in Jackson county, I was part of an organic farming collective. I chose another path for myself but some from the group went on to become certified organic farmers. From those early connections I have kept up relations and kept it going at our growers market. I love going out to farms throughout the year to see what they are growing. Before our local growers market got going in the mid 1990's our co-op was the only place to get organic produce!

When Tracy Fischer and the AFC Co-op marketing/education sta put on a focus group to hear what our Co-op community wanted, a top priority was more local produce and products. Tracy and I put our heads together and cooked up the idea of a Growers Focus group to hear directly from our farmers. Together, with our Produce Manager Joe Reyes, we held two round table sessions where farmers shared their successes as well as their challenges. Sitting together created a collaboration opportunity for the farmers as well.

Congruently, another key event was happening: AFC brought the sta management team and Board of Directors together to explore what areas could use some attention for the next few years and pick top priorities which stem from our Co-op values.

As a result of this we have created the Farmers Refresh Initiative Committee, made up of Board members and sta members. This committee is exploring how we can find solutions for growers and create an incentive for budding farmers. We have been fortunate to have the ability to allocate funds for this endeavor and we will continue to educate ourselves, as well as network and connect with our local farmers. We will find creative ways to market our local produce so it is more prominent.

Our Co-op has been about building relationships all these decades. It is a key component of why people shop with us, become Owners, and become a part of our community.

AFC has changed in many ways these last 50 years. We have expanded and adapted and will continue to do so!

WE LOVE LOCAL . . .