Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op / Fall 2014
Own It! Co-op Ownership Drive
Bike 4 Zambia A 3,000+ Mile Ride
History of Co-ops From Rochdale to Roanoke
optimist Advertising The Co-optimist is a publication of Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. For advertising information, please e-mail info@roanokenaturalfoods.coop or call (540) 904-5700. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op Grandin Village 1319 Grandin Road, SW Roanoke, VA 24015 Open 8am - 9pm, Every Day Phone: (540) 343-5652 Fax: (540) 343-5711 Market Square 1 Market Square, SE Roanoke, VA 24011 Open 10am - 7pm, Sunday & Monday 9am - 7pm, Tuesday - Saturday Phone: (540) 904-2733 Fax: (540) 343-5711 Staff General Manager: Bruce Phlegar Human Resources Manager: Elizabeth Wilson Finance Manager: Mukesh Vora Marketing Manager: John Bryant Store Manager, Market Square: Jon Shup Farm Manager: Conor Rice Center Store Manager: Lisa Balkom Front End Manager: Heidi Garrabrant Wellness Manager Elizabeth Good Deli/Bakery Manager: Missy Martin Specialty Foods Manager: Diana McGuire Produce Manager: Emily McDonald Editor John Bryant john@roanokenaturalfoods.coop Design & Layout Joe Burge Photography Jim Crawford Contributors Bonny Branch John Bryant Gayle Cooley Jim Crawford Board Of Directors President: Gayle Havens Cooley Vice President: Bob Capper Treasurer: Ron McCorkle Secretary: Sandy Taylor Amanda Copeland Sam Eakin Ian Fortier Bryan Hantman Kerstin Plunkett Krista Stevenson Content of this newsletter should not be used or construed as medical advice. On the Cover: Olivia Wolfe picking cherry tomatoes from the hoop house at Heritage Point. Photo by Jim Crawford. www.roanokenaturalfoods.coop © 2014 Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op
2 Co-optimist
Welcome John Bryant Marketing Manager
With the summer coming to a close and our once eagerly anticipated travels now simply memories that occupy a lot of space in our minds, phones and digital cameras, if you’re like me you’re just now reflecting on your summer treks. In April, I spent a cold and rainy, but admittedly exciting, week in St. Paul, MN - home of Charles Schulz - at the National Cooperative Grocers Association’s (NCGA) Annual Meeting where our GM Bruce Phlegar and I met with representatives from 142 different co-ops from across the country to discuss cooperative trends, growth, opportunities and to formally welcome eight new co-ops into the NCGA family including Fairbanks Community Co-op Market in Alaska. They didn’t seem to think it was that cold in Minnesota. Go figure. The following month I visited Milwaukee for the first time for Marketing Matters, a gathering of the marketing departments from NCGA co-ops. I’ve been traveling to Marketing Matters every year since I started with Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op in 2009 and I’ve made a lot of great co-op contacts and friends at this conference. While looking at all the faces around the room this year I, along with many others, focused on one seat that was empty. I didn’t know her well but I remember Claudia Rhodes , the Education and Outreach Coordinator for Seward Co-op in Minneapolis, thanking me for “keeping it fun” in 2013 at MM in Atlanta after my presentation on our co-op’s new urban farm, Heritage Point. Claudia and I shared many meals and conversations that week and drinks at the Publik Draft House across the street from our hotel. Four months later Claudia was on vacation, riding her bike near Cleveland, Miss., when she was struck and killed by a vehicle. Co-ops are family, whether it’s your neighborhood co-op or a national co-op, and our family will always miss Claudia and her encouraging spirit. I made a couple of personal trips this summer. On July 5th my wife, April, and I celebrated our 11th anniversary by making 11 stops along Route 11. She’s a planner. I also spent a “guy’s weekend” traveling to Baltimore to see my Yankees play the O’s, where I learned the pros and subsequent cons of Natty Boh. In this edition of the Co-optimist we look back at an epic journey by the co-op’s own Bob Morris. This summer he traveled, by bike, from Roanoke to San Francisco to raise money and awareness for the country of Zambia. We have a recap of the co-op’s Give Up! program including stories from three different organizations that benefitted from your pennies on the dollar this year. We also look at the history and journey of the cooperative movement. There’s also tons of new stuff going on at the co-op, news of which awaits you in the pages ahead. I hope you had a great summer full of wonderful travels and lasting memories. Be sure to enjoy the days to come, too. Here’s to “keeping it fun”!
O C T O B E R
OwnershiP Drive October is National Co-op Month and we celebrate every year with an Ownership Drive. In October we’re shooting to add 100 new owners to our co-op family. If you’re an owner, go tell your friends and family about the great benefits of ownership and get them on the bandwagon. And if you’re not an owner, well, what in tarnation are you waiting for? Join today!
OWNER
Chili COOKOUT
Sunday, Oct. 19 5:30 PM, free to owners Grandin co-op parking lot
The original Rochdale Pioneers Cooperative on 31 Toad Lane. Photo by Alex Liivet.
A Deeper Dive into
Co-op History Early Co-op Origins In early human societies, people learned to cooperate and work together to increase their success in hunting, fishing, gathering foods, building shelter, and meeting other individual and group needs. Historians have found evidence of cooperation among peoples in early Greece, Egypt, Rome, and Babylon, among Native American and African tribes, and between many other groups. Early agriculture would have been impossible without mutual aid among farmers. They relied on one another to defend land, harvest crops, build barns and storage buildings, and share equipment. These examples of informal cooperation—of working together—were the precursors to the cooperative form of business.
The First Cooperatives The earliest cooperatives appeared in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during the Industrial Revolution. As people moved from farms into the growing cities, they had to rely on stores to feed their families because they could no longer grow their own food. Working people had very little control over the quality of their food or living conditions. Those with money gained more and more power over those without. Early co-ops were set up as a way to protect the interests of the less powerful members of society—workers, consumers, farmers, and producers. In England consumers were frustrated by the abuses of store owners, many of whom adulterated products to increase their profits. In many cases, workers’ wages were paid in company chits—credit that could be used only at the company’s stores. The average consumer had very few choices and little control. Groups of people began experimenting with various methods 4 Co-optimist
of providing for their needs themselves. They decided to pool their money and purchase groceries together. When they purchased goods from a wholesale dealer and then divided them equally among themselves, they were surprised at the savings and higher quality of products they were able to obtain.
Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society In 1843 workers in the textile mills of Rochdale, England, went on strike. When the strike failed, the millworkers began to look for other ways to improve their lives. Instead of calling for another strike or asking charitable groups for help, workers decided to take control of one of the most immediate and pressing areas of their lives. They believed they needed their own food store as an alternative to the company store. Twenty-eight people founded the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society. After saving money for more than a year, these pioneers opened their co-op store at 31 Toad Lane on a cold December evening in 1844. Although the founders agreed to sell just butter, sugar, flour, and oatmeal, they also offered tallow candles for sale that night. They were forced to buy candles because the gas company refused to supply gas for the new group’s lights. The founders bought candles in bulk and sold what they didn’t use to their members. The Rochdale Pioneers weren’t the first group to try forming a co-op, but they were the first to make their co-op succeed and endure. To avoid the mistakes made by earlier co-op societies and to help others, they developed a list of operating principles governing their organization. This list formed the basis for what are now known as the cooperative principles. Rochdale is considered the birthplace of the modern cooperative movement.
Cooperation Grows in the United States In the United States, cooperatives of one sort or another have roots going back to colonial times. Like their counterparts in England, these early groups experimented with ways to band together and gain economic clout. From colonial times on, most early American co-ops were formed primarily for the benefit of farmers. Some co-ops helped farmers keep their costs low through joint purchases of supplies, such as feed, equipment, tools, or seed. Some marketing co-ops helped farmers obtain the best prices for their goods by combining their crops and selling in large quantities. Others, such as grain elevators or cheese-making co-ops, provided storage or processing services. Consumer groups in the United States began taking note of the early British consumer co-ops and the success of American farmers who worked together. They began forming consumer protection associations. Most early American co-ops failed due to insufficient capital (money invested by the owners), poor management, and a lack of understanding of the cooperative principles by their members. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that co-ops began to have true, long-lasting success in the United States.
Consumer Co-ops Make Waves In rural and urban areas alike, consumer co-ops were first organized to provide consumers with control and to fight the unfair practices of private and company stores. Over the years, consumer co-ops have experienced waves of growth and development, followed by periods of decline. The first of these waves began in the early 1900s with what was called the Rochdale plan. Under this plan, consumers organized buying groups to purchase from a cooperatively owned wholesaler. The wholesaler would then gradually help these buying clubs convert their operations into retail outlets by supplying management, inventory, and capital. In 1920 there were 2,600 consumer co-ops in the United States—all but 11 were general stores—and 80 percent were in towns with populations of less than 2,500. Combined sales volume for these stores was about $260 million. Unfortunately, when the wholesalers began having problems due to rapid growth, the whole system crumbled, and most co-ops were closed within the decade. The Great Depression of the 1930s triggered another great wave of co-op organizing in cities and rural areas. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal supported the growth of urban co-ops. Some leading consumer co-ops were launched in this period—in Berkeley, Palo Alto, Eau Claire (Wisconsin), Hanover (New Hampshire), Hyde Park (a Chicago neighborhood), and Greenbelt (Maryland—a suburb of Washington, D.C.). All of these stores survived to their 50th anniversaries. But in the 1980s, the co-ops in Berkeley and Greenbelt closed. The Palo Alto Co-op closed in 2001. The co-ops in Hanover, Eau Claire, and Hyde Park continue to operate to this day. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the “new wave” of consumer co-ops began. Born out of the ideas and philosophies of the 1960s counterculture, these stores were opened by young and idealistic members. They set up co-ops to fit their beliefs in equality, not to follow their co-op predecessors. Most of the new co-ops sold only
whole, unrefined, and bulk foods. Their operating practices were diverse and experimental. Some stores had limited store hours, others were open seven days a week. Some were run by volunteers, others by fully paid staff. Some had various forms of worker self-management, others had more traditional management structures. Some paid year-end patronage refunds, others gave members a discount at the cash register. These co-ops were pioneers in what came to be known as the natural foods industry. But not all were successful. Some failed because of their experimental structures and operating systems. Most were unable to escape the same problems that had troubled older, earlier co-ops—insufficient capital, inadequate membership support, an inability to improve operations as the natural foods industry developed, a stronger commitment to idealism than to economic success, the lack of adequate support from their wholesalers, and resistance to consolidation. But the “new wave” co-ops
Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op incorporated in 1975 during the boom of “new wave” consumer food co-ops in the United States. Today, the co-op has over 3,700 owners, employs 53 people and does 700+ transactions per day.
that survived are strong and well established. The consumer co-op movement in the United States has had mixed success— especially in contrast to consumer co-ops in Europe and Asia. But each wave of cooperative growth produces renewed enthusiasm for a time-tested idea and innovations that prove successful in the consumer marketplace.
» Authored by Karen Zimbelman, Development Director for
National Cooperative Grocers Association, for Stronger Together. Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop.
Fall 2014 5
GIVEUP!
Community Change Co-op Shoppers Making a Difference John Bryant, Marketing Manager
Reading Seeds Reading Seeds purchased 700 new books to give to youth in our community with the Give Up! money raised in May. Reading Seeds, which originated from the outreach efforts of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Roanoke Valley, sends a new book home with 135 students in Roanoke City Public Schools and TAP Head Start Programs every month. Co-op shoppers contributed over 5 months worth of new, quality books to this program. “We couldn’t believe how fabulous it was to see how much money was being raised,” said Amy Hatheway, Reading Seed’s cofounder and organizer. Hatheway, Co-Vice President of Planning & Resource Development for Total Action for Progress (TAP), had the idea for Reading Seeds after noticing data from a 2011 assessment showed that economic recovery was getting significantly better but the number of children in poverty was not declining. “Children who have books at home and are read to by loving adults do better in school,” Hatheway said, reciting a portion of Reading Seeds’ mission, “and education is one of the best ways of combating poverty.” “I have two kids and I see how much they like books,” said Reading Seeds volunteer, Lori Livingston. “It’s heartbreak6 Co-optimist
ing to see kids who don’t have that. These kids are so excited to get new books.” Reading Seeds purchases quality, new books. By purchasing in bulk they receive significant savings, most books cost only $3. “The idea is that each child will have 9-12 new books at the end of the school year to start their own library,” says Livingston. “They love having their hands on a book of their very own.” uuroanoke.org/main/reading-seeds/
Lick Run Farm Give Up! money raised in April went to Lick Run Community Farm for the purpose of installing a well. The well supplies water to the farm that is now in its 3rd season of growing fruits and vegetables on 10th Street in NW Roanoke. However, it may surprise you to find out that farming isn’t the main reason Rick Williams started Lick Run Farm. “The vision statement doesn’t talk about farming primarily,” said Williams, a software engineer by day and member of the city planning commission, “it talks about using on-site agriculture production as a way to support a walkable village center.” Williams purchased the property that is now Lick Run Community Farm in 2010, and has since founded the Lick Run Community Development Corporation to oversee what he calls “an experiment in neighborhood revitalization in the Washington Park neighborhood of Roanoke.” The property, home to Crowell’s Nursery until it officially closed in 2000, was an eyesore riddled with trash in the heart of a neighborhood Williams cared for deeply. He organized a cleanup of the property in 2011 and hauled away two tractor-trailer loads full of trash. The following spring, Williams planted Lick Run’s first vegetables in place of the winter cover crop. “Others might look at our progress being pitifully slow, “ Williams said, “but I don’t look at it that way. This is not a top
Stock Photo
At your recent shopping trip to the co-op, our cashiers asked if you wanted to Give Up! The program, which began a year ago, provides Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op’s shoppers the opportunity to donate to local organizations making a difference in our community by simply rounding up a purchase to the nearest dollar at the registers. These pennies on the dollar are making a big difference in the Roanoke Valley. We caught up with three of our Give Up! recipients to find out how our shoppers’ contributions have helped their programs and to learn more about the exciting work happening within their organizations.
down development, where someone comes in and just does something. We’re growing permaculturally, but we’re also growing a community.” Williams said the farm has made real progress this year. They currently sell produce to the co-op, Local Roots, Tinnell’s, Lucky and Firely Fare. The Lick Run Community Market, open Saturdays 2pm-6pm, is also seeing a bump in traffic. Lick Run has hosted several neighborhood events as well as learning opportunities for students from Hollins University, Roanoke College and West End Center for Youth. “It’s encouraging that so many programs want to partner with us,” Williams said. “All of this reinforces the idea that Lick Run isn’t just a farm.” Williams plans to expand production next year in order to provide for more restaurants and markets in this ongoing experiment in neighborhood revitalization. “I don’t know how it will all work, or if I’ll see it in my lifetime,” he said, “but I get to lay the groundwork for others to continue the mission.” As for the well, “The water’s great,” Williams said. “It’s good quality and there’s plenty of it. It’s 240 feet deep and pumping 60 gallons per minute.” lickrun.org
BY THE NUMBERS Total Amount Given Since October: $21,675 Average Contribution: 42¢ Number of Contributions: 49,246 % of Shoppers Contributing to Give Up!: 21%
GIVE UP! RECIPIENTS Photo Jim Crawford Photo Ron Bailey
Historic City Market On average about 60 people are using their SNAP/EBT cards - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - at the Historic City Market in Downtown Roanoke every week. The market offers year-round produce and other food wares like it has since the market was founded in 1882. “We’re seeing a constant use of the EBT program,” said Downtown Roanoke, Inc’s (DRI) market manager, Tracie Hughes. “If you think about those 60 people buying food for their family of four, it’s a lot of people.” In July, $850 of EBT dollars were used at the Historic City Market. DRI manages the market, planning events and scheduling vendors to sell throughout the week. DRI also manages the doubling of SNAP/EBT dollars, up to $10 per customer per week. In order to fund this important program DRI has received contributions from Carilion, Foundation for the Roanoke Valley, and Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, which raised $1,385 in June through the Give Up! program. “People are so appreciative of the doubling of EBT dollars,” Hughes said. “I’ve had couples say they take the Smart Way bus
2014
Organization
Raised
January
Food For Thought
$2,059
Expand garden at JMMS
February
Apple Ridge Farm
$2,364
Send a Kid to Camp Scholarship
March
Heritage Point Farm
$2,411
Deer Fencing on the Slope
April
Lick Run Farm
$2,535
Installed a well system
May
Reading Seeds
$2,209
School book program
June
City Market
$1,385
Double EBT Dollars
July
Appalachian Trails
$997
Upgrades to App Trail in our area
August
Roanoke Greenways
$1,185
Bridge the Gap Campaign
September
Radio Free Roanoke
Purchase Equipment for Studio
October
Roanoke SPCA
Adoption Scholarships
November
Habitat For Humanity
ECO Building Supplies
December
Children’s Trust
Support 2 programs for youth
from Christiansburg to shop at our market and take advantage of this program.” Shoppers tell Hughes that they are shopping at the farmers’ market to lose weight and for renewed health. To that end, the Virginia Cooperative Extension teaches cooking demos on the market with recipe handouts and tips for participants on what to do with all the fresh food available on the market. Market Square, which houses the Historic City Market, reopened in April following a $1.1M renovation. On weekdays DRI produces a “Lunchtime Series” incorporating live music, theatre and regional art for the Market Square
Use
community. “We’re renewing the original idea of the market as a community space,” said Hughes. “Market Square originated as a place for people to sell and trade food and gather in the community. We’re bringing that original idea back.” The Historic City Market is open 10am4pm, 7 days a week year-round, but Saturday is certainly the busiest day with 40-50 vendors and constant activities for the whole family. downtownroanoke.org Top, Rick Williams at the Lick Run Community Market. Bottom Left, Reading Seeds donates over 1,000 books to at-risk youth each school year. Bottom Right, DRI’s Tracie Hughes with vendor Tim Belcher of Rolling Meadows Farm.
» Now Accepting Applications for 2015! Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op is taking applications for 2015 Give Up! Recipients Now - December 1. Organizations are selected based upon how well their mission and goals align with the co-op’s Ends.
Apply online at roanokenaturalfoods.com/give-up Fall 2014 7
Bike Jim Crawford Marketing Specialist
It is a fresh Easter Sunday morning out on the old Cement Road in southern Botetourt County, the closest the 76 Transcontinental Bike Route passes to downtown Roanoke. Bob Morris is busy packing his panniers, fitting them on his bicycle, and mentally preparing for the moment he has been dreaming of for quite some time: leaving. “I’d like to thank everybody for all the love and support that I have felt over the last few weeks,” he says, “and I am going to be taking that with me across the country.” With these last words, he mounts his bike he has named Francesca, and slowly rides off, disappearing down the country road. “That was the beginning of learning, not just the bike, but myself, my body,” Bob says, reflecting back on that extraordinary morning, some 70 days before. “There were a lot of aches and pains in those early weeks, but I reached a point where I was thoroughly enjoying most every day—like I had taken on a full-time job that I loved very much,” he says. The wellspring of this love of biking and the inception of this cross-country trip sprang from Bob’s two-year Peace Corps mission to Zambia in 2010 through 2012. A land-locked country in sub-Saharan Africa, Zambia is nearly seven times the size of Virginia. He lived for a year each in two villages, Munwa and Yasakwa in the 8 Co-optimist
Luapula Province bordering the Congo. The villages don’t show up on most maps of Zambia. “I lived in mud huts with no running water and no electricity, my primary transportation being a bicycle,” he says. “There was one paved road through our province and I racked up a lot of miles on that paved road and many more on the bush paths that sort of spider-webbed around the province. That’s where I fell in love with cycling.” His experience struck such a chord of “rightness” with this co-op owner and employee, that he conceived his bicycle trip from Roanoke to San Francisco along the 76 Bicentennial Bike Route as his personal mission to raise awareness of, and solicit donations to, the Peace Corps’ Zambia Country Fund. If you had shopped at the co-op last April and got an “Ante Up” chip for bringing your own shopping bag, you would have noticed Bob’s unusual organization among April’s four offerings available for a chip donation: Bike4Zambia. Overall, Bike4Zambia raised $1,050 for the Peace Corps Zambia Country Fund.
This money has already fully funded two village-level projects: a “trainingthe-trainers” course for nutrition workshops, and a Safe Motherhood Shelter construction project. The Bike4Zambia mission encompassed a lifetime of personal experiences for Bob, who turned 66 on the trip. He was leaving his family and friends on the east coast to transit the entire country by bicycle to meet family on the west coast. “For the most part, I rode alone,” he says, referring to the 3,000 mile “interior journey” between coasts. In the solitude of each new moment, of each breath, curve and hill, there arose a meditative understanding between his inner self and the journey. “A lot of times I was absorbed in just seeing the world as it passed,” he says. Life from the perspective of the bicycle saddle also reminded him of his time in Zambia. “I found myself at times riding through America and missing Zambia,” he says. He thought about the many villagers he’d come to know and respect, like the slight Zambian carpenter/woodworker, Moses Mwape, who would bicycle 70 miles each way to get a small bag of nails.
Once they passed each other on their bikes and Moses had yelled out, “Ba Bob, you are a strong man!” Even in this solitude, and possibly because of it, he found community on the road. Bob got to know a group of cyclists that were following the same route. “I was the slowest thing out there. What would typically happen was I would meet another cyclist or maybe two other cyclists, usually in a hostel. In the morning, I was always first to hit the road. But then invariably a few hours out, those people would pass me by and we would have a little rolling conversation for a little bit as we went down the road. Inevitably they would leave me and go on ahead,” he says. Being on the road, especially bike touring, there is a unique bond instantly established with the folks you meet. Bob was buoyed by the many good people that he met along the way. “Generous people, friendly, open people. People ready to engage and people ready to help,” he says. continues on page 10
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Fall 2014 9
He recalls his first flat tire on the trip as an example of this growing community. “It was between Carbondale and Murphysboro, Illinois on a highway, and I felt a tire going flat,” he says. “I had seen a storm gathering to the west in front of me for some time and the tire went flat just as the wind started to blow. It was quite obvious the storm was going to break over me, so I pulled off the side of the road and unloaded the bike and turned it upside down and started the task just as the sky opened up. In less than a minute I was drenched. It’s funny to me to think about what it must have looked like standing there in a downpour fixing a flat tire on a bicycle. Then a man pulled up in a car in the midst of the downpour and got out and asked me if I needed help,” he says, still touched by the kindness. “There were any number of times that people were there when I needed them and I didn’t have to go looking for them, they just showed up.” Once Bob entered Colorado, solitude conspired with the mountains and heat, 10 Co-optimist
and another hardship resulted. “With more mountains ahead of me and quite a few more miles to go, I sacrificed my computer,” he says. He sent it on ahead to his son, Seven, in San Francisco, not fully realizing he was severing himself from another unseen, more modern, community. “From that point forward, I really missed it, not only from the standpoint of having to let the blog slide but also from the sense of being in touch, from being able to connect with family and friends.” Then came Utah with 70-mile distances between resupply points, extreme grades and dry heat in the high 90’s. At one point, pushing Francesca up an endless climb, totally exhausted, “I just pushed off into the bushes and laid down under a cedar tree and went to sleep,” he recalls. The next day, he made it to the resupply point, which turned out to be more of a bait store that sold a few cans of this and that. The next morning he faced gale-force headwinds, making just 12 miles in three hours of riding. At one point, seeking refuge in a picnic shelter from the mid-day
sun, a Native American family—mom, dad, grampa, and 3 children—stopped in for a picnic. Afterward, the dad came over to chat. “He told me that a cyclist riding a few miles behind me had fallen out with heat stroke, temperature 109, and had to be flown out,” he says. “I just got to thinking, you know, I really had fun until I reached Utah and the last three days of the distances and the wind and the temperature had just wrung all of the fun out of the ride,” he says. As it happened, this mix of solitude and difficulty offered a special opportunity to connect. He called Seven and told them he was going to hire someone with a pickup truck to transport him out of Utah. Seven, with his wife Tracy and son Milo, insisted on coming out and getting him. Two days later, with Bob comfortably stowed aboard the car, they had a great time crossing the deserts of Utah and Nevada together. Bob especially enjoyed sharing his unique viewpoint, gained from countless hours in the saddle, with his appreciative family.
Counter clockwise from Far Left, All systems go: Bob Morris begins his journey on Easter morning. Zambian Villagers: catalyst of a mission. Charting the dream: handle bar mounted map. Embarking: the journey begins. Highway sign: now to Colorado. Solitude: Utah’s amazing landscapes. Village construction: the fruits of Bob’s labor. Piercing the heartland: what lies ahead?
Entering California, they dropped Bob and his “steed” off in Placerville, leaving him with a two-day ride to San Francisco. “It turned into a blessing to do that part differently. Those last two days, the fun was back. I had a really good experience,” he says, fully appreciating California’s many bike trails he could ride instead of highway edges as he neared the journey’s end. The time with Seven and family were blissful. Bob’s body called for rest and he happily complied, sleeping, eating and relaxing in the company of family, as his body recovered from the trip. Bob returned to Roanoke by air in June. His bike journey across the country, “was a relief because every day I had a cause, a purpose—Bike4Zambia.” Now, back on his home turf, he finds his soul restless. “Literally and figuratively, you
are back where you started,” he says, explaining his restlessness. Bob, a self-described “roamer”, is looking for a mission. “But there has to be more to it than just for personal gratification,” he says, predictably adding, “I am already feeling the old itch, the old urge to be on to the next thing, the only thing is I haven’t figured out what that next thing is and that’s something that can take some time,” he says. “So I might be itching for some time before I figure out how to scratch.” The Irish have a saying: “Three diseases without shame: Love, itch, and thirst.” We are glad to have you safely home Bob Morris. Truely, you’re strong man, Ba Bob.
Chips for
Charity
raised 199
$
in
april for
bike4
zambia
Fall 2014 11
BOARDTALK Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance 1. Teaming
Successfully working together for a common purpose.
2. Accountable Empowerment
Gayle Havens Cooley Board President
Empowering people while at the same time holding them accountable to the power granted.
3. Strategic Leadership
Earlier this year, in the Co-Optimist, I let you know about a new governance model called The Four Pillars of Cooperative Governance (4PCG) . This new model is intended to reflect the fact that cooperatives, in many respects, do not share the same purposes as investor-owned corporations or nonprofits. Cooperatives are organized to serve the needs of their owners, and this translates into more than a financial return on investment. This model was presented at the International Cooperative Governance Symposium at Halifax, Nova Scotia in the Fall of 2013 and is being introduced to cooperative boards around the country. Recently, the co-op’s board held its annual retreat at Virginia Western Community College. Much of the day was spent learning about 4PCG, both in theory and practice.
Articulating the co-op’s purpose and direction and setting up the co-op to move in that direction.
4. Democracy
Successfully practicing, protecting, promoting and perpetuating our democratic process.
You’ll be hearing more about this exciting new model as we continue to study and implement it in our co-op.
In cooperation,
Get to Know What’s Non-GMO Reading Labels and Our Right to Know More
October, Non-GMO Month, is a great time to learn more about product labeling in regards to genetically modified organisims, or GMOs. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, like over 90% of Americans, believes consumers have the right to know if their food has been genetically engineered. Your co-op supports the efforts of organizations, like Just Label It and the National Cooperative Grocers
Association, that are working toward the mandatory labeling of products containing GMOs. We believe GMO labeling in America will be a reality in the coming years. Until that day, consumers can use existing labeling standards to make a relatively informed decision about the products they buy and whether or not they contain GMOs.
ORGANIC
NON-GMO PROJECT
The National Organic Program prohibits the use of GMOs in all certified organic foods, This is the “gold standard” for consumers looking for GMO-free foods. usda.gov
This label indicates the product has gone through a verification process by a third-party, the Non-GMO Project. This label verification is an assurance that a product has been produced according to consensusbased best practices for GMO avoidance. nongmoproject.org
LOCAL There are countless benefits to shopping local, however, this label by itself does not mean that the product is Non-GMO. “Local” is also defined by the company that uses the term. At Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, “local” means that the product was grown and processed within 100 miles of the co-op. Organic and Non-GMO certification is often cost prohibitive for many small farms though they may still follow best practices standards for avoiding GMOs. When you shop local, get to know your farmer and you’ll get to know your food.
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CO-OPNEWS Feeding our Kids During the 2013-14 school year, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op made significant contributions to two programs which promote healthy eating habits for elementary school students in Roanoke City. Including money raised through the Give Up! program Happy Healthy Cooks received over $10K in food, staff support and monetary contributions from the co-op toward their mission to teach 2nd graders what real food looks like and how to prepare it. Congregations in Action (CIA) received over $2,600 to offset the cost of their Bag Lunch program at Highland Park Elementary School. CIA sends two pieces of fresh fruit home with students in the free & reduced lunch program every weekend during the school year. The co-op will continue to support these and other organizations throughout the 20142015 school year. roanokenaturalfoods.com/ giving-back
Farm Store The Heritage Point Farm Store is now open! The store is set up on an honor system where prices are clearly marked and shoppers pay for their items at a cash box in the store. Pick up the morning’s harvest fresh from the farm. Hours are Monday through Friday 10am–4pm, Saturday 10am-12pm. April–October. farmroanoke.com
Security Cameras Grandin Co-op installed a new security camera system in September. The new system will dramatically cut down on theft in the aisles and monitor activity around the outside of the store. The security camera system at Market Square Co-op is operated by Center in the Square.
Fresh Deals The co-op launched Fresh Deals, a new sales program, in August. Fresh items from our produce, meat, cheese and dairy departments are offered at deeply discounted prices. Check out the sales in the Fresh Deals flyer, which comes out every other Wednesday on the weeks between Co+op Deals flyers. roanokenaturalfoods.com/ storewide-sales
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Yoga. A great practice for life. “Making yoga, meditation and mantra a daily part of my life has helped me feel clearer, stronger, calmer, and better equipped to be the best me.” Bonny Branch, Movement Arts Yoga Instructor
Like the book All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum, everything we learn in yoga, can be directly applied to everyday life, to make it better. Through the practice of meditation, yoga poses, awareness of the transitions between poses, and awareness of our breath, we increase our physical, mental and emotional strength, endurance, balance and flexibility. It is the repeated practice of finding “steadiness and ease” in each challenging pose on the mat that teaches us how to do the same during challenging times at work, home, in relationships, while traveling, etc. Yoga poses, breathing techniques, meditation and mantras are also great resources for what ails you. In a funk from insomnia? There are poses that can help. Do you dance with digestive woes? There are poses that can help. Do you suffer from stress, anxiety, depression, joint pain, weight issues, reproductive health issues, headaches? There are poses that can help. Ask your teacher. I recommend going to a yoga class, or five, and finding a teacher with whom you really resonate, and learn everything you can from them. Allow them to safely guide you through, not only the physical poses, but the best options for your overall success and wellness.
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Making yoga, meditation and mantra a daily part of my life has helped me feel clearer, stronger, calmer, and better equipped to be the best me. And I have my teacher to thank for that. I encourage everyone to practice yoga, and other healthy choices, as a daily ritual. In the morning try Sun Salutes, a series of 8-12 poses that flow together, waking up your muscles, getting your heart rate going, detoxifying your body, and calming your mind. Then set an intention for your day. In the evenings, try a Gratitude Practice where you write down three things for which you are thankful. “1.) I am grateful for yoga…” And so on.
Yoga on the Roof
Yoga in the Atrium
Wednesdays, 7am - 8am Center in the Square Free, Donations Welcome
Mondays, 12:30pm - 1:30pm Taubman Museum of Art $10/$7 members
Bonny Branch has roots deep in the arts and culture of Roanoke. She teaches dance as well as Hatha vinyasa yoga classes, a gentle flowing yoga to increase flexibility, balance, strength and peace of mind. Questions: BBranch3@gmail.com, 540-588-8558
Events
October - November
Fall Waterways Cleanup Saturday, October 4 Cleanup 8am / Celebration 11:30am
Owner Chili Cookout Sunday, October 19, 5:30pm Grandin Co-op Parking-Lot
Wasena Park Cleanup Sunday, November 16 2pm - 3:30pm
The Annual Fall Waterways Cleanup comes to the Roanoke Valley once again on Oct. 4. Last year over 700 volunteers participated in the cleanup, collecting over 2 tons of trash. Free lunch for all volunteers at Wasena Park begins at 11:30am. Join the co-op’s team or sign up online. cleanvalley.org
October is National Cooperative Month, so every year the co-op holds an ownership drive to get as many new owners as we can in just 31 days. To celebrate our growing family, we’re holding our 5th annual Owner Cookout, Oct. 19. Live music, a variety of chilis with a fixin’s bar, local beer, wine and other refreshments. Veggie and Vegan options. Free to our owners.
Lend a hand and make a difference. The co-op adopted Wasena Park in 2010 and we put together a group of the finest volunteers to help us keep it looking great. Join us for a 90-minute cleanup in November. All you need to bring is work gloves, work clothes and a friend. The co-op will provide trash bags, water and a snack. Sign up by November 13 at any co-op register.
Classes
October - November
Hydroponics 101 Thursday, October 16, 7 - 8:30pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Make Your Own Wine Thursday, November 6, 7 - 8:30pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners
Who needs dirt anyway? Discover how to grow your own veggies in plain-old H2O and plant food year round. Long-time hydroponics enthusiast and owner of Blue Ridge Hydroponics Chris Arthur will answer all your water-based questions.
Most people out there like wine, be it red or white, riesling, syrah, or the good old go-to chardonnay (or for the red wine drinkers, merlot). However, very few of us know how to make our own. Join Chris Arthur as he explains how to create your own luscious liquid!
Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 - 8pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners In our landscape and our communities permaculture is the way to a more healthy and sustainable environment. Scott Mann of The Permaculture Podcast will teach participants how to use permaculture to meet their individual and community needs.
Why Gluten Free? Tuesday, October 28, 6 - 7:30pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners You see it on packaging more and more: gluten free. But what does that mean? What is this substance called “gluten” and why is it harmful to so many people? Holistic Nutritionist Jeanie Redick will enlighten you with her nutritional knowledge on this mysterious protein.
Please Pass the Peas: Surviving the Holidays w/ Healthy Eating Tuesday, November 18, 6 - 7pm Community Room, $10/$5 Owners Everyone loves the holidays, but not everyone loves the extra pounds that come with them. Holistic Nutritionist Jeanie Redick will teach you how to have a wonderful holiday experience without the added weight gain.
Sign up today » Sign up for classes at the Grandin Co-op. Class seating is limited, prepayment is required.
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540.204.8526
www.liraplumbingandheating.com
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PERMIT #78 ROANOKE, VA
Grandin Village 1319 Grandin Road, SW Roanoke, VA 24015 (540) 343-5652 Market Square 1 Market Square, SE Roanoke, VA 24011 (540) 904-2733 www.roanokenaturalfoods.coop
Global Ends Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op exists to create a vibrant, local and sustainable cooperative community where decisions are grounded in the balance of economic, social and environmental responsibilities.
Join us Oct. 19 for the
Owner Chili Cookout on Grandin!
101.5 fm
the valley's music place www.1015tvmp.com stream us live on the internet
building community... naturally.