Give Where You Live
It’s the most wonderful time of year! Yes, we know that phrase is generally reserved for the holiday season. But for us, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s OUR season of giving.
Every spring, for more than 20 years, we’ve been donating to area nonprofits through our Community Grant program. We are committed to creating healthy, sustainable communities and this program helps us fulfil that commitment by supporting the amazing work of local nonprofits. The Community Grant program is also the highlight of Cooperative Principle 7, Concern for Community, and is something we take to heart.
This program would not be possible without you, our customers. Every time you shop at the Co-op, you support these local nonprofits. Each year, we set aside a small percentage of sales from the previous year to fund the Community Grant program.
This year we proudly donated over $25,000 to 36 area nonprofit organizations. From organic food share gardens for low income residents to seed education to youth gardening classes to a community compost station, each project awarded enhances local food education, environmental sustainability and support services for people in need.
Congratulations to the following nonprofits who received a 2017 Community Grant!
ACCESS
Armadillo Technical Institute
Asante Ashland Community Hospital
Ashland / Talent Home Visit Conference of St. Vincent de Paul
Ashland High School Inspire Class Room
Ashland Supportive House and Community Outreach
Bellview Grange #759
Boys and Girls Club of the Rogue Valley
Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County
Congregation of the Angels of Service/Ashland Food Angels
Crater Transition Program
Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCDO)
John Muir Parent Teacher Collective
Maslow Project
Medford School District
Multicultural Association of Southern Oregon/KSKQ Community Radio
Neighborhood Food Project
Outdoor Discovery Program
Peace House
Red Earth Descendants
Rice Park Compost
Rogue River School District # 35
Rogue Valley Farm to School
Sanctuary One
Southern Oregon Environmental Education Leaders
Southern Oregon ESD Migrant Education Program
Southern Oregon Master Recycles in Action (SOMRA)
Southern Oregon University Foundation on behalf of the MS Education Fall in the Field Program
Southern Oregon University Schneider Children’s Center
Talent Elementary PTA
The Conscious Living Foundation
The Farm at Southern Oregon University
The First Presbyterian Church of Ashland
The Rose Circle Mentoring Network
The Southern Oregon University Foundation on Behalf of The Ecology and Sustainability (ECOS) Resource Center
White Oak Farm Education Center
The next funding cycle for the Community Grant program will begin in February 2018.
More Co-op News
Mushrooms for wellness
You may have heard about the fascinating discovery that trees can communicate with each other. What’s the secret? The mycelia - tiny strands of fungus - in the soil form a vast underground network through which trees send chemical signals to their neighbors.
The mycelia differs from the fruiting body of the mushroom, which is the reproductive component that contains spores and is thought to be higher in Beta Glucans.
Meet class instructor, Joette Calabrese
This class instructor profile is connected to the February 27 free lecture, "You, Too, Can Beat the Flu!"
On an early Kolkata (Calcutta) morning, thick crowds gather outside the gates of the hospital while officials yell out "Brain tumor, kidney failure, cancer patients form a line here!” Hopeful patients, family members and caregivers arrange themselves by disease symptom.
What to do with all this citrus?!
So you grabbed a few too many extra oranges and grapefruits and lemons (and some finger limes, and some satsumas…), and rather than watch them go bad, we want to provide you with some ideas on how to reduce waste. You’ll also get to enjoy citrus in a lot of new ways!
There are many guides and recipes across the internet (like this one by our friends at Grow Forage Cook Ferment), so here are a few ideas to get your creative and citrus juices flowing.
Update from the General Manager: "Food for Paradise" campaign
Ashland Food Co-op's General Manager, Emile Amarotico, ends 2018 on a very uplifting note with a report back on the "Food for Paradise" donation campaign. Watch the video below, or read on for an extended written update.
Hello, this is Emile Amarotico, the general manager of Ashland Food Co-op with an update on the Co-op’s Food for Paradise initiative.
5 Fresh Ways to Save at the Co-op
We’ve all been there: your bank account is looking thin after a month of celebrations, but you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to save up for a big purchase later in the year
Now’s the time to make some changes to your spending - but that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on quality goods at the Ashland Food Co-op.
These are some lesser known ways to save at the Co-op. Think of them like ordering off the secret menu.
Savings Level: $
Board Report: How "Food For Paradise" Got Started
By Mira Wonderwheel, Board of Directors
4 Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste
It’s the New Year, our favorite time for goal-setting, making positive resolutions, and shifting our impact. One of the Co-op’s goals is to become a Zero Waste facility. Our staff works to divert as much food waste as we can - and we hope our member-owners will join us in this goal too.
2019 Community Grant Applications
The funding cycle for the 2019 Co-op Community Grants for nonprofit organizations begins in February.
Meet Cooking Class Instructor Charlie Douglass
Many talented local chefs share their expertise in the Co-op Kitchen. Charlie Douglass is no exception. As the former Master Chocolatier at Harry and David, Charlie knows a thing or two about chocolate and candy making.
Tell us how your love of cooking and food began.
Meet Cooking Class Instructor Tiazza Rose
Tell us how your love of cooking and food began.
Give the Gift of Wellness
Finding the perfect gift for a friend or loved one is an art. This winter, we carefully selected these assortments for those who love some good self-care, are working in partnership with their gut health, or for those making efforts to reduce their pain. Each of these gift ideas will help you make your loved ones feel extra special and extra healthful.
Give the Gift of Good Food
During the month of November, Co-op shoppers can nourish their own families and help fight hunger in the Rogue Valley. We’ve teamed up once again with Smart Chicken® for the Smart Giving Holiday Challenge.
Here’s how it works.
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For every 10 pounds of Smart Chicken® you purchase from the Meat Department or the Deli, Smart Chicken® will donate one pound of chicken to a local non profit
We're All Turtles
By Dean Williamson, Board of Director
My grandmother loved to talk. Oh, could she talk! And she had one expression that I’ve always really liked. “If you come across a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be pretty sure it didn’t get there by itself.”
The Power of Principle Seven
By Emile Amarotico, General Manager
As we approach the holidays, I’d like to invoke the spirit of the Seventh Cooperative Principle: Concern for Community. The International Cooperative Alliance defines Principle Seven as when “cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies approved by their members.”
So how does that work? How does Ashland Food Co-op demonstrate concern for community?
The Co-op is Certified Organic! What does that mean?
By Barry Haynes, Store Manager
Did you know that the Ashland Food Co-op is the only Certified Organic Retailer in southern Oregon. Well, that’s great! But what does that actually mean?