January Change for Good Partner: Ashland Food Angels
January's Change for Good Partner is
local nonprofit Ashland Food Angels
Ashland Food Angels is a local, fully volunteer grassroots non-profit which has operated daily since 1995, gathering and distributing food and other useful items to those in need in this area.
Every evening a volunteer picks up fresh, organic produce from the Ashland Food Coop. Volunteers also collect dairy, deli, and bakery items from other local shops in town and the farmers market. The food is then sorted and packed for distribution through the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, the Peace House-sponsored ‘Uncle Foods’ free meals program, the shelter in Ashland run by Rogue Retreat, and sometimes Gospel Mission. Any food that is considered unfit for people is donated to local farmers to feed their animals or add to their compost. Additionally, donated non-food items are distributed through the Hospice Unique Boutique (HUB).
Ashland Food Angels was founded, in conjunction with the Northwest Seasonal Workers Association, to help provide food for the many families assisted by NSWA. Originally, the food was delivered to their outposts in Southern Oregon three times per week. One of the founding goals was to keep as much out of the landfills as possible! Other helping organizations joined the cause, such as Uncle Food's, Jackson County Fuel Committee, and Native American groups, and an ongoing distribution service was established.
For the first five years of the project, Pamala Joy ran the whole operation, with help from her then young adolescent daughter- moving food from stores to distribution sites in a worn out van. The sorting was done in Joy's front yard or on her side deck. Sometimes rain came and they scrambled to cover the sorting area with tarps! Eventually she was able to take over a small (but dry!) garage which they rebuilt to serve the purpose of sorting and storing food.
Ashland Food Angels has helped many individuals and families over the years, and kept a great deal of waste out of landfills! The ripple effect of this project has contributed significantly to the lives of many in this area and is now so firmly in place that it will continue for many years to come. AFA differs from food banks in that they gather food for organizations to give away, and predominantly focus on fruits and vegetables, rather than nonperishables
To learn more about the Ashland Food Angels, their work, and volunteer opportunities, please visit ashlandfoodangels.org
Ashland Food Angels was voted on by our owners in our 2021 election to be a Change for Good Partner.
Through the cumulative register round up donations over the course of this month ~ our shoppers will help support this local nonprofit organization and the work that they are doing in our community.
More Co-op News
Fall Favorites from the Co-op
Like it or not, the cool weather has arrived. Whether you are heading out for a hike or enjoying a good book by the fire, the Co-op Deli has what you need to fuel your favorite fall activity. Stay warm with these comfort food recommendations from the Co-op Deli.
From the General Manager's Desk
By Emile Amarotico
A recent visitor commented that our parking is totally inadequate to our business volume. What’s true is that we cannot create more parking due to space and municipal code constraints. Thus, the value of each available space is increasing over time. Assuming only half of Co-op shoppers use automobile parking, each space supports at least $200,000 in annual sales.
Meet Board of Director Julie O'Dwyer
When not working on Board of Director efforts, my profession is an Interior and Building Designer. I own the Ashland Design Studio, located in the Historic Railroad District, and have a design services studio there - JulieO Design. I have been in the architectural design business my whole life; from crawling around my father's architectural studio to traveling around the world working on buildings large and small to now having created my own niche in the local building community. I took a few years off this path to own and run Tease Restaurant here in Ashland.
Nourish Your Family and Fight Hunger
The holiday season is upon us. Amidst the shopping frenzies, family gatherings, and parties it can be hard to remember this is also a season of giving. That’s why we want to make it easy for you to give back. So easy that it’s as simple as doing your everyday grocery shopping. You can nourish your own family and help fight hunger in the Rogue Valley.
For the month of November, we are once again teaming up with Smart Chicken® for the Smart Chicken® Smart Giving program.
Here’s how it works.
5 Reasons to Love Co-ops
By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator
October is National Co-op Month, so what’s the big deal? Being a co-op is special. Yes, we know we are biased, but being a cooperative enterprise means we do business differently. We don’t have a single owner living on their private island drinking margaritas all day without a care in the world. We are owned and governed by you, our 10,000 members. We share the burden in hard times and share the benefits in the good times. We put people, the planet and our principles before profit.
From the General Manager's Desk
By Emile Armarotico
This spring, National Co-op Grocers recognized Ashland Food Co-op as a Co+efficient Sustainability Star for our excellent sustainability efforts.
Our Sustainability Vision aims at being carbon neutral by 2030. We’ve taken a great stride toward this by installing a 39 kilowatt solar electric system on our rooftop with the capacity to generate approximately 7% of our electricity usage. The cost was partially offset by a $27,000 REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) Grant.
Local Starts at the Co-op
When we say local, we mean local. We source our local goods from within 200 miles of the store. By purchasing goods from local producers, we aim to create and maintain a healthy local economy and support family farms. What could be better than helping your community by buying local goods?
With all the local products that we offer, it’s hard to pick a favorite. But that’s exactly what we asked our staff to do. Here are some of their go-to local eats.
Your Fruit. Your Cider.
How often can you browse the shelf at your neighborhood grocery store, see a bottle of hand crafted, local cider and say, “Hey, I help make that!” Well, at the Co-op you can.
Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me
By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator
Many of us wait all year for this moment. We spend the winter months dreaming of a certain fuzzy stone fruit, its sweet juices dripping from our face and the buttery golden pie crust those yellow-orange slices will inhabit.
Good news! The wait is over. That local, sweet orb of sunshine has finally arrived. That’s right. Rolling Hills peaches are here!
2017 Board Election Results
We're Sustainability Stars!
Deep in our hearts we've always known we were sustainability stars, but now we have an award to prove it.
We recently received a Co+efficient Sustainability Star award from National Co-op Grocers (NCG) recognizing our positive environmental and community impacts.
Co+efficient, NCG’s sustainability program, measures social, environmental and local economic impacts from participating food co-ops across the country.
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.
Dine In and Bike Your Way to Savings
Did you know that approximately half of our landfill waste stream is composed of Deli trash? A significant part of that is “to-go” containers, which are sometimes used for dining in and don’t end up “going” very far at all.
Sustainability matters in everyday actions and we want you, our customers, to help us reduce unnecessary waste and make the most ecologically sound choices possible.
Participate in YOUR Co-op!
Spring Picks
The sun is (mostly) out and the weather is finally getting warmer. That must mean summer is right around the corner, right? We sure hope so. We’re ready to grill, soak up some sun and enjoy the many fruits and vegetables that are in season. Our Floral Coordinator, Rachel Chastain, shares some of her favorites.