July Change for Good Partner: Ashland Food Angels
July'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.
Each morning a Food Angel volunteer picks up food, including fresh produce, dairy, deli and bakery items from Shop N Kart and twice a week from Market of Choice. Each evening produce is collected from the Ashland Food Coop, and at the end of both Farmers Markets in Ashland as well. Food is sorted and reboxed 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 at times to other organizations such as Gospel Mission. Food unfit for people is given to farmers for their animals or for compost.
Each afternoon unwanted non-food items are collected from the Hospice Unique Boutique (HUB), which are redistributed throughout the community in a variety of ways.
Ashland Food Angels was started in conjunction with the Northwest Seasonal Workers Association, to help provide food for the many families assisted by NSWA. The food was delivered to their offices in Ashland or Medford three times a week. An additional motivational factor in beginning the project was to keep as much out of the landfills as possible. Soon contact was made with other helping organizations, such as Uncle Food's, Jackson County Fuel Committee and school, senior and Native American groups and an ongoing distribution service was established through which recipients received food donations they could rely upon.
For the first five years of the project the work was done entirely by Pamala Joy, with help from her then young adolescent daughter, moving food from store to distribution site in an old beat-up van. The sorting was done in Ms. Joy's front yard or on her side deck, covered rapidly with tarps if the rains set in. Eventually she was able to take over a small but dry garage which was rebuilt to serve the purpose of food sorting and storage.
The Ashland Food Angels has been highly successful and effective, helping many individuals and families over the years, and keeping a great deal out of landfills and into the hands of people who can use the food and other retrieved items. The Food Angels have expanded from helping one group to serving several different groups regularly, as well as many other groups and individuals through one time or occasional donations. 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. They are different from food banks in that we gather food for organizations to give away, and we predominately focus on fruits and vegetables.
To learn more about the Ashland Food Angels, volunteering, and the work that they are doing, 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
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?
Love Local with the Local Guy
Throughout September, we will be celebrating all things local. And no one loves local or is more local than our Temporary Demo Coordinator, Brighton Litjens. He was basically raised at the Co-op, has a strong passion for local farmers and producers and loves delighting shoppers with delicious samples and great deals. Who better to tell us about loving local than the "Local Guy" himself?
Tell us a bit about yourself.