March Change for Good Recipient: North Mountain Park Nature Center

March's Change for Good Recipient is

North Mountain Park Nature Center,

a division of Ashland Parks and Recreation, that encompasses demonstration gardens, a nature playground, and approximately 14 acres of Natural Area that is managed for wildlife preservation and public education. 

North Mountain Park Nature Center

 

This Change for Good month's funds will help North Mountain Park Nature Center undertake important habitat restoration, native plant revegetation, and ongoing care for our beloved habitat gardens. When public schools can once again visit the park on field trips,  they will be offering stewardship opportunities and Service Learning programs.  

 

Green Heron, Nature Center

Rounding up this month supports this natural and community resource.

Values:

Wonder, wisdom and work for a diverse and interconnected human and natural community.

Goals:

  1. Implement land management that protects and enhances the biological diversity, habitat value and ecological functions of North Mountain Park, while offering compatible recreational opportunities.
  2. Provide opportunities for a diverse community of all ages to experience enjoyment, wonder, creativity, rejuvenation, and a personal connection with nature.
  3. Generate increased public understanding of the ecology, history and conservation of the Bear Creek watershed.
  4. Cultivate a growing public sense of responsibility to local, natural resources and increased opportunities for people to give back through stewardship, service and sustainability commitments.

 

Nature Play Area

People of all ages find solace at the park, and visitation has skyrocketed during Covid-19.  Ongoing maintenance will be needed to protect the riparian area and to ensure that our up-to-5,000 monthly visitors have the best possible park experience.  

Nature Center Field Trips

Support North Mountain Park Nature Center when you round up your purchase at the register throughout the month of March.

The North Mountain Park Nature Center needs volunteers, educators and service leaders too!

Please visit northmountainpark.org for more information

Nature Center

What is Change for Good?


The AFC Gives committee focuses on ways that the Co-op community can support local organizations and groups doing important work in the Rogue Valley.

2020 is the first year of Change for Good, a register round-up program to benefit a slate of ten organizations, voted on by Co-op owners, through the cumulative donations of shoppers choosing to round-up their shopping total to the nearest dollar.

From one cent to 99 cents, it all adds up to feeling good about supporting the 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

The Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors is pleased to announce the results of the 2017 Board Election. There were five excellent candidates running for three Board positions. In total, 733 votes were cast, representing 9% of owners. 
 
Congratulations to the following candidates who will serve three-year terms on the Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors.

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!

Meet Your Candidates
The Co-op Board is pleased to announce that we have 5 candidates for 3 open seats in the 2017 Board Election!
 
Join us for a social "

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.