Meet our July Change for Good Recipeint!

 

The Ashland Food Angels aspires to help nurture and support individuals and families  in the Ashland and Medford areas by freely providing food and other goods.  To support the local environment by diverting usable items from a landfill destination, by retrieving and redirecting food, clothing and household goods while still usable, helping them get to the people who need them most. 

The impact of the Ashland Food Angels project is counted in terms greater than just redistributing food to organizations that feed the hungry. Success of the project is also displayed in the positive impact on the lives of individuals and organizations through the interactions of Pamala Joy and her volunteers. 

 

Here are some of their success stories: 

  • Through a donation by Pamala Joy of many collected golf items, the Ashland High School Girls Golf Team was able to be started. 

 

  • Donations of food to the Catalyst Program at the Ashland High School deeply touched young people who felt uncared for and inspired many students to continue attending classes where they were given free food several times weekly. 

 

  • A disabled couple were able to make it through several challenging years because of the food they received from the Food Angels in exchange for helping the program. Another disabled man, out of work and greatly discouraged, had his spirits revitalized and his self-esteem raised when he began to work with the Food Angels and created their website. In addition to eliminating his depression, the food he received helped his family through a hard time. 

 

  • For many years boxes of food were delivered to the Ashland HeadStart for the families there. In addition to the free food, parents were taught how to best use the produce they received.  Boxes of toys were also delivered. 

 

  • The Rogue Valley Boys and Girls Club receives many boxes of toys throughout the year, collected by Pamala and the Angels. 

 

  • Until 1996 Uncle Food's Diner had little to no fresh produce, only frozen leftovers from SOU.  Pamala Joy began a weekly delivery of usable produce which continued from that year to the present time. 

 

  • The Ashland Food Bank only distributed non-perishable food (boxes and cans) until the late 1990's when they began accepting fresh produce from the Food Angels, at Pamala's request.  Over the years this has developed into a wide-ranging produce section which is now sourced from several locations.  The Food Angels have continued to donate thousands of pounds of produce weekly to the Food Bank. 

 

  • For many years camps for Native American youth and elders, which had no food budge, were provided with food by the Food Angels.

 

  • With the encouragement and help of Pamala Joy and other Food Angels, the newly opened Market of Choice went from having no recycling program to an active involvement of keeping things from the landfill.

 

  • In 2026 with the knowledge that the Phoenix and Talent Food Banks had too little produce to serve their clients, the Food Angels redirected their collected food on a weekly basis to those food banks, helping dozens of people to have healthier food in their lives. 

 

  • On the first day Grocery Outlet opened in South Ashland, Pamala Joy contacted the managers and the store became an active partner with the Food Angels, providing hundreds of pounds of food to the program on a daily basis, increasing the amount which was able to be sent to the various food banks. 

 

  • Food Angels were recognized by the Ashland Food Bank recently with a certificate for donating over 120,000 pounds of food to them in 2025.  We also donate to Uncle Foods, the Jackson County Fuel Committee, the Ashland Shelter, the Phoenix Food Bank, the two Talent food banks, and the Hawthorne Park group in Medford which feeds the homeless. 

 

The Ashland Food Co-op is proud to support and uplift the voices behind this very worthy cause. The Food Angels also visit the Co-op nightly to collect fresh produce that would not have made it onto the grocery shelves; proving again that a thriving, caring, zero-waste community is possible. May all who are hungry be fed.

 

For more information, or to support AFA, please visit www.ashlandfoodangels.org 

 

More Co-op News

Wellness Secret Weapons

There are still plenty of colds and viruses making their rounds, and we want to help you better defend against them!

In January, we asked on social media what kind of secret weapons you use in the winter to stay healthy. We had a lot of responses, so we'll start with the All-Stars.

With your initial recommendations, our Wellness team reviewed the suggestions and picked the products with the highest quality standards and best feedback. Check those out below.

 

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.

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: $

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.

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

From bread baking to Moroccan cooking, many talented local chefs share their expertise in the Co-op Kitchen. We'd like you to meet a few of them. Tiazza Rose has been teaching the Ashland community the art of Moroccan cooking for years. If you haven't taken a class from Tiazza yet, you should. Here's why.

 

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.

  • 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?