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.

A few weeks ago, we launched a fundraising campaign for residents of Paradise, CA displaced by the Camp Fire in November. We wanted to do what we do best: provide nourishing, organic food to families in the region. 

When we realized the size of the task ahead of these displaced families, we thought about two specific Co-op principles: Concern for Community, and Cooperation among Co-ops. In Ashland, we know the threat of fires and how impactful they can be even when they’re miles away. So when a town the same size as Ashland is leveled by fires, our concern hits close to home: that could have been our house, our neighborhood or our co-op. We had to help.

We also know that because the Paradise area relies on many of the same local farmers and vendors that we do, keeping families fed through this difficult time was an important priority. Working together with our friends at the Chico Natural Foods Co-op, we could make sure good food went directly into the hands of families who need it the most.

Our original plan was to donate $3,000 to the Chico Co-op up front, and to then ask our community to contribute another $3,000 that the Co-op would match.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way - far from it. Instead of the $9,000 we hoped to raise, I believe that we have completely surpassed this goal. At this time I’d like to share with you the total for donations received to date: over $13,000 has been donated from the community and the Co-op.

I am absolutely floored by this outpouring of support from our community. The generosity shown by Ashland, in spite of our own struggles with the fire season, shows that the caring spirit embodied in our town can be felt hundreds of miles away.

I can’t think of a better way for our community to demonstrate what the holidays are about. This effort will have an everlasting influence in our community: first by personifying and passing on the value of empathy, a priceless gift in and of itself; and second, by giving the recovering families of Paradise the peace of mind of not worrying how they’ll put food on the table while they recover.

Those are gifts that will never be forgotten. 

Thank you personally and on behalf of the rest of the Ashland Food Co-op community. We look forward to the new year with such a strong co-op family around us. 
 

More Co-op News

End of year wrap-up on Strategic Energy Management at the Co-op

Hi there. I hope this finds you well. It’s me, Nina Friedman, Strategic Energy Management (SEM) intern for the Ashland Food Co-op. The global and local crises have only devolved into further chaos since we last spoke. As we sit with the reality of coworkers, neighbors, and friends who’ve lost their homes and businesses to the recent fires, and thousands more across the nation losing their loved ones to COVID-19, I imagine many are feeling frozen and powerless to help those that are suffering.

SNAP in the Co-op Kitchen and Thanksgiving

Use your SNAP EBT benefits for all Co-op Kitchen items through November 20th, 2020!

Recognizing the difficulties in food preparation for families who lost their homes in the local wildfires, the State of Oregon has expanded SNAP benefits to be used for hot foods, like made-to-order and hot bar meals from the Co-op Kitchen, through November 20.

And starting on November 16, you can get an early taste of Thanksgiving as the Co-op Kitchen hot bar rolls out the full Thanksgiving spread. 

Black Lives Matter

We acknowledge that the Ashland Food Co-op has not had a culture where all employees and community members felt safe sharing their experiences of discrimination in our store. We apologize for this. We are on a learning journey. We have reached out for help, and are listening to our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) employees and owners who want to be part of the positive change we seek.

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Vendors & businesses donating to relief efforts

From day one of the Almeda Fires, the Co-op team wanted to help the community. They reached out to vendors across the region and country to ask for their help with products, supplies and food to get to the fire victims.

And that help came through in big ways, getting nutritious food to displaced families, home supplies in high demand, and wellness and food for first responders and firefighters. Thank you for supporting these businesses as thanks for their help in our community's relief efforts.

October news at the Co-op

October is typically Co-op month, to highlight how differently cooperatives do business. But instead of talking about the 7 Cooperative Principles, or the ownership benefits of being part of the Co-op, we only need to look at the past four weeks to see what being a cooperative really means.

As part of the co-op family, you've helped the entire community immensely. 

Support Co-op staff to rebuild

The Ashland Food Co-op is dedicated to helping our community and our staff rebuild after the Almeda Fires in early September. 

For immediate support, the Co-op gave $1,000 to staff who lost their homes in the fires, as well as $250 for food and other household needs for anyone displaced due to a level 3 evacuation order.

Change for Good in September: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy

For the month of September, Ashland Food Co-op shoppers can round up at the register to support Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. Since 1973, SOLC has been working on multiple fronts to improve land quality and conservation for humans and nature alike. Check out some of the projects below that SOLC has been working on recently. And mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24, as SOLC hosts an Open Lands Day hike and tour on the Rogue River Preserve.

Chatting about community giving with JPR's "Jefferson Exchange"

Recently, Julie O'Dwyer, Ashland Food Co-op board vice-president, joined a panel of guests on Jefferson Public Radio's "Jefferson Exchange" to discuss how the pandemic has led to an even greater need for community giving and support of local non-profits.

JPR logo

Get to know Ashland Emergency Food Bank

The sixth cooperative principle, "Concern for Community," has become even more important since the pandemic began and economies, locally and globally, started to constrict. To address this, the Board of Directors agreed in April to release 100% of patronage dividends and designate Ashland Emergency Food Bank as a donation option for those dividends - resulting in over $20,000 in donations. And with the early launch of Change for Good register round-up, AEFB was a natural choice to receive round-up donations. 

2020 Co-op Election Results

2020 Co-op Election Results

Ashland Food Co-op owners voted for three open seats on the Board of Directors, and for ten non-profit organizations for the Change for Good register round-up program.

Click a name below to read more about that Co-op Board member.