Manchester Food Co-op

Missed last night's forum?

2012-02-23T19:37:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick peek while we work on the full event recap. Enjoy!

Are you a farmer or producer?

2012-02-12T09:52:00.000-05:00

Building a co-op is about building and strengthening our community. To date we've been spreading the word about cooperatives, earning social capital and increasing member-owners.

But our co-op community extends even further- to its farmers and producers.

If you're a farmer or producer interested in supplying the co-op once our store is open, you are warmly invited to our first Farmers' Forum on Wednesday February 22nd at 6pm.

The forum is intended to be a candid, informal discussion about the co-op’s plans, farmer demands and how we can strengthen our regional food system, together.

To RSVP, click here.

Photo credit: Brenda Noiseux

Not sure if you're a Member-Owner?

2012-02-02T07:10:00.001-05:00

Each and every member-owner is important to the growth of the co-op. Together we create a viable groups of shareholders invested the greater Manchester community.

If you're not sure if you're a member or didn't receive your membership card in our mid-January mailing. Please send us a quick note and we'll take a peek.

If you're not currently a member-owner, click here to join online.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/f-oxymoron

Tonight!

2012-01-26T06:45:00.000-05:00

We're only hours away from our International Year of Cooperatives kick-off event.

Come celebrate co-ops and learn why they are so important to communities around the world. It's science-fair style so feel free to drop by anytime from 6-8pm.

This is a free family-friendly event open to the public at Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester, NH. (on 2013 Elm Street just north of Webster Street)

RSVPs are encouraged but not required.

Our new bag supports the NH economy

2012-01-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

When we introduced co-op bags at the annual member meeting, we were thrilled at how excited everyone was to see them. But as your local co-operative, we knew it was important to create not just another bag to use. We want to support our local economy whenever possible.

So we searched in our own backyard and found Enviro-tote in Bedford, NH to create the newest version of our bag. They're made in Bedford from 100% organic recycled USA cotton.

We're selling them for the bargain price of $5 each to help you show your co-op pride.

Let's Go Shopping: New Member Benefit

2012-01-13T10:00:00.004-05:00

The Manchester Food Co-op is also excited to inform you that effective immediately, your Membership Card will allow you to receive the following benefits at the Concord Cooperative Market!

Member Appreciation Days
Members Receive 10% Off!

January 21 & 22 - Can’t Make the Weekend? Savings Starts at 4 pm Friday, January 20

Note: Buying club orders, gift cards, membership shares, beer and wine, and products receiving special order case discounts are not eligible.

The Concord Cooperative Market will have five Member Appreciation weekends so save the dates: January 21-22, March 17-18, May 19-20, September 15-16, November 10-11. In order to receive the discount on the specified day, you must present your membership card. (Aren't yet a member-owner? Click here to join.) You can visit the Concord Cooperative Market at 24 South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire 03301.

We hope that you will continue to share the news about the Manchester Food Co-op with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. so that we can increase our membership and eventually have a food co-op in Manchester!

You've Got Mail!

2012-01-11T19:34:00.003-05:00

Member-owners, a very special letter was put in the mail today. Keep an eye out and be the first to hear the exciting news.

Not yet a member? Check back on Friday morning to see what all the fuss is about.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/

Happy International Year of Cooperatives!

2012-01-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

Ring in 2012 by showing your co-op support with our International Year of Cooperatives kick-off event.

Join us on Thursday January 26 from 6-8pm for a fun, family friendly event.

Click here to RSVP

Holiday gifts that make a local difference

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Spreading holiday cheer can go hand-in-hand with helping our community. Two principles of the seven principles of cooperatives are cooperation among cooperatives and concern for our community. A Manchester Food Co-op gift membership is one way and helping to send a farmer to Washington is another.

In a recent message from Erbin Crowell of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), Erbin includes a quote from a recent farmer sent to Washington, Tim Wennrich of Meadowstone Farm in Bethlehem, NH. Tim says, "Small farms are increasingly important and are at the forefront in developing innovative farm technologies and sustainable farming practices. In a political atmosphere supportive of big agriculture, vision is not our problem. Small farms could use a little more voice and a little more support."

If you would like to contribute, click here.

MFC donates to the NH Food Bank

2011-12-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

As part of our first annual Food Day event, the Manchester Food Co-op community wanted to lend support to the New Hampshire Food Bank for its hard work in feeding and educating those in need of healthy, nutritious meals.

During Food Day, the Manchester Food Co-op hosted a movie screening of the film Ingredients. Monetary and non-perishable food donations were collected. Over $140 and several bags of food were donated.

The Manchester Food Co-op is not affiliated with the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Anthem Employee Outreach

2011-12-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

In co-operation with Debora Warner of Anthem's Wellness Center, Vice President of the Board, Heather facilitated a healthy "tasting" program on November 16th aimed at educating Anthem employees on which vegetables are seasonally available, locally grown, healthy and delicious.

Held in Anthem's cafe, employees were also able to taste sample recipes such as Smoked Squash, Apple Soup, Kale and Mango Salad and Squash and Bean Wheat Berry Salad.

Thank you to the many Anthem employees who showed so much interest in the co-op!

If you are a company who would like to partner with the Manchester Food Co-op for employee outreach, please contact us.

Member-to-Member Membership Challenge

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Inspired by the Annual Member Meeting, one member owner throws down a challenge:

One of the most commonly asked questions about the co-op is "When will it open?" The answer is directly tied to when we meet our membership drive goals. We're currently in the first of three phases. The hardest phase is Phase 1 and reaching the critical mass of 500 members.

The great news is we're over halfway to the Phase 1 goal!

Where we'll be this week - Dyntini

2011-11-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

The folks at Dyn have invited the Manchester Food Co-op to be the first participants in their new Doormen program for their Dyntini events.

On Thursday December 1 from 5:30-7:30 pm, co-op volunteers will help welcome people to the event as they enter 150 Dow Street building and additional volunteers will be available at the event to chat co-op, answer questions, show photos and more.

Want to know more? (below taken from the DynTini eventbrite page)

Celebrate the season at Dyn's Holiday Mashup themed DynTini on December 1st featuring the foot stomping music of Hoots & Hellmouth.

We all love a good holiday party, so we thought why not combine all of our favorite parts into one can't miss celebration -- think the filling foods of Thanksgiving mixed with the spooks of Halloween plus the holiday cheer of Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years!

In addition to the great food, drink, fun and music, we will also have an area set up where you can drop of canned goods for the Manchester soup kitchen, or an unopened toy to be donated to Toys for Tots if you'd like.

We're so excited to partner with Dyn for this great event! Come join us for food, fun and music- RSVP here.

Want to Join the Board?

2011-11-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Want to be directly responsible for the ongoing development of your co-op? We have two Board positions available and invite your application! The Board’s goal is to open the co-op in the most efficient and responsible manner as possible.

Requirements

3 year term commitment
Monthly Board meetings: Third Tuesday of the month, 6-8:30pm
Consistent weekly responsibilities: 5 hour minimum
Board members must become co-op member-owners
Enthusiasm, passion and great work ethic; ability to work “cooperatively” in every sense of the word!

If interested, please submit your resume/personal story to manchesterfoodcoop@gmail.com by Thursday, December 1^st.

Photo credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/ngmmemuda

Small Business Saturday

2011-11-24T20:00:00.001-05:00

Recently a friend posted on Facebook asking everyone to take a moment this gift buying season and rethink what gifts they usually give. Here is a snippet from that post:

"This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hand.

YES THERE IS!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in

a shirt box, wrapped in ... wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates

from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some

health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a

book of gift certificates."

For the second year, the Small Business Saturday campaign encourages us to use the Saturday after Thanksgiving to shop small businesses.

There so many great small businesses in the greater Manchester area, shops, restaurants, artisan-made goods, museums and yes even emerging food co-ops. Why not take some time this season and be a hero not only to your loved ones but also to your local economy.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

Wishing you and yours a safe and tasty Thanksgiving.

Annual Member Meeting Recap

2011-11-21T19:37:00.002-05:00

On Monday November 14, the Manchester Food Co-op's Board of Directors held its annual member meeting.

Excitement filled the room as President of the Board, Kate Morneau, and Vice President of the Board, Heather Avella, presented a recap of the Co-op's events and achievements this past year.

Treasurer of the Board, Linda Purdy, and Board Member, Brad Holt, presented the financial report as well.

Members had the chance to participate by voting in board members who had joined the board since the last member meeting, Nancy Rayna, Ron Janowitz, Heather Avella and Steven Freeman. It was announced that there are two vacancies to fill on the board and members are encouraged to apply (send an email to manchesterfoodcoop@gmail.com).

The meeting held open forum for questions about when will the co-op open and where will it be. Based on the membership drive launched in January, the co-op is about halfway through Phase 1 of the drive with approx. 250 members. Once the membership hits 500, the unofficial critical mass of fledgling co-ops, the first phase of funding can begin in earnest.

To start familiarizing ourselves with the market, several Board Members took a tour of some currently available properties for planning.

The evening end with informal groups talking about ideas, questions and wish lists while enjoying snacks, organized by Board Member, Veronica Kamerman. A map of downtown Manchester let members suggest where they would like the co-op to be. And as a special kick-off to the Manchester Food Co-op grocery bag sale, all attending members received their very own grocery bag.

Click here to see more photos on our Facebook page.

Many thanks to CCA Global for letting us use their space and for supplying beverages. Additional thanks to Laurie from the Monadnock Community Market and Bonnie of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association for being a wonderful resources for ideas and questions.

Thanks for everyone who has made 2011 a great year for community in Manchester! Let's keep the momentum going!

Our New Look

2011-11-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that the Manchester Food Co-op has a shiny new logo! We're so excited and hope you like it too.

Many thanks to the very talented Sandy Silva who partnered with the co-op on this endeavor. We are grateful that she chose to use her time and expertise on our project.

Let us know what you think!

Monadnock Living Supports NH Co-ops

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Monadnock Living magazine and their support of NH co-ops!

Look for the Manchester Food Co-op shout out in their upcoming issue.

What does corn look like?

2011-11-12T17:15:00.000-05:00

As part of the first annual Food Day event, the Manchester Food Co-op sponsored healthy eating activities with third graders at Green Acres School.

Students participated in three different stations to learn where natural food comes from and what whole foods, like vegetables look like.

Special guests included pediatric nutritionist is Honey Weiss, MS RD LD who created a “Go Slow Whoa” game (based on the program by the National Institute for Health).

Farmer Beth LeClair from Barrett Hill Farm in Mason, NH brought all kinds of corn with identification activities, a corn sheller and grinder that the kids used for hands-on learning. Each child was given an Indian corn and cooking instructions.

Vice President of the Board, Heather Avella held a “Name the Plant Part” game helping the students learn different parts of the vegetables we eat, such as the flower, bulb, stem, tuber, root, leaves, fruit and seed.

At the end of event, students earned certificates and fun scratch and sniff fruit stickers.

Thanks for our special guests as well to the Green Acres School, Health teacher, Kathy Kamveris, and the the School Health Advisory Council.

Annual Member Meeting

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

We're excited about our upcoming Member Meeting on Monday November 14 from 6-8pm.

Members, friends and the public are welcome to attend. See you there!

http://mfcmembermeeting.eventbrite.com/

Gift Memberships

2011-11-07T08:00:00.004-05:00

Need the perfect gift for that special someone who has everything?

Give someone the gift of being:

a valued-owner in a local business
a sponsor of the revitalization of downtown Manchester
a supporter of local farmers
a partner to local businesses
additional benefits once the co-op opens its store

All this for a one-time $100 membership fee per household.

From now through December, each gift membership purchased has the option of a handmade carrot ornament and gift card for you to present.

Don't delay each member is important and helps the co-op get one step closer to opening our doors.

Visit Us this weekend

2011-11-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

Come visit the Manchester Food Co-op this Saturday November 5 at two great events in downtown Manchester:

Anthem Health and Wellness Expo
Radisson Hotel, 700 Elm St, Manchester, NH
10am-5pm

Brookside Church Christmas Craft Fair
2013 Elm St, Manchester NH
9am-2:30pm

We hope to see you there!

Food Day: It's A Wrap

2011-10-31T13:20:00.005-04:00

Thank you to all who came out to become part of history by celebrating the first annual Food Day on Monday October 24th!
We met lots of wonderful folks at Republic Cafe including their fantastic staff!

Over 60 people come out that evening to watch INGREDIENTS at the UU Church of Manchester and participate in our post-movie discussion.

A very special Thanks to all of our partners who donated the treats we all enjoyed before and after the movie.
Mack's Apples, Stonyfield, KO's Raw Adventures, Laurel Hill Jams & Jellies, Iggy's Breads, The Soup Guy, Abigail's Breads, Rawdacious Living and Cabot Cheese.

Also thanks to our moderator (Will Stewart) and panelists (Roger Noonan, Jaclyn Chasse, N.D., K.C. Wright, Joshua Bourassa).

Thank you for your continued support!

2011-09-22T16:53:00.022-04:00

The Manchester Food Co-op Celebrates the First Annual Food Day on Monday October 24, 2011. It's Time to Eat Real, America! Food Day, modeled after Earth Day, is a nationwide celebration of real food and an effort to improve health, the environment, and America's food system. It's a grassroots mobilization led by the Center for Science in the Public Interest to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.
The Manchester Food Co-op is sponsoring several Food Day events in our city! We hope you will join us to support this fantastic new initiative

Republic Cafe
9am-9pm
1069 Elm Street, Manchester (across from Hampshire Plaza)

Republic Cafe, the first restaurant in NH to be Certified Local by the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection, will feature a special three-course menu in addition to their regular menu. The prix fixe menu will use only locally grown or produced products, reaching as far as Maine and Vermont, to illustrate what it really means to eat locally without pulling from flown in produce. Republic's regular menu will be available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features local eggs, meats, cheeses, fish and produce. Members of the Manchester Food Co-op will be on hand all day to answer questions about the co-op. Donations of non-perishables will be collected for the New Hampshire Food Bank.
For reservations of 6 or more, call 603-666-3723.

Screening of the Film, "Ingredients"

This inspirational documentary describes the importance of growing and consuming local, healthy, seasonal and sustainable foods.
A variety of refreshments will be served from local purveyors including Stonyfield Farm, KO's Raw Adventures, The Soup Guy, Abigail's Bakery, Laurel Hill Jams and Jellies, Cabot's Creamery, Iggy's Bread and Mack's Apples.

Location: Unitarian Universalist Church, 669 Union Street, Manchester

6:30pm Doors Open

7:00pm Film Screening

8:15-9:00pm Panelist Discussion

Suggested donation: $15. Proceeds to benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank and the Manchester Food Co-op. Donations of non-perishables will be collected for the Food Bank.

View trailer of Ingredients film.
Our panelists:
- Roger Noonan, local organic farmer of Middle Branch Farms, New Boston
- Jaclyn Chasse, N.D., Northeast Center for Holistic Medicine, Bedford
- K.C. Wright, Nutritionist, Founding Publisher of New Hampshire's Edible Magazine
- Joshua Bourassa, Customer Service Manager, Concord Cooperative Market

Nutrition Education at Manchester Elementary Schools

All students at Green Acres elementary school in Manchester will track their consumption of vegetables and fruits the week prior to Food Day to promote healthy eating within families. Local nutritionist and farmer, Honey Weiss and Beth LeClair will visit the third graders on October 24th to celebrate their efforts!

THANK YOU to New England Duplicator for offering partnership in printing our Food Day posters.