February 2022 Newsletter
Your co-op board and volunteers have been busy chipping away at these goals and need your help with #3, filling our board with qualified engaged community members! Our bylaws specify a 9 member board, and we currently have 7 active board members.
This means we have two exciting opportunities available! It's an especially thrilling time to join the board as tasks and decisions are ramping up towards:
Finding our site
Securing funds
Hiring a general manager
Planning our store layout and products
Growing our ownership!
Directors take their responsibility to represent our owners seriously… and they also enjoy the rewards of serving, including having an inside scoop about the co-op’s development! It's so fulfilling to play a key role in a goal you're passionate about while working to create this hub for fresh local food and ideas!
A strong local economy and fair wages are the backbone to a strong community. Our business model of paying farmers and employees a fair wage while keeping dollars circulating in our community is a win-win. The employees win, the farmers win, the economy wins and we win as shoppers because we’ll have access to the freshest, healthiest food possible. In the coming months we'll share more about ways YOU can invest in a healthy local economy!
Venture into the world of homemade, alternative, zero cholesterol, easily made-at-home "cheese"!
Taste the palate pleasing samples and take home knowledge and motivation along with 5 printed recipes.
Date: March 14
Time: 6-8pm
Cost: $20
REGISTER HERE!
Newest Book Club Selection!
"Why We Sleep"
by Matthew Walker, PhD
Do your New Year's resolutions include "Read More Books" or "Get Better Sleep"? Then this is the book for you!
Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.
Pick up this great book today and join our book club! Anyone is welcome to our quarterly discussions regardless of how far you got through the book. Next meeting in April, date TBD.Send us an email to get on the book club list!
December 2021 Newsletter
From the Board:
We hired our Capital Campaign Consultant!
Yes! The cooperative is making progress towards opening a store location by preparing for the Capital Campaign and beginning work with consultant Katie Novak. While we continue the search for a suitable site for our store, we can learn from an experienced professional about how to fund building or renovating. We look forward to working with Katie to build the systems and framework for the capital campaign; but most of all, we look forward to working with our fellow owners to implement it! If you are interested in learning how to help with this critical part of the store opening process, reach out to any of us and we would be happy to explain the opportunities in more detail.
FRFC has partnered with the Cooperative Development Fund of CDS, which allows us to accept tax-deductible donations! These donations will help fund start-up costs including building renovations, staff hiring, and consultant fees. Click the link below to visit GiveMN.org to donate online (find FRFC in the list, we'll be listed soon!). Or, send us an email to ask about how to make a donation by check.
The Itasca County YMCA "Jeans & Jewels" live auction
Online bidding is closed for this event, BUT the live auction has been rescheduled for Thursday January 13th, at 5:30pm at the Timberlake Lodge! If you don't have tickets yet, they can be purchased at the counter at the YMCA. If you already have tickets, get ready to bid on Free Range Food Co-op's basket containing a pile of amazing foods and goods from local producers who support the co-op, including:
Apothecary Chocolates
Augustyn Artworks: pair of ceramic mugs
Boondock Enterprises: English Lavender Bath and Body Box
Bryndlewood Gardens: two $25 gift certificates
Fideldy's: Honey and Maple Syrup
Hannah Harling: homemade dog treats
Merhar Maple Syrup and Wild Rice
Willow Sedge Farms: 1/4 of Beef
Check out the Visit Grand Rapids website for a downloadable PDF of the Northern Minnesota Sustainability Shopping Map. Created by Girl Scout Sarah Kessler, the map features businesses that support sustainability and feature sustainable brands. Nice work, Sarah!
FRFC Book Club
We're very excited for the latest book selection, which comes highly recommended by many:
"Braiding Sweetgrass:
Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants"
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Book club is open to everyone! Meeting date TBD. Email Kari for more information: jkritter@paulbunyan.net
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
Online ordering for in-person pick up is available for the winter season! Visit their website for more details and to place an order:
http://www.grfarmersmarket.org/
November 2021 Newsletter
The Votes are In! Congratulations to Lois Bendix and Laine Yandell on their re-election to the board of directors! Click the link to learn more about them and the rest of your board.
Did you miss the annual meeting?
Get the details in the annual report, available on our website:
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we invite you to read this 2016 article from MPR News for an introduction to the history of Ojibwe treaties in northern Minnesota:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/02/01/explaining-minnesota-ojibwe-treaties
FRFC Book Club
We're very excited for the latest book selection, which comes highly recommended by many:
"Braiding Sweetgrass:
Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants"
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Book club is open to everyone! Meeting date TBD. Email Kari for more information: jkritter@paulbunyan.net
Listening Sessions:
Join on Zoom during the half hour before all board meetings to chat with directors, learn more about the cooperative, and share your thoughts. (Listening sessions prior to board meetings only. All owners are encouraged to join any board meeting or work session.)
This month's work session is on Tuesday, November 2nd, 6:00-7:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8307628400?pwd=QldXWnJzcG12Y0F5R1dld1E0N0pkZz09
This month's board meeting is on Tuesday, November 16th, 6:00-7:30pm with listening session at 5:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom:https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8307628400?pwd=QldXWnJzcG12Y0F5R1dld1E0N0pkZz09
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
Online ordering for in-person pick up is available for the winter season! Visit their website for more details and to place an order:
http://www.grfarmersmarket.org/
Thank you for keeping in touch with Free Range Food Co-op!
Know somebody who should be a Free Range owner? Forward this email and ask them to click the link below to visit our website and sign up.
October 2021 Newsletter
Welcome new owners in the last month:
Angela and Eric Yeschick
Sandy and Dave Clark
Mary and Thomas Jones
Jodel and Jim Crecelius
Adam Richmond and Elizabeth Schultz
Diane and Bob Davis
Rebecca and Eric Spawn
Cindy Brummer
plus 5 more!
All Free Range Food Co-op owners are welcome to join the board of directors at our Annual Meeting of Owners! This year's virtual meeting will be held via Zoom and is a great opportunity for you to get updates on your board's work, news on our progress towards opening a store, and ask your co-op related questions. Click here to join via Zoom on Tuesday, October 12th
Voting is open to all Free Range Food Co-op owners.
With autumn here and winter near,
we ask for you to volunteer -
to step outside your comfort zone,
and help the co-op from your home!
Maybe staffing a booth at a public event isn't quite your 'thing', and that's OK! We welcome all owners to volunteer as they are able, and will work with you to find tasks you can be excited about. As cold weather approaches we pivot towards more tasks we can do from home. This winter we are in need of owners able to help with projects such as:
Writing or proofreading co-op documents to get them up-to-date
Creating fun & informative social media posts
Drafting an inclusion and equity policy
Organizing a General Manager hiring team
And so much more!
Listening Sessions:
Join on Zoom during the half hour before all board meetings to chat with directors, learn more about the cooperative, and share your thoughts. (Listening sessions prior to board meetings only. All owners are encouraged to join any board meeting or work session.)
This month's work session is on Tuesday, October 5th, 6:00-7:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8307628400?pwd=QldXWnJzcG12Y0F5R1dld1E0N0pkZz09
ANNUAL MEETING: Tuesday, October 12th, 6:30-8:00pm. Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8307628400?pwd=QldXWnJzcG12Y0F5R1dld1E0N0pkZz09
This month's board meeting is on Tuesday, October 19th, 6:00-7:30pm with listening session at 5:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom:https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8307628400?pwd=QldXWnJzcG12Y0F5R1dld1E0N0pkZz09
Other meetings and events:
Highway Cleanup Day: Saturday, October 16th 9:00am-12:00pm. Pitch in to pick up trash on our Adopt-a-Highway segment on Trout Lake Road just outside of Grand Rapids. Contact Casey if you are interested: cdabrowski@gmail.com
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
Wednesdays and Saturdays through October, from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Located at: 11 Golf Course Road, Grand Rapids, just off the corner of Hwy 169 and Golf Course Road next to the Grand Rapids State Bank branch.
http://www.grfarmersmarket.org/
September 2021 Newsletter
Accepting applications for the Board of Directors!
Free Range Food Co-op is governed by a democratically elected board of nine directors serving three-year terms. With three positions open each election cycle, the board is always seeking passionate owners who care about the Co-op and want to take a more active role in ensuring its continued success.
As an owner, Free Range Food Co-op is your co-op. The success of the co-op is your success. You have a voice in your co-op’s future through voting in elections, serving on committees and/or on the board as an elected director.
Serving on the Board of Directors is one of the most rewarding ways to become involved, to learn and practice good leadership and governance, serve your community, and help steer the future of our cooperative. Any co-op owner in good standing can become a candidate to serve on the Board of Directors, and the board is always striving to broaden its perspective and better represent the community it serves. Click the link below to learn more and apply now for elections happening in October!
WOW! We can't spotlight only 1 volunteer this month, because so many owners stepped up and truly exemplified the cooperative spirit!
Owner volunteers are vital to FRFC's success during development because the work being done right now is all on a volunteer basis (including the board of directors). If you have an interest in helping build your food co-op, we welcome you as part of the team! Click below to fill out our volunteer survey and let us know what team or project suits your interests and skills.
Owner & Community Listening Sessions:
Join on Zoom during the half hour before all board meetings to chat with directors, learn more about the cooperative, and share your thoughts. (Listening sessions prior to board meetings only. All owners are encouraged to join any board meeting or work session.)
This month's work session is on Tuesday, September 7th, 6:00-7:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4508384438
This month's board meeting is on Tuesday, September 21st, 6:00-7:30pm with listening session at 5:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4508384438
Other meetings and events:
Bovey Farmers Day: Monday, September 6th 9:00am-4:00pm. Visit our booth at the Bovey Farmers Day celebration on Monday! The celebration goes the whole weekend and you can find more details on their Facebook page.
Book Club: Thursday, September 16th 6:00-8:00pm. Join us for a fun, intriguing discussion about our latest reading: "Simple Food for the Good Life" by Helen Nearing. All community members welcome (even if you haven't finished the whole book!)
FRFC Book Club
"Simple Food for the Good Life: Random Acts of Cooking and Pithy Quotations"
by Helen Nearing
Book club is open to everyone! The next meeting date is Thursday, September 16th, 6:00pm. Email Kari for more information: jkritter@paulbunyan.net
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
Wednesdays and Saturdays through the summer, from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Located at: 11 Golf Course Road, Grand Rapids, just off the corner of Hwy 169 and Golf Course Road next to the Grand Rapids State Bank branch.
http://www.grfarmersmarket.org/
Thank you for being an owner of Free Range Food Co-op!
Know somebody who should be a Free Range owner? Forward this email and ask them to click the link below to visit our website and sign up.
July 2021 Newsletter
Build your co-op, build your community.
From the Board
Summertime is keeping us busy! The Business Plan Team met with the Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) to work on details related to our formal business plan which will be used to help secure finances during building. Meanwhile, the Site Selection Team met with two professional consultants to discuss next steps in the process of finding the best possible location for our future store. While all this was happening, the Capital Campaign Team has begun the selection process for a campaign training consultant to help plan our owner investment campaign to secure funding prior to building. All of these big pieces of the puzzle are being worked on simultaneously so they can fit together at just the right time. There is never a shortage of tasks that need doing or projects that need planning during the building of a cooperatively-owned grocery store!
Keep reading for more co-op news and opportunities to help!
You are a co-op owner.
A community member.
A friend.
And YOU are the foundation
of our co-op.
Our 806 owners are at the core of everything we do, but the board of directors cannot build the co-op without you!
We are all volunteers, too, and we need your help. We need your passion, your knowledge, your skills, and a small bit of your time.
Through the work of building our co-op we can also build our community. Imagine going to the co-op to shop for your groceries and knowing that you helped make it happen!
Tell us how you will help, and we'll contact you with details when we have a matching opportunity.
Urgent volunteer needs for summer 2021 include:
1) Help staffing a table with another volunteer at FRFC's booth for the MacRostie Downtown Art Fair. Event is on Sat. June 10th from 9-4. (3 hours maximum commitment.)
2) Help with Tall Timber Days planning. We need in-person and behind the scenes volunteers to staff our table for the weekend, plan our participation in the parade, and walk in the parade. Event is on Sat. August 7th & Sun. August 8th. (3 hours maximum commitment.)
*NEW* Owner & Community Listening Sessions:
Join on Zoom during the half hour before all board meetings to chat with directors, learn more about the cooperative, and share your thoughts. (Listening sessions prior to board meetings only. All owners are encouraged to join any board meeting or work session.)
This month's work session is on Tuesday, July 6th, 6:00-7:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4508384438
This month's board meeting is on Tuesday, July 20th, 6:00-7:30pm with listening session at 5:30pm. Open to everyone! Click to join via Zoom:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4508384438
Other meetings and events:
Friday, July 2nd, 4:00-7:00pm: First Friday Art Walk. Come visit us on the grounds at the Old Central School as we host a local artist at our table!
Saturday, July 10th, 9:00am-4:00pm: Downtown Art Fair - you don't want to miss this! We'll have a booth on the grounds at the Old Central School where we'll be hosting two different local artists; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Swing by our table to meet them, talk co-op, and sign up for a giveaway drawing!
Wednesday, July 28th, 6:00-7:00pm: Capital Campaign Planning Team Meeting. Contact Casey for more information: cdabrowski@gmail.com
The next book club book is ready for reading!
"Simple Food for the Good Life: Random Acts of Cooking and Pithy Quotations" by Helen Nearing
Book club is open to everyone! The next meeting date is Thursday, September 9th, 6:00pm. Email Kari for more information: jkritter@paulbunyan.net
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
Wednesdays and Saturdays through the summer, from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Located at: 11 Golf Course Road, Grand Rapids, just off the corner of Hwy 169 and Golf Course Road next to the Grand Rapids State Bank branch.
http://www.grfarmersmarket.org/
Thank you for being an owner of Free Range Food Co-op!
Know somebody who should be a Free Range owner? Send them to this blog and ask them to click the link below to visit our website and sign up!