If you hunger for more discussion about the issues he raised in his talk and books, the Clear Creek Food Cooperative will be hosting a discussion this Thursday, March 4th at 5:30 PM at our store, 710 East Main Street in Richmond. Come share what you learned, what questions or concerns you’re left with, and your ideas for continuing to connect the dots about food here in Richmond and Wayne County.  (And if you didn’t see Pollan’s talk, you’re still welcome!)

Free and open to the public, light refreshments will be offered.  The Coop grocery will still close at 6, so come early if you want to shop!  Contact us with any questions or to let us know you’ll be coming.

To that end, we’re ready to present in draft form our proposed new membership options for the Coop, and to get your feedback on them.  We’re especially looking for feedback on these points:

• Cost / value: do the options seem like reasonable price points for the benefits included and for what the “market” in our community will support?
• Clarity of benefits: is it clear what benefits are included, and how they’ll be delivered/enacted?
• Simplicity: Are the options straightforward and easily understood, even for shoppers new to the Coop concept?

Of course, we welcome any other thoughts you might have as well.  You can share your comments by posting a comment below, or by contacting us directly.  Our hope is to receive your feedback within the next two weeks, so that we can put these membership options into place at our board meeting in early January 2010.

Thanks for your help!

Chris Hardie
On behalf of the board of directors

So, the Clear Creek Food Coop will have our first day of regular hours on Saturday, December 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM!  We may not have a full inventory yet, but we will be hosting a Holiday Bazaar where you can buy crafts and gift items from local artists, come see the new store, and talk with us about the future of the Coop.  (And we’re conveniently located just a block from Morrisson-Reeves Library, so make sure you stop by the Alternative Gift Fair happening there that same day from 1 PM to 4 PM.)

We’ll see you at the Coop!

The Co-op is still actively working to open our store at its new location, 710 East Main Street in Richmond.  We’re having a work day this coming Saturday, November 14th at 10 AM (until 1 PM or however long you can stay).  During this time we’ll have volunteer opportunities that include helping to get the store shelving ready, putting together a membership and ownership structure for the new Coop, starting on marketing activities, beginning the cashier hiring process, and much more.  We hope you can join us - just show up, or contact us if you have any questions.

Stay tuned to this website for future updates about the store’s grand opening, membership opportunities, and more.  Thanks!

Chris Hardie
President, Coop Board of Directors

We’re still working hard on the items I mentioned in my September update -  forming a new legal entity, finalizing our membership model, etc. - and we invite you to be a part of that as much as you can.  In the short term, we also need your help cleaning up at our old space so we can leave it in great shape - contact us if you’re available in the next few days to do that.

Thanks again to everyone who has offered their support and energy throughout this move.  Stay tuned to this space in the weeks to come for announcements about the new space and plans for our grand re-opening!

Chris Hardie
On behalf of the Coop Board of Directors

As Kiersten noted in August, we’ve continued our work on opening the Co-op in a new location in Richmond, with a focus on a strong cooperative model for running a small grocery store with complementary educational/outreach programs.  A few pieces have to come into place before that move can be finalized, and here’s the status of each:

• We’d like to re-form the Co-op as a different legal entity that allows for true cooperative ownership.  We’re currently working with a local attorney who is helping us review what that legal entity should be, and how best to create it.  Digging up some past paperwork to assist in this transition has taken longer than we’d hoped, but we’re moving forward.
• As soon as that legal entity is formed, we need to negotiate and sign a lease for space in Richmond.  We’ve looked at a number of different location possibilities and we have our eye on a favorite, but until we can say that it’s final, we don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up (or create any confusion) about where we’ll be located.  If you’re interested in the particulars of that conversation, just ask.
• We’re also working on finalizing a new membership model that will help make the Co-op financially self-sustaining.  We have lots of great examples and resources available to us about how other Co-ops are doing this, and of course we have many years of experience with a particular kind of model at our own Co-op, so we’re excited to be reshaping things here to take us in a new direction.
• We’re cleaning and packing up our old space on the Earlham Campus.  After many years at that location, there’s been a lot to do to get ready to move!
• Continuing to manage the finances and operations of the Co-op.  Yes, even though we’re pretty much closed, there are a number of business administration items that continue to be necessary.

Of course, we’re taking on all of these tasks with a very committed part-time “transition coordinator” (THANK YOU KIERSTEN!) and a volunteer board with limited time.  We realize that these things may not be moving forward as quickly as some of us had originally hoped, but we remain optimistic and excited about what the next phase of the life of the Co-Op will look like when we’re done.

We hope you’re excited too!  If you’d like to be a part of any of the above work or have other ideas or suggestions for helping the Co-op, just get in touch.  Thanks for your support.

Chris Hardie
On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Just as many configurations of the Clear Creek Board of Directors have in the past; we the current board, have been wrestling with the notions of relocating.

The student meal plan was an innovative way to keep the co-op solvent over the years.  However, the board has decided to focus on our co-op. The students have been working with the College to revitalize the current space to fit their needs and to provide their own alternative meal plan.

The board’s decision to move the store away from its current location is a move back to the basic co-operative model.  This has not been a simple decision, however If we are a Co-op our guiding principles are clear enough.  A Co-op is voluntarily owned by the people who use it, operated for the benefit of its members, governed democratically, and it adheres to the internationally recognized cooperative principles.

These principles are:

1. Voluntary and open membership
2. Democratic, member control
3. Member economic participation
4. Autonomy and independence
5. Education, training and information
6. Cooperation among cooperatives
7. Concern for community

As members of the greater Richmond community, as well as the board of Clear Creek Co-op we invite you to join us in a new cooperative adventure!  We are very excited about these changes and the energy a new space will bring.

We ask that you bear with us during the framing of this forward movement into the heart of our community, as the co-op will be closed for August.  The buying club will continue to place orders when we get the logistics of receiving your forms and product pick up nailed down. The board will discuss this at our upcoming meeting.  We will keep you posted!

We are counting on your continued support and cooperation.

Kiersten Aubre-Howard
Clear Creek Co-op Board of Directors

1. Richmond Farmers Market started today!
2. Inventory coming up end of June!
3. Open Board Meeting - Summer Membership

1. Richmond Farmers Market started today!
The Richmond Farmer’s Market began today,
June 13th in the parking lot at North A St. and
6th Street, across from Morrison-Reeves Public
Library!!! Don’t miss all the great local products
and networking available there!

2. Inventory coming up end of June!
Even though our stock has scaled back considerably,
our Second Quarter Inventory is coming up at the
end of June, in two weeks!! Typically, this has been
done the Saturday closest to the last day of the
quarter, so in this case, June 27th. We suggest
conducting inventory after closing at 2 p.m. on this
day, and perhaps reserving Sunday afternoon as
well, if it doesn’t get done!! Many hands make light
work, so if aren’t able to volunteer on a regular
basis, but can on that weekend, this is your chance!!

3. Open Board Meeting - Summer Membership
At the board meeting this past Tuesday, a proposal
on altering the Membership agreement for the
course of the summer was passed by the
members present.

Here is the proposed membership agreement for
the co-op’s immediate future:

• Shoppers will NOT need to pay a fee to become members.

• Members are strongly encouraged to participate in the life of the co-op by ordering regularly, sharing the co-op’s mission with others,volunteering as their schedule permits, and attending member meetings.

• Placing bulk orders through the buying club requires membership.

• Non-working members will pay a 25% mark-up on bulk orders.

• Working members will pay a 10% mark-up on one bulk order in the month that they work (on the honor system, we’d like to say this applies for working 4+ hours per month).

• There will be no regular in-store discount. However, member sales will occur regularly during the summer.

If you have concerns or responses to this proposal/
decision, please email the board at
board@clearcreekcoop.org

Signing off as managers with much love and hope!!
Jon and Janelle

1. June 9th Open Board Meeting
2. Strawberries!
3. A Note from the Departing Managers

1. June 9th Open Board Meeting
Members of the co-op/buying club who are interested
in participating in the life of the co-op this summer
are strongly encouraged to attend the upcoming
Open Board Meeting, Tuesday, June 9th at 5:30 p.m.
at the co-op.

The agenda will include summer plans, bulk buying,
the end of Jon and Janelle’s employment, volunteer
coordination, big picture conversation planning, and
more. This will be a time, in particular, for the co-op’s
transition to volunteer staff to take flight! We will
have a list of volunteer positions available for sign
up, so come in and find the task that best suits you!

Here’s a sampling of the positions available:
Saturday Cashiers (10 to noon and noon to 2)
Tuesday Cashiers
Tuesday Clean up (Trash and Recycling, Sweep, mop)
Saturday Clean up
Coffee Liaison (coordinate monthly coffee order)
Cheese Liaison (coordinate monthly cheese order)
Bulk Bin Maintenance
Board Treasurer
Board Secretary
Board Member

Come to the meeting for more info, or respond to
this email to claim a position!

2. Strawberries!
Jon and Janelle and several other co-op members
went strawberry picking this past Monday and boy,
are those strawberries sweet! We highly recommend
Bell’s Strawberry Farm in Hagerstown (unless you
have an even MORE local source of berries!). We
called and they said the hail storm just missed them!
They are at 16447 State Road 38, 765-489-5753,
www.eatmorestrawberries.com. You can pick your
own and pay $1.85 per pound, with one free quart,
or you can also buy already picked berries. Also
available for a short time: asparagus, frozen or fresh!

3. A Note from the Departing Managers

Dear co-op members, customers and supporters,
The past two and a half years serving the Richmond
co-operative community have been a whirlwind, both
challenging and joyful for us! We want to take this
opportunity to thank every one of you for your
encouragement, your support, your suggestions and
your passion for whole, healthy, local food.

Our last day at the co-op will be June 13th and on
June 21st, we will be moving on to try farming with
Jon’s parents at “Mojeji Ranch” in Southern Missouri!
We hope to send updates to many of you in that new
adventure!

We wish you the best as the Clear Creek Co-operative
enters a new season of its life in Richmond! May it be
a time of reconnecting with the true spirit of
co-operation and community!

Best wishes,
Jon and Janelle Flory Schrock

1. Sunday Sale - 30% off!
2. Store Hour Changes
3. Co-op seeks more local products!
4. 100-Mile-Radius Potluck May 31st
5. More volunteers needed!!

1. Sunday Sale - 30% off!
Your last chance to take advantage of our transition
sale is this Sunday, May 31st! Almost all items in
the store will have a 30% discount (exceptions are
wraps and local products such as eggs, honey,
and Reach for Health Kombucha).

2. Store Hour Changes
Please note the following hours of operation:
Saturday, May 30th CLOSED (due to power down)
Sunday, May 31st Open noon to 5 p.m.

Beginning next week, our summer hours will take
effect:
Tuesdays Noon to 7 p.m.
Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

3. Co-op seeks more local products!
As we transition into scaled back hours and a focus
on bulk buying and local networking, the co-op invites
all local producers to come talk to us about selling
their goods on consignment!! Or, if you know
someone who produces/grows things locally, have
them contact us using the information below!

4. 100-Mile-Radius Potluck May 31st
The May 100-mile Radius Potluck is coming up this
Sunday, May 31st at 6:00 p.m. at Glen Miller Park,
Shelter #8, behind the playground.

Come and share your favorite “homegrown” recipes
with a group of friendly and sustainability minded folks.

Better yet, ride your bike!

5. More volunteers needed!!
Jon and Janelle will complete their term as managers
of the co-op on June 12th!! So for the first two weeks
of June, we’ll be hoping to train many of you in the
areas of cashiering, processing orders, and general
co-op daily tasks! Just imagine — a co-op completely
owned and operated by its volunteering members!

Specifically, we are still needing volunteers for the
following positions:
Saturday Cashiers (includes placing the online order
every other week)
Tuesday Order Processors (11 a.m. to noon every
other week)
Sandwich Makers
Cleaning Crew Members (sweeping, mopping, bulk
bin upkeep, etc)
…and many more that we haven’t thought of yet!!!