May 2017
Newsletter
Catching You Up on Co-Op News
We’ve got a big decision to make about the Co-op’s future and we need to hear from you. Please mark your calendar and join us for our next general meeting on May 24, where we’ll discuss options for relocating or other steps. We’ll also take nominees for the remaining open board position. If you have a head for finance or have a vision for our Co-op community, please nominate yourself!
Please note that the Co-op will be closed on Memorial Day.
All hands on deck! We need everyone to do their Co-op work shifts and right now we’re falling short. If you’re behind, don’t fret. Just sign up for a make-up shift or two. Got extra time? Sign up for extra shifts and bank some hours. If you’re looking for something new, check out the Help Wanted section for a variety of opportunities.
You can also get paid to work at the Co-op! We’re looking for some additional Store Coordinators. The Governance Committee is also seeking new members. Being on this committee is a great way to support the running of our Co-op.
Do you have friends who are considering joining the Co-op but want to know more? Tell them to come by the store any Sunday between 1 and 2 p.m. to talk with a Membership Committee member.
Those tasty croissants have a story. Check out this month’s Product Spotlight on Bread Alone. And the recipe for this crunchy, tangy salad couldn’t be simpler.
This month’s Social Justice Spotlight takes us far afield into the wilds of Canada, to The Co-op la Maison Verte in Montreal!
Our Co-op Q&A features Merchandising Committee member Lara Caballero. Find out where she hails from and what she puts on our shelves.
Special Discussion: The Co-op’s Next Step
We urge you to join our next general meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, at the Co-op. The meeting will be focused specifically on a discussion laying out the options for the future of our co-op. Your participation in the discussion is crucial as we attempt to make an informed decision that is a true reflection of all our members’ consent.
Get On Board!
Do you have a vision for the Co-op? Want to be part of its five-person board? Or know a member who is interested? A member who is inclined to think in terms of “dollars and sense” would be a great fit to fill this spot. The election will be held at our next board meeting on Wednesday, May 24, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Of course, work credit applies. See Article 4 in the bylaws for more information on eligibility and terms. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please email governance@greenehillfood.coop for next steps.
What’s Up Next at the Co-op?
Heads up! The store will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29. Stock up in advance and enjoy the holiday!
Done Your Work Shift Lately?
work shift kevin chauvin
To keep our Co-op open and humming along smoothly seven days a week, we need all member-owners to work their shifts. We are currently staffing only about 54 percent of our shifts. We can do better! And it’s vital for our long-term growth and success. We can’t order the goods, stock the shelves, track the finances or do a million other things without one another!
Please remember, all member-owners are required to work a minimum of 2½ hours (one standard shift) every four weeks. If you’re behind on hours, please sign up now for a make-up shift or two. We have plenty of shifts to choose from! Simply log into Humanity and find what works for you. Any excess hours you work are banked for you to apply later.
If you’re in good standing, consider banking extra hours by signing up to work red highlighted shifts on the Shift Coverage Sheet. Every shift helps!
Governance Committee Seeks New Members
Feel strongly about the sustainability of this community? Interested in the how and why of organizations? Have any experience developing resilient groups?
The Governance Committee in looking for new members with interest and experience in any of the above. We run the Co-op’s elections, advise the Board of Directors on the by-laws, and work in the interest of fairness and transparency for all Co-op members. Upcoming projects include the Fall elections for the Board and re-working our bylaws to better suit this growing cooperative of member-owners. Anyone interested is encouraged to get in touch: governance@greenehillfood.coop
Paid Positions! Store Coordinator Job Openings
store conversation
The Co-op is looking for additional Store Coordinators to support store operations, member training, and education. These positions will involve a combination of retail grocery management and community organizing. During their first six months, new hires will be Store-Coordinators-in-Training. If you have a flexible schedule and would be available for occasional spot coverage, please apply. Pay rate: $18/hour. Our current Store Coordinators are Raina, Lauryl, Lindsay and Sapana. You can see more details about the job on the Co-op website.
Weekend Membership Desk
We’re excited to announce that the Membership Committee will now be staffing the Membership Desk every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to a friendly greeting when you check in to shop, this is a great time to ask questions, check on your hours, or sign up for shifts. For prospective new members, this will also allow someone from the Membership Committee to outline the different membership options, as well as the many benefits of joining the Co-op. We look forward to seeing you during your weekend shopping trips!
Product Spotlight: Bread Alone Croissants
croissants
If you’ve ever visited the Co-op on a Saturday morning, you’ve probably noticed the huge box of beautiful croissants sitting on the checkout counter. They come to us every weekend from Bread Alone, a bakery just 100 miles upstate in Kingston, NY. As I piled my groceries on the counter to check out last weekend, there was nothing I could do to resist the buttery aroma of the freshly baked croissants. I added a chocolate-filled croissant to my heap of groceries, wondering how many I’d eat if I was a cashier that day.
Bread Alone supplies us with chocolate and plain croissants and a few different varieties of seedy, whole grain bread. You may have seen their stand at the farmer’s market, where they have an enormous tent stocked with dozens of different breads and pastries.
Daniel Leader, a chef by training, started the bakery in 1983, focusing on artisanal french-style baking in brick wood-fired ovens. Today, they’ve expanded but their process is the same. For almost four decades they’ve been baking simple, satisfying loaves using organic, stone-ground flours, water, organic grains, sea salt, and little else. Their croissants, scones and sweet breads are baked using the best seasonal ingredients.
Bread Alone is not only a leader in bread baking, but also in sustainability–they’re installing solar panels on their bakery roof this summer to supply most of their daylight energy needs. With a sustainability agenda like that, we’re proud to be one of their many retailers in the city and Hudson River Valley.
Social Justice Spotlight
International Cooperative Principle #6 is “Cooperation Among Cooperatives.” This time we focus on one well outside of NYC!
The Co-op la Maison Verte is a 16-year-old solidarity cooperative, an eco-épicerie [eco-grocery], a community café and a neighborhood meetup space in Montreal, Canada. They partner with small local farms and producers for a variety of initiatives, including a three-times-weekly farmer’s market in front of their store, and CSA baskets for meats, baked goods and fresh produce. At present they are reaching out to their nearly 12,000 members, neighbors and friends to raise funds to rebuild inventory and get even more of the local, eco- friendly, organic products their members love back on the shelves.Check out the work of Coop La Maison Verte in Canada and their fundraising campaign at https://www.ulule.com/coop-maison-verte/
Easy Brussels Sprouts, Red Cabbage, and Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Recipe by Molly Neuman
brussels salad with yogurt dressing
It’s officially salad season. When I came across this salad recently, I knew I had to take a crack at it! Honestly, I think the thing that makes it is the skin on the cucumber, so make sure you’re using organic cukes and wash them well. The colors, textures and tang all make this really satisfying. It keeps great, so you can make it on a Sunday and have it ready for meals the next day!
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
1½ cups brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber (Persian, ideally), skin on, thinly sliced
2 tsp salt plus salt and pepper for seasoning at the end
¼ cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Dressing:
½ cup Greek yogurt
3 T olive oil
1 T sherry vinegar
⅛ tsp paprika
⅛ tsp cumin
Directions:
Combine the sliced vegetables in a large bowl and add 2 teaspoons salt. Let the mixture sit while you assemble the dressing. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, sherry vinegar and spices to make the dressing. You can adjust the flavors to your preference, but tangy is good! Toss the vegetables in the dressing and serve on a platter topped with chopped hazelnuts.
Approximate cost: $6 in total or $1-$1.50 per person.
The Co-op Q&A With Lara Caballero
Meet Lara, who joined us in December and now works on the Merchandising Committee. She takes care of selecting and ordering olive oils, vinegar, condiments and canned foods for the Co-op and is proud to be a part of the community.
Q: When did you join the Co-op and what were some of the reasons you joined?
A: I joined Greene Hill in one of the open houses they hosted in December last year. I believe in the service we provide to the neighborhood — facilitating access to affordable, organic food, creating a space where all are members and decision-making agents, and building a space where everyone is welcome to join.
Q: Where are you from and what brought you here to Brooklyn?
A: I am from Spain and came to Brooklyn for love and work.
Q: How are you fulfilling your work requirement right now?
A: I am an active member and part of the Merchandising Committee. I am in charge of buying part of our selection. I focus on oils, vinegar, condiments, canned food (seafood, canned tomatoes), sauces, soups and broths. I love being in contact with vendors and making sure all the members can find what they want to buy in the store!
Q: How do you like spending your time outside of the Co-op?
A: I love cooking, riding my bike, and travelling. I also volunteer with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, which works to build a healthy watershed and vibrant ecological, business and cultural activity on the Gowanus Canal.
Lara
Q: What’s the best part about being a Co-op member?
A: To me, being a member is a way of supporting food justice. I love collaborating to create a space where we have a say in the products we buy, and that we can be socially responsible when grocery shopping. One of my favorite things is that the prices of food are very affordable, and every neighbor can become a member and participate.
Help Wanted
All members work a 2½ hour shift every 4 weeks. It’s part of being a member/owner. Here are some opportunities to earn work credit.
Relocation Group Needs a Hand
If you have a knowledge of Brooklyn commercial real estate or simply an interest in where we might be relocating, contact Matthew at matthewtalmage@hotmail.com or Cecile at cecile.ghfc@gmail.com. Particularly needed is the work of an architect to help with designs and buildout!
HR Committee seeking member(s)
The Coop is looking for a member or members to join HR. Duties include: Payroll process 1x/month, W-2 filing, Coordinator support (e.g. 1:1 availability to discuss workplace concerns, evaluations & work planning). Preferred qualifications: HR experience & a strong analysis of systems of oppression.
Please email store@greenehillfood.coop with a few sentences about why you’re interested in the role & what experience/skills you would bring to it!
PHP/LAMP Stack Developer Needed for IT Committee
The IT Committee is looking for help with the Co-op’s public-facing website (www.greenehillfood.coop) as well as our internal systems, including our CRM and Shift Planning. If you have skills with PHP, Drupal, MySQL and CRMs (we use CiviCRM), then we could use your expertise. This work can be done remotely and is critical to ongoing success of our co-op. For further information, email Chad Donnick at membership@greenehillfood.coop.
Finance Committee Members Needed!
If you have an interest in being involved in the day-to-day financial operations or finance strategy for the Co-op, please email finance@greenehillfood.coop.
Finance Office Assistant Shifts Available
Interested in doing some office work at the store? Your role would focus on handling invoices and entering data into our accounting software. You’ll get all the training and guidance you need, while working at a dedicated Finance desk and computer, and you’d be helping the Co-op produce financial statements on a regular basis. You can set your own hours! Please email officeassistant@greenehillfood.coop if you’d like to join us.
Inventory Committee Members Needed!
The Inventory Committee links Merchandising and Finance, and has a foot in both worlds. This particular role involves becoming an expert in Revel systems.The data in Revel feeds into our financial reporting to help us keep the business sound, and provides important information and analysis to the Merchandising Committee when they make decisions about what to buy for our store. It also supports cashiers so that everything scans correctly at the point of sale.
The key to all of this is excellent data integrity—and we need a few more experts! The weekly receiving and counting tasks require a shift in the store, but it’s not a set time, so it’s also great if you need something slightly more flexible! This role requires sitting at the computer and is very detail oriented.
Please contact GHFC-Inventory-team@googlegroups.com if you are interested.
Join and/or follow the Greene Hill Food-Op!
Interested in joining the Greene Hill Food Co-op? Check out our website to learn about membership, Like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter. Or simply stop by our store at 18 Putnam Avenue (off Grand Avenue) with any questions!
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