June 2022 Newsletter
Our 2nd annual "Spring into Growth" owner drive was a success! A warm welcome to 17 new Free Range Food Co-op owners and congrats to Jessica & Nate Johnson (owner #939) who were the winners of the "big basket" of plant starts.
FRFC volunteers would like to send a huge THANK YOU to the owners of Bryndlewood Gardens, Wil & Brynden Lenius! Without their generous partnership and plant donations this fun spring ownership drive wouldn't be possible. Thank you, Wil & Brynden, for helping FRFC and our new owner's gardens grow!
Miss out on the owner drive? That's OK, you can still join as an owner and get the reward of knowing you're an integral part of building our community grown, cooperatively owned grocery store!
6 co-op owners have traveled down to Madison, WI together to learn from some of the co-op world's most knowledgeable, passionate leaders at the Up and Coming Conference for start up food co-ops! They took time off work and from their busy lives to be there to gain insight and network with other co-ops, so you know they're dedicated to seeing this grocery store through. Thanks to Lydia Williams, Laine Yandell, Katie Christenson, Shara Dabrowski, Brandon Otway and Anna Johnson for representing Free Range Food Co-op!
Want to get involved? Click the button below to fill out our volunteer survey.
““I also love learning new things and sharing information about Free Range Food Co-op by volunteering with the Marketing team is a chance to engage with my community through different types of media, something I learned how to do with Rapids Rising and GRIP Coalition. I enjoy the flexibility of volunteering with FRFC and appreciate how welcoming and caring everyone has been!””
Woohoo, it's almost election time again! Elections are in October and we're ready to welcome 3 new directors to our team - will one of them be you?! Upcoming projects include:
Finding our site
Securing funds
Hiring a general manager
Planning store layout & products
Candidates must:
Attend twice-monthly board meetings & serve a 3-year term
Collaborate with at least one co-op team & attend its monthly team meetings
Complete an application
Be able to commit at least 10 hours per month (including meetings)
Be excited to build a community-owned grocery!
A board term lasts for 3 years (or less if you are filling a vacancy) and provides opportunities to:
Represent and engage with other co-op owners
Grow your existing skills and cultivate new ones
Expand personal and professional networks through co-op development
Email freerangefoodcoop@gmail.com to request a meeting with a current director for more information.
Downtown Art Fair
FRFC volunteers will share our booth space with local artist, Susan Clandon, outside on the lawn at the Old Central School.
Email Shara to represent our co-op at the Downtown Art Fair.
Volunteer needs for this event:
1 or 2 owners for 1st shift from 9:00-12:30
1 or 2 owners for 2nd shift from 12:30-4:00
1 or 2 owners to either help collect supplies and setup from 8:15-9:00am or help take down and return supplies from 4:00-4:45pm.
Clean Up Your Community
This twice a year effort helps keep our county a little bit cleaner, and gives volunteers the chance to get to know each other a little better. Email Shara to join the next cleanup crew this fall!
Congrats to Bethlehem Food Co-op on breaking ground!
Read the article here about their groundbreaking ceremony on May 5th at the site of their future store! More than a decade in the making, they finally have their site secured and can move forward with building their store. Funding got a big boost last summer from a $2.9 million federal grant secured by their state representative. Grants generally make up only a small portion of the funding available to food co-ops. Most of the funds for co-ops to get "doors on the store" come directly from owners via preferred share purchases, loans, or donations and that's how FRFC will obtain building funds during our Community Investment Campaign. The success of Bethlehem Food Co-op is motivation for all start up co-ops to keep working towards their collective dream of a better grocery shopping future!
Book Club
(Send us an email for the details!)
"Material: Making and the Art of Transformation"
by Nick Kary
In our present age of computer-assisted design, mass production and machine precision, the traditional skills of the maker or craftsperson are hard to find. Yet the desire for well-made and beautiful objects from the hands (and mind) of a skilled artisan is just as present today as it ever has been. In Material, Kary takes readers along with him to visit some of the places where modern artisans are preserving, and in some cases passing on, the old craft skills. His vivid descriptions and eye for detail make this book a rich and delightful read, and the natural and cultural history he imparts along the way provides an important context for understanding our own past and the roots of our industrial society.
Pick up this book and join our book club! Anyone is welcome to our discussion on June 9th regardless of how far you got through the book.
Miss the last co-op board meeting?
Catch up by reading the latest meeting minutes on our website:
Owners are encouraged to join Work Sessions & Board Meetings!
Email us if you are interested in joining one of our teams.
Marketing Team
Wednesday, June 1st, 6:00-7:00pm
Marketing, graphics, & social media.
GM Search Team
Sunday, June 5th, 6:00-7:00pm
Planning strategies to find the best future store General Manager.
Capital Campaign Planning Team
Monday, June 6th, 6:30-7:30pm
Planning & implementing the capital campaign.
Work Session
Tuesday, June 7th, 6:00-7:30pm.
Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom
CO-OP EVENT - Book Club
Thursday, June 9th, 6:00-8:00pm.
Join our discussion, chat with old friends and make new ones. Open to everyone!
COMMUNITY EVENT - Bigfork Wilderness Days
Friday, June 10th, 11am-7pm
Saturday, June 11th, 11:00am-9:00pm
Visit our booth at the Bigfork Wilderness Days event on Friday and Saturday! Our friendly volunteers will be there to chat about your co-op's progress.
Board Development Team
Tuesday, June 14th, 6:00-7:00pm
Strengthening our board through education & policy management.
Site Selection Team
Tuesday, June 14th, 7:00-8:00pm
Locating, researching, & comparing possible store sites.
Capital Campaign Planning Team
Monday, June 20th, 6:30-7:30pm
Planning & implementing the capital campaign.
Board Meeting
Tuesday, June 21st, listening session with Casey 5:30-6:00pm
Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom
Board meeting follows listening session 6:00-7:30pm
Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom
Support Local - Buy Local
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market
In person at 11 Golf Course Road, Grand Rapids
Every Wednesday and Saturday
8:00am to 1:00pm
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? Send them the link below to sign up.
May 2022 Newsletter
Free plant starts for all owners who join before May 15th
All new owners who join by May 15th will receive veggie plant starts grown locally by Bryndlewood Gardens! Each will also get entered to win the 'big basket' of veggie/flower starts. (Tip - if you are a household member of a current owner you can join under your own name with your own owner number to get in on the giveaways!)
Thank you, volunteers!
A huge thank-you to the 17 co-op owners who helped our attendance at the Children's Fair be a success! Volunteers assembled 500 cucumber seed planting kits, distributed them families at the fair, and taught the kids some fun 'garden yoga' poses.
Our first event of the season was a fun one, and we looking forward to working alongside our awesome co-op owner volunteers this summer!
Highway Cleanup Volunteers Needed
Meet other co-op volunteers while getting a little exercise and improving part of our Itasca County highway system! Sign up by emailing Shara at sharad.frfc@gmail.com. You'll receive more info and instructions once signed up. Join us in taking one small step towards fulfilling FRFC's Vision Statement #5:
"Our community has a leader that models and promotes sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship."
Email freerangefoodcoop@gmail.com to request a meeting with a current director for more information.
Two exciting opportunities available!
It's an especially thrilling time to join the board as we ramp up towards:
Finding our site
Securing funds
Hiring a general manager
Planning store layout & products
A board term lasts for 3 years (or less if you are filling a vacancy) and provides opportunities to:
Represent and engage with other co-op owners
Grow your existing skills and cultivate new ones
Expand personal and professional networks through co-op development
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! As active volunteer owners, directors are ambassadors for the co-op who are fully engaged in the work needed to build our store. It's so fulfilling to play a key role in creating this hub for fresh local food and ideas!
Have you ever thought about how much money it takes to build a cooperative grocery store - or any grocery store for that matter?
The land, the building, the shelving, the check-out lanes, the freezers, the refrigerators, the cooking equipment, the stock, the staff...you can see it all adds up fast! The Free Range Food Co-op project will cost roughly $2 million dollars and we’ll raise more than half of that from our owners and community members. The rest will come from bank loans and grants.
Co-ops across the country have raised funds from owners for centuries and the current pandemic has not slowed co-ops down! In fact Co-ops have raised MILLIONS of dollars in the last 2 years from co-op owners - during a pandemic. The Fredericksburg Food Co-op raised $2.4 million dollars from owners and opened their beautiful store in 2021. Those dollars came from just over 300 co-op owners who on average invested $8,000 in the co-op. Click here to take a peek at their store.
We can’t wait to tell you more details about how we plan to raise the funds needed to open our own beautiful co-op right here in Grand Rapids! Stay tuned for more details about our upcoming Community Investment Campaign.
Book Club chat -
Send us an email for the details!
"Material: Making and the Art of Transformation"
by Nick Kary
In our present age of computer-assisted design, mass production and machine precision, the traditional skills of the maker or craftsperson are hard to find. Yet the desire for well-made and beautiful objects from the hands (and mind) of a skilled artisan is just as present today as it ever has been. In Material, Kary takes readers along with him to visit some of the places where modern artisans are preserving, and in some cases passing on, the old craft skills. His vivid descriptions and eye for detail make this book a rich and delightful read, and the natural and cultural history he imparts along the way provides an important context for understanding our own past and the roots of our industrial society.
Pick up this book and join our book club! Anyone is welcome to our quarterly discussions regardless of how far you got through the book.
Miss the last co-op board meeting?
Catch up by reading the latest meeting minutes on our website:
April Work Session Minutes
Owners are encouraged to join Work Sessions & Board Meetings!
Email us if you are interested in joining one of our teams.
GM Search Team
Sunday, May 1st, 6:00-7:00pm
Planning strategies to find the best future store General Manager.
Capital Campaign Planning Team
Monday, May 2nd, 6:30-7:30pm
Planning & implementing the capital campaign.
Work Session
Tuesday, May 3rd, 6:00-7:30pm.
Open to all owners!Click to join via Zoom
Marketing Team
Wednesday, May 4th, 6:00-7:00pm
Marketing, graphics, & social media.
Board Development Team
Tuesday, May 10th, 6:00-7:00pm
Strengthening our board through education & policy creation.
Site Selection Team
Tuesday, May 10th, 7:00-8:00pm
Locating, researching, & comparing possible store sites.
CO-OP EVENT - Highway Cleanup
Saturday, May 14th, 10:00am-12:00pm
Clean up our adopted highway section in Trout Lake Road!
Board Meeting
Tuesday, May 17th, listening session 5:30-6:00pm
Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom
Board meeting follows listening session 6:00-7:30pm
Open to all owners! Click to join via Zoom
Grand Rapids Farmer's Market returns!
The Grand Rapids Farmers’ Market returns to 11 Golf Course Road
Every Wednesday and Saturday
8:00am to 1:00pm
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.
April 2022 Newsletter
The Children's Fair is a fun and FREE event where kids can have fun while parents, grandparents and caregivers can explore services and business in the county. This year's theme is "Get Moving!". The fair is on Saturday April 30th from 9:00am-1:00pm at the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids.
FRFC is partnering with Get Fit Itasca and their gardening program, "One Vegetable, One Community" to promote their veggie of the year: CUCUMBERS! We'll be assembling 500 planting kits including seed packets, soil and pots ready to distribute at the Children's Fair.
We almost have enough volunteers but are still looking for:
2 more owners to help with assembly: 3 hours commitment. Sunday, April 24th from 1:00-4:00pm in the classrooms at the YMCA.
2 more owners to help set up our booth and hand out planting kits during the event. 3 hours commitment. April 30th from 8:00-11:00am at the IRA Civic Center.
Email Shara if you are excited to volunteer & help FRFC encourage kids to get moving in the garden and grow some cucumbers!
Two exciting opportunities available!
It's an especially thrilling time to join the board as we ramp up towards:
Finding our site
Securing funds
Hiring a general manager
Planning store layout & products
A board term lasts for 3 years (or less if you are filling a vacancy) and provides opportunities to:
Represent and engage with other co-op owners
Grow your existing skills and cultivate new ones
Expand personal and professional networks through co-op development
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! As active volunteer owners, directors are ambassadors for the co-op who are fully engaged in the work needed to build our store. It's so fulfilling to play a key role in creating this hub for fresh local food and ideas!
Raising the funds to open our store from our owners with a Capital Campaign is a tried and true practice in the cooperative industry. In fact, our friends at Oshkosh Food Co-op recently opened their gorgeous new store in downtown Oshkosh, Wisconsin by exceeding their $1.5 million fundraising goal and raising over $1.6 million from their owners and community members during their Community Investment Campaign!
Oshkosh Food Co-op began their campaign in the fall of 2019 and raised nearly $900,000 out of the gate. When the pandemic hit in early 2020, the Oshkosh community pulled together to fund their store. Despite the impact of the pandemic, over 600 owners (nearly HALF of their 1200 owners!!) and community members invested $1.6 million in the Oshkosh Food Co-op.
Imagine what we can do here in Itasca County if half of our over 929 owners (to date) invest in our upcoming Community Investment Campaign! We’re so excited to fill you in on the campaign details...stay tuned for more info in the coming months!
Book Club chat - April 7th at 6:00pm!
(Send us an email for the details!)
"Why We Sleep"
by Matthew Walker, PhD
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 and join our book club! Anyone is welcome to our quarterly discussions regardless of how far you got through the book.
Check out the flier for the Garden Social hosted by our friends at Get Fit Itasca, One Vegetable One Community, and Itasca Community Gardens!
Owners are encouraged to join Work Sessions & Board Meetings!
Email us if you are interested in joining one of our teams.
GM Search Team
Sunday, April 3rd, 6:30-7:30pm
Planning strategies to find the best future store General Manager.
Capital Campaign Planning Team
Monday, April 4th, 6:30-7:30pm
Planning & implementing the capital campaign.
Work Session
Tuesday, April 5th, 6:00-7:30pm.
Open to all owners!Click to join via Zoom
Marketing Team
Wednesday, April 6th, 6:00-7:00pm
Marketing, graphics, & social media.
COMMUNITY EVENT - Garden Social
Thursday, April 7th, 5:00-7:00pm at the YMCA
Celebrate the gardeningseason with other gardeners, get info on local community gardens, and free cucumber seeds from One Vegetable One Community. Light snacks and refreshments provided. All are welcome!
CO-OP EVENT - Book Club
Thursday, April 7th, 6:00-8:00pm
Lively discussions around a variety of topics!
Site Selection Team
Tuesday, April 12th, 7:00-8:00pm
Locating, researching, & comparing possible store sites.
Board Development Team
Tuesday, April 12th, 6:00-7:00pm
Strengthening our board through education & policy creation.
Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 19th, listening session 5:30-6:00pm
Open to all owners!Click to join via Zoom
Board meeting follows listening session 6:00-7:30pm
Open to all owners!Click to join via Zoom
CO-OP EVENT - Children's Fair Kit Assembly
Sunday, April 24th, 1:00-4:00pm at the YMCA
Assembling planting kits to distribute at Children's Fair.
COMMUNITY EVENT - Children's Fair!
Saturday, April 30th, 9:00am-1:00pm at the IRA Civic Center
Fun & education for the whole family! FRFC will be there, too.Learn more here.
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.
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/