The KCG Board met via Zoom on March 10th. The agenda focused on the upcoming Board election, including identifying the skills and attributes that contribute to strong Board composition and are needed for opening a brick and mortar store. We discussed ideas for local grocery shopping options while we develop a store. Those ideas—exciting possibilities for the incoming Board to embrace—include the option of offering online products delivered from local farms, as well as picked up in a “mini-store.” This would be a much expanded option from the Co-op Boxes that KCG previously offered.
IMPORTANT: We currently have 5 Board seats available for election and are looking for Member-Owners to apply. Please consider sharing your talents! While there are no requirements other than “co-op grocery store passion” and being a Member-Owner, the new Board will be tackling some issues where community experience and certain skills sets may be helpful. Some specific areas:
We are looking for a place to lease, so real estate experience is helpful.
The coming year will be devoted to fundraising and expanding membership, so capital raising and community building experience are needed.
We depend upon the technology, marketing, writing, and social media skills of our Communication Team, so Board members with experience and interest in these areas will be greatly appreciated.
And last but not least, once a lease is secured and the fundraising is under way, all hands must be on deck to figure out the many avenues of financing that will come into play. Experience and interest in loans, grants, and financing tools will be greatly needed.
Our Board is a “working board,” meaning we do not “advise” an employed team of people who work with an Executive Director. We are the volunteers who make all of this happen. The time commitment is about 10 hours per month which includes Board and working Team meetings. We do have fun, we get to know one another as friends, and we have the satisfaction of knowing that with our efforts this store will happen.
A night of fun at the Chili Cook-Off for our hard-working Board!
CALLING ALL KCG MEMBER-OWNERS
Bring your suggestions, ideas, and feedback to the
April 10th ANNUAL MEETING.
Weigh in at this PIVOTAL MOMENT in KCG's development.
Discussion will be free-flowing.
Refreshments will be served.
Thursday, April 10, 7:00-8:30 PM in-person at Kennett Senior Center(427 S Walnut St, Kennett Square)or on Zoom(check your email from instructions to join the virtual meeting).
MEMBERSHIP EVER-GROWING
We are currently at a member-owner count of 465! Do you have ideas for increasing this number? Our Membership Committee meets once monthly to discuss ways we can recruit and support Member-Owners. This committee actively welcomes Member-Owners who wish to be involved. Please fill out the volunteer form on our website to let us know you are interested in helping with membership activities. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Sandi Murphy, will be in touch with you.
Many other volunteer opportunities are available. Let us know your interests on the volunteer form. Our Chili contest will now be an annual event! We need a team of volunteers devoted solely to this terrific night.
April 10, 7-8:30 PM: Annual Member Meeting (Kennett Senior Center, 427 S Walnut St, Kennett Square, and on Zoom): The Board will share updates on our efforts to open a community-owned grocery store, and more than half of the meeting will be an open forum discussion to gather your input on the best way to move forward.
LOOKING AHEAD
Hopefully this summer, we will hold the first-ever KCG “Grown Up Talent Show”: We have an idea for a very entertaining fundraiser evening, presented with a community partner!
For early next fall, we are putting together an educational panel with nutrition experts on the benefits of eating local and reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods, with a focus on the ways a food co-op makes this easy to achieve.
MEMBER BENEFIT PROGRAM
SPOTLIGHT: CLEAN SLATE GOODS
Show your KCG Membership Card and receive 10% off your purchase. To find out more about Clean Slate—and to see all 18 of our Member Benefit partners—check out the MBP page of our website.
We came, we tasted, we voted – and a good time was had by all!
March’s Chili Cook-off contest featured two local restaurant chefs, Nick Farrell from Sovana Bistro and Zack Hathaway from Sweet Amelia’s. Who knew that chilis could taste so different? Both chefs brought terrific A-game chili, but Zack’s smoked-paprika seasoned chili won the day. Many thanks to both for your skills and commitment!
On the home cook front, the slow cookers were a-bubbling, again with quite a variety of taste profiles. Our lucky—or rather talented—home chef winner was Gail Tefft, who won a weekend getaway to Ocean City, NJ. Our thanks to all of the participants – Robert Bolter, Sue Fitzgerald, Ralph Nigro, Norah Roth-Moore, Gail Tefft, and Barbara Wallace – and to the generous Member-Owners who provided prizes for the cooks and for the evening’s raffles.
Left: Chili Cook-off winner Chef Zack Hathaway of Sweet Amelia's earned bragging rights for 2025 – and the apron to prove it. Right: Home cook Gail Tefft won bragging rights of her own – and a relaxing shore weekend!
A huge thank you also to Dale Melton and the Dale Melton Trio, who provided a foot-tapping jazz-rock mix throughout the evening. As with our chefs, the professional musicians donated their services, all in support of KCG’s mission to build a better grocery store!
The numbers:
Over 120 people came to the party.
40% of that number were non-Members – so we're reaching new people in the community and meeting lots of future Member-Owners.
After expenses, the event raised over $2,500 to help build our future store.
Board president, Edie Burkey, has promised to make the chili cookoff an annual event. It will take a new team of chili planners (see volunteer plea above), but the plan is to add more local restaurant chefs and additional exciting raffles. The Red Clay Room, the cookoff venue and caterer, would love to have us back – and maybe get in on the contest.
As with everything in KCG’s cooperative venture, the excitement and success come from all of us in the community and as Member-Owners working together. If you were there, thank you for your support. For everyone, watch for next year’s chili-eating date. Or better yet, sign up as a volunteer to help make it happen!
Your financial contribution to Kennett Community Grocer’s "Capital Stew" will help bring healthy, local, and affordable food to our community. Please make a donation today!
