The KCG Board of Directors is hard at work. We met two times in January. On the 13th we held our regularly scheduled Board meeting to discuss general membership and business planning issues. On January 25th, we held a special working session where our hard-working Board Members tasked one another to write a 6-month plan with activities related to strengthening our Board composition, making a succession plan for the Board President role, and developing a plan for fundraising and community building activities before we open a brick and mortar store.
This is an exciting time for KCG, with lots of plans and 5 open Board seats for the Spring election. Please consider getting involved. Much more detail will be shared at the next Annual Member Meeting in April. A “Save the Date” email will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
The next open meeting of the Board of Directors will be Monday, March 10th at 7:00 P.M. All Member-Owners are welcome to attend. The meeting will be hybrid, meeting in person at the Kennett Township Community Room, 801 Burrows Run Rd, Chadds Ford, PA. Please email us if you'd like the link to join on Zoom.
MEMBERSHIP EVER-GROWING
We are currently at a Member-Owner count of 460. Join now to become one of our Founding 500 and be recognized as such in the new store!
Our Membership Committee meets once monthly to discuss ways we can support and grow our membership. We would love for you to get involved in this or any of our other committees or efforts. Please fill out our volunteer form to let us know you are interested in helping with membership or other activities. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Sandi Murphy, will be in touch with you.
March 22, 6-9 PM: “FUNraiser” Chili Cook-Off featuring the Dale Melton Trio (Red Clay Room – 423 Dalmatian St, Kennett Square, PA): See above for details. Get your tickets today – proceeds go toward financing our store! Sponsorship opportunities available!
April 2025: Annual Member Meeting (hybrid): As previously mentioned, our Annual Meetings have been shifted to the spring to better align to KCG’s fiscal calendar. Stay tuned – date and venue to be announced!
LOOKING AHEAD
Targeting late spring, 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.
Hopefully this summer, we will hold the first KCG “Grown Up Talent Show”: We have an idea for a very entertaining fundraiser evening, presented with a community partner!
SPECIAL FEATURE:
GET READY FOR THE KCG CHILI COOK-OFF!
We talk about money a lot in this newsletter, and it’s true we will need anywhere from 2 to 3 million dollars for the first year to find our site, pay a lease, fit out the store, and hire staff. But there is no reason we can’t have fun along the way! If you have been to any of our educational events, happy hours, wine & cheese tastings, salsa nights, etc., you know we are building a community of interesting and caring folks who enjoy a good time while helping to build a cooperative grocery store.
And our next exciting event is right around the corner. On Saturday, March 22, from 6-9 PM, join us for a SPRING FUNraiser featuring the Dale Melton Trio, a chili contest with additional food, an open bar (wine & beer), and a 50/50 raffle. Our chili contest will pit 2 professional chefs against Member-Owner home cooks. You will be the judge of the best KCG Chili! Tickets are $60 and available via the KCG website. Meet us for fun and community at the Red Clay Room, 423 Dalmation St, Kennett Square.
The first-place winner of the contest will have a free weekend at a lovely Ocean City, NJ, beach house in September. This was generously donated by Member-Owner Susan Latimer. Second-place winner receives a generous basket of chili fixings with a bottle of Tequila, and the third-place winner receives a specially selected bottle of wine.
WE ARE SEEKING SPONSORS FOR THIS EVENT!
We have two levels of sponsorship:
$500 HOT & SPICY LEVEL includes 4 tickets to the event
$250 EXTRA TOPPINGS LEVEL includes 2 tickets to the event
All sponsors will be recognized by KCG at the event and in our newsletter and social media channels.
KCG IN THE NEWS
As awareness of KCG grows in the community, we are drawing the attention of media outlets. Our Board Members are available for interviews and presentations to community groups. Contact us if you can help make connections that get the word out!
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!
