|
The Mushroom Messenger KCG Monthly Newsletter: May 2024 Bringing you the monthly news of Kennett Community Grocer, a growing Food Co-op committed to local food, community, and culture. Hello to our Me
The Mushroom MessengerKCG Monthly Newsletter: May 2024 Bringing you the monthly news of Kennett Community Grocer, a growing Food Co-op committed to local food, community, and culture.
|
|
|
Hello to our Member-Owners and Friends!
In this edition: Picture: Board President Edie Burkey with attendees of KCG’s Wine Tasting at Paradocx (April 12, 2024). |
|
|
|
WHAT’S THE BOARD BEEN UP TO?The KCG Board met on April 8 at the Kennett Library. The Board appointed three new Board members to fill vacant seats. All have been active volunteers with KCG this year. The new members are Stu Mundth, Sandra Murphy, and Kimm Eagle. We also voted to approve a 6-month contract with Collis Townsend and Luis Tovar from Berkshire Hathaway Home Services (BHHS) to find our future store location. Collis and Luis are KCG Member-Owners and well-known in Kennett Square for the quality of their real estate services and local charitable work. We feel hopeful a site will be located soon, and we will then engage our Member-Owners in the selection process. The Board will continue to meet in-person in the Pine Room at Kennett Library. The next meeting is May 13 at 7PM. This meeting will be hybrid and Member-Owners are invited to join in-person or via Zoom link (see our events calendar).
If you are interested in helping with any of these areas, or have ideas on a site for the store, please contact us at info@kennettcommunitygrocer.coop.
|
|
Meet new Board Members Stu Mundth, Sandi Murphy, and Kimm Eagle
|
MEMBERSHIP EVER-GROWINGWe are currently at a Member-Owner count of 363 following a successful month of events. We continue to grow membership each month and commit to holding at least two events per month to attract new joiners to our community. However… We need YOUR help! KCG needs additional volunteer to help us "table" at numerous upcoming community events. You would play a crucial part in helping us grow our Member-Ownership by chatting with event attendees about our growing co-op and why you joined. If you can help, please submit our volunteer interest form. Not sure what to say? Don't worry - we will provide "elevator pitch" training! The next training is tomorrow (May 2); details in the ‘Upcoming Events’ section below. Membership growth is key!Your member-equity shares (minus expenses) are the foundation of financing for the store. As we are now looking for a site, we anticipate needing at least $100,000 in the bank to best position ourselves for a favorable financing. Fundraising will build on these all-important equity shares. Stay tuned for the launch of our “Open the Doors Campaign” and for the addition of a fundraising platform on our new website.
|
|
Pictures from KCG’s Wine Tasting at Paradocx (April 12, 2024):
|
MEMBER BENEFIT PROGRAMTwo more vendors signed up to participate in April, bringing the total to 13 local growers, producers, and businesses offering discounts to KCG Member-Owners – check them all out here! Freshly added:
|
ANNOUNCEMENTSKCG’s new website is now live! Take a look. We’re so grateful to KCG Treasurer Lindsay Cook and the other Board Members who dedicated significant time to help us move to this more modern platform. We’ll be able to do so much more with it to share KCG’s story and mission! We can’t wait to continue building it out. Member-Owners: Please share our new site with your own community on social media!
|
|
|
Thursday, May 2, 6:30-7:30 PM: KCG "Elevator Pitch" Training. (Liberty Market)
Learn how to spread the word about KCG! Join Board President Edie Burkey as she demonstrates the 30-second KCG elevator pitch and shares how to answer some FAQs. Then have some time to practice with other volunteers. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, May 9, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Live Better Storytime for children ages 5 to 8. (Kennett Library)
Join local author Chris Mahoney for this educational program to promote taste development and healthy food habits in young children in a simple, fun, and playful way - by following the ‘Amazing Journey of Clarence Carrot’ to become a "taste champion!" Registration recommended. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, May 21, 7:00-7:30 PM: Webcast: Get to Know KCG! (Zoom)
Are you interested in potentially becoming a Member-Owner of KCG, but want to chat with our Board before taking the plunge? This is the event for you! Join us for a brief presentation about why we want to build a better grocery store in Kennett Square & why you should join us - followed by Q&A with the audience (you!). |
|
|
|
Check out our table…Your can also chat with KCG at a number of community events "around the square" this month! Please note: The “Tea & Treats” event at Mrs. Robinson’s Tea Shop has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances (originally scheduled for May 9th). You may wish to update your calendar if you had saved the date. We hope to share the new date soon!
|
|
This is the fourth of our stories about the inspiration and urgency behind building a member-owned cooperative grocery store in Kennett Square. Do you have a story to share about what the Co-op means to you? Please get in touch at info@kennettcommunitygrocer.coop Let’s all eat better - Introducing Clarence Carrot:“Eat your vegetables!” For so many families, these are fighting words. Mealtime can become a daily battleground, with parents imploring children to eat things that are good for them while children crave the ultra-processed foods they see in ads and in the grocery stores. Enter Clarence Carrot and friends to change this by opening children’s senses to the joys of experiencing healthy foods through stories and hands-on activities. Clarence the Carrot is the creation of Chris Mahoney, one of our own KCG Member-Owners. In addition to being a wife, educator, mother, grandmother, and friend, Chris is an IIN Certified Health Coach and is sharing her expertise with us for this exciting venture. In collaboration with the Kennett Library’s Health Literacy Program and with help from a generous grant from the Theodore D. and Elizabeth Hadley Fund, KCG is launching a pilot program to introduce children and families to healthy food habits using Clarence the Carrot’s story.
|
|
Starting on May 9, we will begin this journey towards healthy food habits with a program involving home-schooled 4- to 8-year-olds. Children will receive Chris’s book entitled The Amazing Journey of Clarence Carrot and be introduced to Clarence’s friends, Bonnie Broccoli, Tom Tomato, Molly Mushroom, Reese Cheese, Mary Onion, Gene Bean, Trish Radish and Keith Grapefruit. Together the children will taste, chop, slice, touch, and see all different foods and vegetables, helping them to become “taste champions.” Equipped with Chris’s beautiful book, their mealtime journey with Clarence and his friends can continue at home. An important aspect of KCG’s mission is promoting healthy eating for the entire family, and we plan to do many free educational events both at the Kennett Library and in our store. We feel fortunate that our mission aligns with that of the Hadley Foundation which funds free children’s education programs. Together with the Kennett Library, we benefit from the foresight of Charles Hadley who, in his will directed that earnings from the Theodore D. and Elizabeth Hadley Fund be used to support free education programs for the people of Kennett Square.
|
|
|
|
