Newsletter: December 2025

The Mushroom Messenger KCG Monthly Newsletter: December 2025 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: KCG Board: Big news – our lease is official! Membership: Celebrating the 'Founding 500'! Chili Cook-off: Seeking spicy sponsors! KCG in the News: Article in the Daily Local News Special Feature: Giving Tuesday is tomorrow — help build YOUR co-op! What's the Board Been Up To? Last month marked a defining moment for Kennett Community Grocer: we officially signed the lease for our future store! In case you missed our big announcement, our new home will be located at the corner of Cope and East Cypress Streets in Kennett Square — and we’re targeting an opening in Spring 2026. After eight years of hard work, this milestone moves us from the planning phase to the building phase. The 3,000-square-foot store will operate on an innovative consignment-based model, connecting local farmers and producers directly with shoppers — ensuring they receive a fair return for their work while making fresh, local food more accessible to all. This model strengthens Chester County’s agricultural economy and supports our mission to keep food dollars rooted right here at home. We’re also celebrating another major achievement: our 500th Member-Owner! That’s 500 households who believed in the idea of a grocery store built by the community, for the community. Read more about this milestone and what it means for the future of KCG below. As we move toward renovations and fundraising, the Board and our nonprofit partner, Friends of Kennett Food Co-op, are focusing on the next critical step: raising funds for equipment and build-out through our “Build the Store Together” capital campaign. More on that and Giving Tuesday below. Every donation, sponsorship, and membership helps us open as close to debt-free as possible — ensuring the store’s long-term sustainability. HELP BUILD THE STORE 💛 As we close out the year, the Board extends warm holiday wishes to you and your families. KCG exists because of you — and because of the dedicated volunteers serving across our Membership, Communications, Store & Property, and Events teams. We’re grateful for every hour given to move this store from dream to reality, and we invite you to join us anytime at our monthly Board meetings to hear updates and get involved. Reminder that our Board meetings have moved to Zoom for the winter months and Member-Owners are welcome to attend. Join us for the next one on Monday, December 8 at 7:00 PM (reply to this email to request the Zoom link). Membership Ever-growing Eight years ago, Kennett Community Grocer began as a dream shared at a community meeting — a dream of a grocery store built by the people, for the people of Chester County. A better way to get local food on local tables. Today, that dream has over 500 households standing behind it (504, to be exact!). 💛 To every one of our Founding 500 Member-Owners: thank you. Your belief, patience, and investment made this milestone possible — and you’ve officially earned your place in KCG history. In the months ahead, we’ll be reaching out to determine how we’ll honor the Founding 500 in the store itself. Whether through a mural, display, or something entirely unique, your names will have a lasting place in the home you helped build. And to everyone who’s been watching our journey, it’s not too late to join us! Membership is still open, and every new Member-Owner strengthens our collective impact! Everyone will be welcome to shop at KCG when we open, but Member-Owners get a voice in shaping the store's direction as well as future shopping benefits — and most importantly, they’re part of keeping local food and farms thriving. 💛 Join today and be part of what comes next. BECOME A MEMBER-OWNER TODAY Already a Member-Owner?  You can help us grow by inviting a neighbor or friend to join! Chili Cook-off Updates 🌶️ Save the date: Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 6–10 PM | Loch Nairn Farm The 2026 KCG Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser is heating up fast! We’re working to raise $57,000 to cover the store’s first six months of operating costs, and the event promises to be a flavorful night of friendly competition and community spirit. 🔥 Call for Sponsors Now Open! We’re kicking off sponsorship outreach. Local businesses and supporters, this is your chance to support a great cause and gain community exposure! Sponsorships start at $500 and will receive meaningful recognition before, during, and after the event. This year’s $2,500 Presenting Sponsor level includes exclusive banner recognition over State Street in downtown Kennett Square during February. All sponsorships are processed as tax-deductible donations through our nonprofit partner, Friends of Kennett Food Co-op. We are also accepting donations for our silent auction. Learn more at the link below. BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY Thank you to the sponsors who have joined us so far! 🥣 Meet the First Two Competing Chefs KCG is excited to have Chef Zack Hathaway, owner of Sweet Amelia’s and WINNER of last year's first annual Chili Cook-off, back as a contestant in 2026! Together with Chef Karessa (his wife) and Chef Ben (his best friend), their journeys converged and led them to Kennett Square and their dream of opening a restaurant that was “approachable, comfortable and still gave excellent service and food.” They are committed to offering a Farm to Table menu using locally-sourced fresh products that change with the seasons. Chef Zack mentioned not to expect the same winning chili, as he doesn’t have a special “secret” recipe; just masterful knowledge of ingredients that work together to create fabulous food! Having strategically chosen Kennett Square to pursue his dream restaurant, Chef Tim Courtney opened Mary Pat’s Provisions—his breakfast and lunch spot in Liberty Place—in 2018. The name blends his mother’s and grandmother’s first names, a nod to his family roots. Tim is an avid believer in using fresh ingredients from local farmers to create his made-from-scratch recipes. He loves the small-town feel of Kennett Square, its walkability, and the sense of camaraderie. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Tim realized early on that being a chef was the perfect profession for him. An inquisitive and creative teen, he was encouraged by his late Irish Catholic grandmother to follow that path. 🍅 New Competitor Added! We’re thrilled to announce that Taste of Puebla will be joining this year’s lineup — and we can’t wait to see (and taste!) what they bring to the table.   Be Part of the Action — Volunteer with Us! Want to help bring this year’s Chili Cook-Off to life? We’re still looking for volunteers to support ✨ key areas ✨ like sponsorship outreach, silent auction items, and event logistics. Whether you can pitch in for a single project or stay involved through event day, there’s a place for you on the team (and plenty of fun along the way!). 👉 Email KCG.Chili.Cookoff@gmail.com to get involved.   Stay tuned for more chef reveals and ticket information — ticket sale will be announced shortly, just in time for the holidays! KCG in the News We’re thrilled to share that Kennett Community Grocer was featured in the Daily Local News following our lease announcement! The article highlights how our consignment-based model will give small and mid-sized farmers a fair return for their products, provide the community with fresh, locally produced food, and keep profits circulating within our local economy. A key takeaway: “Our Co-op Grocer all begins with the local farmer, and today more than ever, they’re facing financial insecurity and challenges in the market. This model helps create stability for them — and a stronger local food system for all of us.” — Edie Burkey 📰 Read the full article here: After 8 years Kennett Community Grocer has a home SPECIAL FEATURE:   Tomorrow, help build your co-op on... The holiday season is officially underway, and with it comes a moment we’ve been working toward for nearly a decade: transforming our new space at 625 E. Cypress Street into the community-owned grocery store our region has long needed. With the lease officially signed and architectural plans in motion, we’re entering a fast-moving and exhilarating phase — and Giving Tuesday (tomorrow!) arrives at the perfect time to build on this momentum. 💛 Why your gift matters right now KCG is at a rare inflection point. After eight years of research, community organizing, site exploration, and cooperative planning, we finally have the keys to a home of our own. The next critical step is raising the funds to equip and renovate the store so we can open in Spring 2026 — strong, stable, and positioned for long-term success. Giving now helps us: Start renovations without delay Install refrigeration, shelving, and infrastructure essential for opening Reduce reliance on loans that have strained many co-ops nationwide Ensure more of our food dollars go directly to local farmers and producers Every contribution — large or small — accelerates the transformation of an empty space into a vibrant hub of local food and community. 💛 Ways to Give Direct gift to KCG:   Make a donation directly to KCG (online, check, or cash) and 100% goes toward building the store. Tax-deductible gift via our nonprofit partner:  Make a donation to Friends of Kennett Food Co‑op (online, check, cash, or Donor-Advised Funds); 100% goes toward building the store. Friends of Kennett Food Co-op is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with the mission of supporting Kennett Community Grocer and providing community education regarding eating healthy, locally grown and produced foods. (EIN: 39-3397193) Employer-matched donations: Submit your donation to Friends of Kennett Food Co-op for matching by your employer. GIVE TODAY 🌱 What your donation builds Your generosity will help us: Begin renovations in our new space Fund equipment and fixtures that support a year-round marketplace for local farms Cover pre-opening costs that position the store for a stable, debt-light launch Strengthen a local food system that keeps farms resilient and dollars in Chester County 💛 Let’s open the doors together This community has carried Kennett Community Grocer from idea to reality — and now we’re just one major step away from building the store itself. When you give this Giving Tuesday, you’re not just donating. You’re helping open a grocery store built by the people, for the people — and rooted in our region’s agricultural future. Thank you for being part of this moment. Together, we’ll build something lasting. With gratitude and hope, The Board of Kennett Community Grocer JOIN THE COMMUNITY! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and now LinkedIn!