Happy Co-Optober!

Celebrate National Co-op month with us by becoming a Food Shed Co-op owner! Be the first new owner in October, and you'll get a $25 gift card to 1776 restaurant in Crystal Lake; 1776 is known for incorporating locally-sourced ingredients into their delicious, high-quality dishes.

Already an owner? Great, you can refer a friend or someone you know to the Food Shed, and if they become an owner, we have a surprise gift for you too!

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Empty Bowls Fundraiser Success!

We are excited to share with you that our partnership with McHenry County College’s Empty Bowls fundraising event raised more than $3,000 for MCC's new student food pantry! A portion of the proceeds were also given to Crystal Lake's food pantry, which included money raised from the Food Shed Co-op’s "pop-up" style food store, full of products from our valued locally-sourced farmers and food artisans.

Thank you to MCC's team, including Tracy Champion and Chef Tina, and all the Food Shed Co-op volunteers and board members who made this fundraiser a success: Carina Vowels, Jenn Feeley, Eva Bee, Scott & Kim Brix, Rusty Foszcz, and Martie Gorman. Thank you also to our amazing musical acts, who donated their time and talent: Jim Green (jimgreenmusic.com), Trillium the Band (www.trilliumtheband.com), Woodstock HS Chamber Orchestra featuring Lyndra Bastian ([email protected]), and the Woodland Spirit Flute Circle (www.woodlandspirit.net).

A big thanks to our local farms and food artisans for their generous food donations: The Paulsons of Brad & Cindi's Produce (Brodhead, WI), Bushel & Peck's (Beloit, WI), Sue Rekenthaler of Natural Farm Stand (Richmond, IL), Lisa Faber of Sunshine Preserves, Loyola Farm at Loyola's Retreat & Ecology Center (Woodstock, IL), and Nichol's Farm (Marengo, IL).

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We Love Being Green!

That's right, we love all things green, including our environment, sustainable food systems, and everything in between, and we love being recognized for our fondness for green in McHenry County Magazine's Green Edition that came out in August!

Check out the article that summarizes our efforts on Page 12.

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7 New Food Shed Owners in 1 Week!

In the week leading up to our 2018 Annual Owner Meeting, seven community members decided to take their interest in the Food Shed to a whole new level by becoming official owners of our grocery store!

We're excited to welcome these new owners into our community and encourage you to upgrade your interest and become an owner today. Momentum is building with exciting developments happening in our Food Shed community, and you can still be one of the "early-adopters," by investing in your local community and this amazing local co-op!

As a reminder, we also have a Financial Assistance Fund,for people who would like to become owners but are on a limited budget. You can find the application on our website: FoodShed.Coop->Become an Owner->Financial Assistance Fund Online Form.

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Volunteer Opportunities!

Would you like to get involved in an organization whose mission is to build a local food cooperative that promotes a healthy, ethical, and resilient community?

• Are you excited by the local food movement?

• Does your mouth water just thinking about a grocery store full of delicious, locally-sourced food?

• Do you have the gift of the gab and love to talk to people about sustainability, healthy food, nutrition, and/or supporting local farmers?

• Are you a grant writer who's looking to contribute your skills to a worthwhile cause?

• Do you love typing/data entry while watching the latest Netflix documentary?

• Have you been told you're a great party host? Do you love planning special events and sharing your creative ideas with others?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, we NEED YOU! You don't have to be a Food Shed owner; if you're passionate about our mission and want to help, then we WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If you're interested in volunteer opportunities with the Food Shed Co-op, please take a few minutes and fill out our Volunteer Registration form on our website->FoodShed.Coop->Get Involved->Volunteer. You can also email: [email protected], or text "Volunteer" to 815-315-1541 to opt-in for Volunteer text messages, and let us know your interests, ideas, or ask questions.

As our development reaches new stages, we need more volunteers and volunteer leaders who will step up and put in the work, while reaping fulfilling rewards for themselves and our community.

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Survey: What's Your Vision Of Our Community-Owned Grocery Store?

As we progress further into our development stages and get closer to opening our store, we need your input for the Food Shed Co-op to be a reflection of our local community. We know your time is precious, so we’ve created a survey that is brief and to the point!

We value your input, so, please, give us your vision of the type of store we should build, by setting aside five minutes to fill out this important survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/myfoodshed

Survey responses must be completed by August 31st. We will unveil the survey results at our Annual Owner Meeting on Monday, September 10th.

But . . . you have to be an owner to attend. Are YOU an owner?

Now's a great time to join the Food Shed Co-op and become a co-owner of a grocery store founded on the values that are important to you. As an owner in a democratically-run organization like the Food Shed, you have voting privileges, and your vote counts! You can vote for Board members or run for the Board yourself.

Food Shed Wins Picnic In The Park Contest!

Although it was a typical Co-op Community Night at the Woodstock Square last month, where Food Shed owners and supporters gathered to socialize, listen to music, eat, drink and be merry - this was no typical picnic!

You may have heard that we entered the City of Woodstock's Picnic in the Park contest for the best-themed picnic setting, and you may have seen that WE WENT ALL OUT!

With the generous donations and display of more than 13 of our local merchants’ products, our "Locally-Sourced Picnic: Perfect Picnics ♥️ Local Fare" won the first place prize for creativity and best use of theme.  We are proud to have been published in the Northwest Herald for our accomplishment!

Board member Liz even brought the unique conversation pieces of a monarch caterpillar and tadpoles! Our picnic was truly a peek into our future - a grocery store full of locally-sourced products, unique finds, and a community of people who care about the same things and love a good time!

A big thanks to our local merchants who supplied delicious food, drinks or perfect props:

Brook Farm Popcorn, Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters, Ethereal Confections, Expressly Leslie’s Vegetarian Specialties, Loyola’s Retreat & Ecology Campus, Mentoring Gardens, Read Between the Lynes, Rosie’s Gluten-Free Sweets, Scorched Earth Brewing Company, Silver Prairie Natural Soap Company, Sunshine Preserves, The Peacock Shoppe and W&M Land Corp Organic Nursery

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