SV market effort seeking help to win grant

SV market effort seeking help to win grant

By Laura OryHerald/Review

SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op has the chance to win some sweet cash from a new sweetener producer, with the help of local community members.

The market is competing with four other food cooperatives across the nation for the most online votes for a $2,500 prize from Nature’s Family Sun Crystals, a new low-calorie sweetener, said spokeswoman Amanda Hirschhorn.

“Being a natural product producer, we recognize the importance of food co-ops in providing quality, natural, organic products,” Hirschhorn said.

The Sun Crystals Food Co-op Endowment program was created since many food co-ops have good ideas for promoting natural foods, but they don’t always have the resources to get their ideas off the ground, she said.

The Sierra Vista Market has proposed to create a community newsletter on health, wellness, and nutrition and hire a co-op consultant with the funds, said project manager Lyle Ford.

As one of the endowment finalists, the Sierra Vista market will receive $2,500 with the chance to win an additional $2,500 if it receives the most votes on the Sun Crystals Web site — www.suncrystals.com.

“We were pretty excited to get it, and anything we can get to help us open the store is very beneficial,” said Donna Boe, membership chair. “The $2,500 would help and $5,000 would help more.”

The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op is raising funds, seeking members and hoping to open a natural foods market in Sierra Vista by 2009, Boe said.

The food co-op has about 289 members and 360 member-shares sold and is aiming for 500 members and 700 member-shares to open the market. Members are joining from Tombstone, Whetstone and other surrounding areas, Boe said.

“People keep telling me they come to Sierra Vista to shop, and they are interested in a market like this,” Boe said.

In additional to a focus on healthy foods, the group also hopes to offer locally produced products.
The endowment finalists and their plans are:

• Vancouver Food Co-op for a market feasibility study.
• Chatham Marketplace for a cafe expansion.
• The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op for a business plan consultant and community newsletter.
• Brookings Natural Foods Co-op for new refrigeration equipment.
• Kandi Cupboard Food Co-op for computer equipment and online ordering system.

HERALD/REVIEW reporter Laura Ory can be reached at 515-4683.

Where to vote

Votes can be cast by Friday at www.suncrystals.com by following the link to the Food Co-op Endowment Program. Votes are limited to one per day.

Food Co-op Board Training Success

From left to right: Patricia and Kevin Peterson, Helen Patterson, Marshall Kovitz, Steve Fletcher, Donna Boe. Photo by Lyle Ford

by Lyle Ford

Marshall Kovitz came to Sierra Vista from Albuquerque, New Mexico for the weekend. The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative invited Marshall to conduct board training all day on Saturday in Sierra Vista. Marshall is a long-time board member of the La Montanita Food Co-op in New Mexico and a professional mediator who works as a consultant for food co-ops through Cooperative Development Services.

Friday evening the board members treated Marshall to dinner at The Outside Inn.

Saturday's training topics included policy governance, efficient board meetings, and hiring a general manager. The board members and project manager, Lyle Ford, attended the training. At lunchtime we walked to Vinny's for vegetarian pizza.

Sunday morning, several of the board members and the project manager met Marshall for an energizing hike in The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Preserve. The fall foliage was in full color. After the hike, we held an informal meeting at the preserve visitor center and ate a variety of vegetarian fare.

Please Vote For Our Co-op! :)

Please Vote For Our Co-op!

Halfway through November and we are so encouraged by your support of the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op!

The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op is a finalist in the Sun Crystals Natural Sweetener food co-op endowment program.

The grand prize winner will be determined by online voting and will win an additional $2500.

Please go to www.sierravistamarket.com and cast your vote for our co-op.

There is $2500 on the line that we could sure use to help us open our store and bring the first natural/organic food store to Sierra Vista.

Remember, you can vote once per day until the end of November, so please do so....if you vote every day this month, there is a great chance we will win.

Please forward this message on to your friends and family so they can help support this worthy cause.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you,
Lyle Ford
Project Manager
Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op
www.sierravistamarket.com
GO CO-OP!

Dropping (Fatty) Acid

Organic food healthier than non-organic, research finds Who woulda thunk: Organic food is healthier than pesticide-ridden food, according to preliminary results of a four-year study funded by the European Union. Researchers found that organic nosh contained more antioxidants (yum!) and fewer fatty acids (ew!) than non-organic. Organic milk was found to have up to 80 percent more antioxidants than conventional cow juice, as well as higher amounts of vitamin E. Organic wheat, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, and lettuce had up to 40 percent more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts, and potatoes, kiwi fruit, and carrots were found to have higher levels of vitamin C. The study -- the largest of its kind to date -- is ongoing, and final results are expected to be published over the next year; the research has yet to be peer-reviewed. Advocates hope the research will sway Britain's Food Standards Agency to change its current advisory that "the balance of current scientific evidence does not support" the contention that organic food is more nutritious than conventional.

Please Vote For Our Co-op!

Greetings and salutations!

The food co-op for which I'm the project manager, Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op, is a finalist in the Sun Crystals Natural Sweetener food co-op endowment program.

The grand prize winner will be determined by online voting and will win an additional $2500.

Please vote for Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op by clicking here and following the directions.

There is $2500 on the line that we could sure use to help us open our store and bring the first natural/organic food store to Sierra Vista.

Remember, you can vote once per day until the end of November, so please do so....if you vote every day this month, there is a great chance we will win.

Please forward this message on to anyone else who you know would like to support this worthy cause.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you,

Lyle Ford
Project Manager
Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op
www.sierravistamarket.com
GO CO-OP!