Help Your 2007 Taxes and Help Your Sierra Vista Food Co-op...Make a Donation

The Cooperative Development Fund of CDS (CDS) is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization with offices in Madison, Wisconsin and St. Paul, Minnesota. The mission of CDS is to support, build and strengthen organizations that contribute to cooperative and sustainable development.

You can now make charitable donations (tax-free!) to the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative through CDS. Click here for a donation form. While the form says "cooperatives in southern Arizona" as a donation option, please note that as your Sierra Vista Natural Foods Cooperative is the only cooperative in the area in the "pre-development" stage, any donations at this time would be solely for our benefit.

Since its founding in 1985, CDS has worked with many types of cooperative businesses including retail food stores, agriculture, senior housing, renewable energy, forestry and community development. As a tax exempt organization, charitable contributions to CDS are deductable to the fullest extent of the law. Donors may claim the donation on their federal and/or state income tax filings and may be eligible for a charitable deduction based on their income status and other factors.

For more information about CDS, visit http://www.cdsus.coop.

Market Project Nets $5000

By Laura Ory
Herald/Review

SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op has received $5,000 toward the opening of a new local market.

After receiving the most online votes for the Sun Crystals Natural Sweetener Food Co-op Endowment Program, the food co-op beat out four other finalists, cooperative markets in Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota and Washington, for an additional $2,500. The Sierra Vista Market was one of two start-up co-op markets in the competition.

“It’s great. We’re excited to have won the grand prize,” said Lyle Ford, project manager.

Ford credited the co-op members and the community for the votes the Sierra Vista Market received.

The co-op has two plans for the endowment funds.

“One will be to hire a food cooperative business planning expert to help make sure were on track with the business plan we have,” Ford said.

They also plan to launch a new community health and wellness newsletter.

Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-Op Named Grand Prize Winner In The SUN CRYSTALS™ Natural Sweetener Endowment Program

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. (December 10, 2007) - Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op has one more reason to celebrate this holiday season. The co-op was just named the grand prize winner in the SUN CRYSTALS™ Natural Sweetener Food Co-op Endowment Program. As part of its mission to harness the power of the sun to sustain local communities, the SUN CRYSTALS™ Natural Sweetener Brand launched an endowment program earlier this year to benefit local food co-operatives (food co-ops). Co-ops had the opportunity to apply for endowments to improve their establishments, which serve as sources of quality natural and locally grown foods. From the applications received, the SUN CRYSTALS™ Brand selected five food co-ops as finalists and people across the country voted for the winner. Now, the votes have been tallied and the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op has been selected the winner of the $5,000 grand prize.

"We are thrilled to have won the $5,000," said Donna Boe, membership chair of the Sierra Vista Natural Foods Co-op. "It's one more step toward our goal of opening a store, and we are thrilled that the SUN CRYSTALS™ Brand provided us this opportunity."

The co-op will utilize the funds to create a community newsletter on nutrition and wellness, as well as hire a co-op consultant to help update their budget.

Four other finalists will each receive endowments of $2,500. They are :

Brookings Natural Foods Co-op, Brookings, Ore. - for purchase of new refrigeration and freezer equipment that will help consolidate their resources and enhance the look of their store

Chatham Marketplace, Pittsboro, N.C. - to expand their café, which will help them continue to connect patrons with the foods local farmers produce and their kitchen prepares

Kandi Cupboard Food Co-op, Willmar, Minn. - for updating of computer equipment that will help the co-op run more smoothly and allow for the creation of a Web site and online ordering system

Vancouver Food Co-op, Vancouver, Wash. - to conduct a study to determine a suitable space for opening their storefront

Finalists were selected based on the following criteria: persuasiveness of statement of purpose, originality and creativity of proposed programming and value of project to the organization and its community.

Co-op Booth At SV Farmers Market On Thursday

Come on down to the farmers market in Sierra Vista on Thursday, December 6th, from noon to 4 PM and stop by our Sierra Vista Market booth.

We have friendly volunteers who staff the booth at the farmers market every first Thursday of the month during the winter.

Learn more about the natural food co-op store we will be opening soon and how you can help bring healthy natural and organic foods to Sierra Vista.

We are all about reducing our impact on the environment, supporting local producers, and helping the community work together to improve everyone's health!

See you at the farmers market in Sierra Vista on Thursday!

For more info about the co-op, visit http://www.sierravistamarket.com/.