Make a Splash, Join the 30 Owner Dash

WEEK 1 UPDATE

We are happy to report our September campaign, “Make a Splash, Join The 30 Owner Dash” is off to a good start!  In order to keep the momentum going 30 new owners in 30 days please join us in spreading the word. By doing so, your name will be entered for each new owner that YOU REFER. Each new owner that signs up in September will be entered into both a weekly prize drawing and the monthly drawing of a one pound delivery of fresh, never-frozen, sustainably caught fish from local business Hooked on Fish and Co-op Owner Karen Wollins #124.  In the words of Owner Karen Wollins, “from the boat to your table”. Thank you Karen.

www.rogersparkfoodcoop.com/join
One Time Lifetime fee of $250 per household, and we offer payment plans for as little as $25 a month.

SMALL GATHERINGS

An easy way to share your vision with friends, family, and coworkers is to invite them to a small group gathering. These get togethers can be as small as 5 people for coffee, cocktails, brunch, or anything you can think of. The Coop can provide materials such as beverages, chocolate, compostable tableware and even make a short presentation and Q&A Session.

If you would like to get a small group together or would like some ideas in organizing one, please contact us at [email protected]

 

THANK YOU

Thank you for investing in the vision of bringing a food co-operative to the Rogers Park Community it's time for us to reach our 200 owner goal and conduct the Market and Feasibility Study. From that, we will learn about the potential size of the store, area demographics, the optimal location for the store, and where there is the greatest need.

 

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Hello From the Rogers Park Food Co-op! July 2016


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Rogers Park Food Co-op

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Rogers Park Food Co-op

 

An innovative grocery co-op, providing better food choices and education to our community.

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Ownership Update


155 Owners!

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Welcome to new owners Gina Carpenter, Sue Lannin, John McElwee, Mary O'Connell, Ann Nichols, Marilyn Mikell, Alex Narrajos, Mitchel Duval, Eve Brownstone, and Dan Sullivan!

Once we have 200 Owners, we can commission our market and feasibility studies and move into the next stage of development! Don't wait; become an owner today!

Don't forget to like us on Facebook as well as our other social media presense! Be sure to invite your friends to like us as well!

 
 
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Announcements

 
 

July Recap

 

CDS Consulting Co-op Training

CDS Logo

Due to the incredible number of new and upcoming food co-ops in the midwest, CDI Consulting Co-op decided to host a Coopertive Board Leadership seminar in Chicago for the first time. On July 9th, the Board of the Rogers Park Food Co-op met with other co-op Board members and leaders at the beautiful Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Hermosa to learn about the opportunities and challenges that face food co-ops in 2016.

Celebrate Clark Street

Celebrate Clark Street

On July 16 and 17th, the Rogers Park Food Co-op joined our neighbors to celebrate the awesome cultural diversity of Rogers Park at the 2016 Celebrate Clark Street Festival.

Our volunteers shared their excitement about the Co-op with the community while getting to hear some great musical acts such as Krar Collective, Gaby Moreno, and Chicago Afrobeat Project and enjoying some fantastic food from various local restaurants, including Badou Senegalese and the new Birrieria Y Carnitas El Gallito.

A Just Harvest Festival

A Just Harvest

A just cause has always started from love. It's that simple, love. What A Just Harvest has been striving for all of these years stems from a love of one's fellow humans. This past weekend's festival was a reflection of that in its fullest. Despite the heat and humidity, the mood was joyous and friendly, and yes, even loving.

The Rogers Park Food Co-Op was a part of this, and proudly so. We were there to answer questions, and questions were asked. This is how it starts, from the ground up, one step at a time. As volunteers we're each of us a part of this greater dream we want to make real. It will happen, we're on our way.

The Just Harvest festival was time well spent. It's always good to be in close proximity to a righteous cause, we're doing well to be so close to one as righteous as this.

 

Upcoming Events

 
 
 

Wine and Cheese at Shelby's

 

When: Sunday, August 7th at 4pm
Where: 1815 W Farwell

I, Shelby Hatch, have never belonged to a food co-op before or even lived anywhere that had a food co-op, but I quickly became an owner-member (#35!) when I first heard about the Rogers Park Food Co-op (RPFC) almost a year and a half ago. I’ve been somewhat of a lurker since then. Sure, I volunteered at an event, my partner Ann-Louise Haak and I hosted a Coffee last September (and recruited two more member-owners!), and the RPFC “office” is in our garage, but, for the most part, we’ve been sitting back.

Several weeks ago, I was asked if I would be interested in attending the “Illinois Food Co-op Start-Up Day” hosted by the Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana, and co-sponsored by the Food Co-op Initiative (FCI). I have to admit that I was on the fence. It’s a long drive, it was a beautiful Saturday in July, and I’d be spending a lot of one-on-one time with another RPFC member (& I.T. guru), Hank Rouse, who I didn’t know very well. But I went – we went! And I was inspired – but also discouraged. Why do other start-ups have so many more member-owners than we do, even though they haven’t been at it as long as we have? No fair! But Jacqueline Co-op Hannah of FCI  reminded me—and everyone in the room—that RPFC is trying to do something that really hasn’t been done before: start a co-op in a diverse community with all of the members of that community. So how do we do that? There was so much good information from FCI, and so many great ideas we could steal from other start-ups, that my head almost exploded and my hand almost fell off as I frantically tried to write everything down. But what’s the good of all of that information if it just stays with Hank and me?

I want to share this great information and all of these fabulous ideas with all of you—you who are already member-owners, who may be more or less involved; you who are volunteers; you who are not yet member-owners, but are thinking about it. Come by our house (1815 W. Farwell) at 4PM on Sunday, August 7 for Cocktails and Conversation about the Co-op. Ann-Louise and I can’t wait to see you – and if you’re one of the first 20 people to RSVP, your name will be entered in a raffle for a First Slice Pie Cafe cherry pie. Must be present to win, so we hope to see all of you here!

Please RSVP here 

 
 

"3st" Annual Rogers Pork

 
Rogers Pork

When: Saturday, August 27th, noon to 10pm
Where: Jarvis Avenue between Greenview and Ashland

The Rogers Park Food Co-op Co-op will have a tent at the 2016 Rogers Pork. Help us spread the word about how the Co-op can help our local farmers and Community.

Rogers Park Food Co-op will also be participating in collecting school supplies for Gale Academy and Kilmer Elementary School.

From http://rpublichouse.com/rogers-pork-barbecue-arts-music-festival:

The North Side’s PREMIER barbecue festival has expanded this year to include Jarvis Avenue between Greenview and Ashland, in the most beautiful and diverse coastal neighborhood in the country, Rogers Park, Chicago.
A portion of proceeds will benefit the Youth Empowerment Performance Project. The mission of YEPP is to seek a safe environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer youth experiencing homelessness to explore their history, investigate new ways to address their struggles and celebrate their strengths through the process of developing a theatrical performance.
  
 

Farmer's Markets

 
Farmers Market

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Outdoor Farmers Market Season!

Look for the Rogers Park Food Co-op outside of the Glenwood Sunday Market, or at a tent in the Loyola Monday Farmers Market, or even the Edgewater Farmers Market on Saturdays. Volunteers will be there to talk about the Co-op and what we will provide to the community.

For updated information about when the Co-op will be attending the farmers markets, please visit our Facebook Page.

Want to help the Co-op while spending time outside? Sign up to volunteer at the Farmers Markets!

 

  

 
 
 

Host Your Own "Coffee with the Co-op"

 

The Rogers Park Food Co-op needs the help of all of our supporters to reach our goals. Hosting a meeting in your home is a great way to generate interest in the co-op vision!

Your event doesn't even need to include coffee! You could host a wine and cheese tasting, or a pot-luck

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will provide you with informational materials, as well as coffee from Equal Exchange. A member of the Co-op Board will assist as a presenter as well.

 
Coffee Mug
 
 

Volunteers Needed!

 

Are you looking for a great way to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op? We need your help!

The success of Rogers Park Food Co-op depends on generous volunteers to move the Co-op forward. Are you a designer? Great at data-entry? Love talking to people? We need your skills!

Build your resume by contributing your talents and skills and developing some new ones. Become part of the developing community of people who are building the co-op.

Meet and engage with your neighbors to create an amazing food co-operative in our community. Learn about food, the food system and the local food system we are creating by partnering with our local farmers. Have fun while doing all of this amazing work.

Want to help? Visit http://volunteer-rogersparkfoodcoop.nationbuilder.com/become_a_volunteer.

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Committee Spotlight

Events Committee

 
Harvest Fest

The Events Committee of the Co-op is always busy planning and executing fun and exciting activities for the Rogers Park community. We have held events such as a wine tasting and a film screening in the past, and we are the ones who bring to life the Co-op's Annual Meeting each year. The big plan for the coming year is to organize a series of chef demonstration and tasting events based around some of the many cuisines found in our neighborhood. We plan to bring you entertaining, interactive, and flavorful evenings to learn about a new cuisine or to celebrate your own.

Events always require many Volunteers, from the people who brainstorm ideas through, the planners who execute those ideas, to the people who show up early to set up for an event and stay late to put everything away. If helping to plan and execute Events is something you enjoy, consider joining the Events Committee!

Join a Committee

Thank You to Supporting Businesses

 

R Public House

R Public House

R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis, is your average Rogers Park gastropub—except that owner Renee Labrana has strong community ties and a community-driven mission. Fundraisers at the Jarvis Square fixture are a regular occurrence, supporting everything from rock musicians at Sullivan High School to the Flint Kids' Water Crisis Fund. So, it's no surprise that R Public House was a big donor of food to the Rogers Park Food Co-op's Annual Meeting in March. And there wasn't a scrap of their thin-crust pizza left over, either! Stop by and sample their food and their beverages. .


Quesadilla La Reina del Sur

Quesadilla La Reina del Sur

Quesadilla La Reina del Sur, 1418 Howard St., is a newcomer to Rogers Park, having opened on Howard St. in 2015. It serves authentic Mexican food that is all vegetarian, with vegan options. Even reviews by meat-lovers are enthusiastic about their cooking. The potatoes with Mexican (soy) sausage they sent to the RPFC Annual Meeting was certainly a hit. Whether you are in Rogers Park or near their first location in Logan Square, be sure to stop in and try their food or something from the juice bar.

 
 

Co-Owners:

Join our Exclusive Owners Group here:

 

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Hello From the Rogers Park Food Co-op! June 2016


logo.png

Rogers Park Food Co-op

excitedbanner.jpg
 
 

Rogers Park Food Co-op

 

An innovative grocery co-op, providing better food choices and education to our community.

 
 
 
 
 

Ownership Update


146 Owners!

Welcome to new owners Arnold Grashoff, Karen Warner, Michael Rohrbeck, Ann Schramm, Jeanette Alfred, Karen Lehman, Jacalyn Lipka-Barnes, Mary O'Brien and Kelly O'Brien!

Help us reach our goal of 200 Owners by July 30th!

Once we have 200 Owners, we can commission our market and feasibility studies and move into the next stage of development! Don't wait; become an owner today!

Don't forget to like us of Facebook! Be sure to invite your friends to like us as well!

 
 
 
 

Announcements

 
 

June Recap

 

Artists of the Wall

Artists of the Wall

The Artists of the Wall Festival is a celebration of community, creativity, and music. Each year over Father’s Day weekend, neighbors of all ages come together to collaborate on a 600-foot mural at Loyola Park Beach at 6850 North, between Farwell and Morse Avenues. Coordinated by members of the Loyola Park Advisory Council, the festival has become an annual celebration that the Rogers Park community has come to love.

A huge thank you to Chelle for creating the magnificent mural for the Rogers Park Food Co-op, and to Alejandra and Clara who helped with the lettering. Thank you to Pat, Adam, Desi, Lisa, Kristina, Mary, Myra, and Tom who staffed our tent and helped spread the word about the co-op. Thank you to Roux for providing refreshments.

See the photo gallery here.


 

Rogers Park Business Alliance Annual Meeting

RPBA Meeting

The Rogers Park Food Co-op has been a member of the Rogers Park Business Alliance since 2015. The RPBA works to support local businesses through education, financial support, and infrastructure improvements.

On June 23rd, Co-op Board members Roux, Mary, Adam and Lin attended the RPBA's 23rd Annual Meeting at the Mundelein Center on the beautiful Loyola campus.

 

Upcoming Events

 
 
 

Farmer's Markets

 
Farmers Market

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Outdoor Farmers Market Season!

Look for the Rogers Park Food Co-op outside of the Glenwood Sunday Market, or at a tent in the Loyola Farmers Market. Volunteers will be there to talk about the Co-op and what we will provide to the community.

For updated information about when the Co-op will be attending the farmers markets, please visit our Facebook Page.

Want to help the Co-op while spending time outside? Sign up to volunteer at the Farmers Markets!

 
 

Clark Street Festival

 
Celebrate Clark Street

When:
Saturday, July 16th from 1-11pm
Sunday, July 17th from 1-10pm
Where: Clark Street between Morse and Estes

The Rogers Park Food Co-op Co-op will have a tent at the 2016 Celebrate Clark Street Festival. Help us spread the word about how the Co-op can help our local farmers and Community.

The Celebrate Clark Street Festival is an annual celebration of the diverse people and cultures represented along Clark Street in Rogers Park. The two day party features live music, great food, and a lot of fun for the whole family!

RSVP and volunteer shifts via: Facebook

 
 
 
 
 
 

Host Your Own "Coffee with the Co-op"

 

The Rogers Park Food Co-op needs the help of all of our supporters to reach our goals. Hosting a meeting in your home is a great way to generate interest in the co-op vision!

Your event doesn't even need to include coffee! You could host a wine and cheese tasting, or a pot-luck

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will provide you with informational materials, as well as coffee from Equal Exchange. A member of the Co-op Board will assist as a presenter as well.

 
Coffee Mug
 
 

Volunteers Needed!

 

Are you looking for a great way to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op? We need your help!

The success of Rogers Park Food Co-op depends on generous volunteers to move the Co-op forward. Are you a designer? Great at data-entry? Love talking to people? We need your skills!

Build your resume by contributing your talents and skills and developing some new ones. Become part of the developing community of people who are building the co-op.

Meet and engage with your neighbors to create an amazing food co-operative in our community. Learn about food, the food system and the local food system we are creating by partnering with our local farmers. Have fun while doing all of this amazing work.

Want to help? Visit http://volunteer-rogersparkfoodcoop.nationbuilder.com/become_a_volunteer.

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Thank You to Supporting Businesses

 

Taste of Peru

Taste of Peru

You may have walked or driven right by Taste of Peru, 6545 N. Clark St., (773) 381-4540 and not even known it was there. It is a tiny storefront restaurant in a Clark St. strip mall that hides behind its bland exterior one of the few Peruvian restaurants in Chicago. Founded in 1998 by Peruvian-American Cesar Izquierdo to bring authentic Peruvian food to the far north side, Taste of Peru has been pleasing its customers and receiving rave reviews ever since. Living and working in Rogers Park as he does, Izquierdo was happy to donate some of his delicious food to the Co-op's Annual Meeting.


Heartland Cafe

Heartland Cafe

If you've eaten at one restaurant in Rogers Park, it's probably the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave., (773) 465-8005, a RP staple since 1976. Owner and organic farmer Tom Rosenfeld is a co-owner of the Rogers Park Food Co-op, because the missions of the two institutions fit together very neatly: Both are about making local and sustainable food available to everyone. The Heartland donated a load of their excellent food for our Annual Meeting in March, for which we thank them. The Heartland “empire” on north Glenwood Ave. also includes the Red Line Tap, the Buffalo Bar, and the store which has evolved from True Nature Foods.

 
 

Co-Owners:

Join our Exclusive Owners Group here:

 

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Hello From the Rogers Park Food Co-op! May 2016


logo.png

Rogers Park Food Co-op

excitedbanner600.jpg
 
 

Rogers Park Food Co-op

 

An innovative grocery co-op, providing better food choices and education to our community.

 
 
 

Ownership Update


136 Owners!

Welcome to new owners Melvin Harris, Nancy Matson, Patricia Holdrege, Alphonsus Ntamere, and Steven Torres!

Help us reach our goal of 200 Owners by July 30th! Don't wait; become an owner today!

Once we have 200 Owners, we can commision our market and feasibility studies and move into the next stage of development!

Don't forget to like us of Facebook! Be sure to invite your friends to like us as well!

 
 
 

Announcements

May Recap

 

Moah's Ark Plant Sale

Moahs

Despite the cold, cloudy weather, Co-op Owner and hyper-local farmer Mo Cahil saw record turnout for her 4th annual plant sale. People from all over Chicago shared the bounty of heirloom tomato, cucumber, melon, pepper, and ornamental flower seedlings, while their children watched the chickens scratch for bugs.

The Rogers Park Food Co-op loves to work with local resources like Moah's Ark. Thank you to everyone who visited us at the farm, and a big thank you to Mo Cahill for letting us talk to her customers about the benefits of a local food co-op!

Waldorf School May Fair

Waldorf Maypole

Lin, Mary Roux and Pat staffed a table at the Waldorf May Fair on Saturday, May 14th.

It was wonderful to participate in such a festive event even though it was quite cold and windy. We had the opportunity to connect with many members of the Waldorf community and guests. The music and food were a treat as well as the beautiful flowers and wreaths.

Two new households became co-owners of the co-op, Patricia and Michael Holdredge and Nancy Matson.

 
 

Upcoming Events

Farmer's Markets

 
Farmers Market

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Outdoor Farmers Market Season!

Look for the Rogers Park Food Co-op outside of the Glenwood Sunday Market, or at a tent in the Loyola Farmers Market. Volunteers will be there to talk about the Co-op and what we will provide to the community.

For updated information about when the Co-op will be attending the farmers markets, please visit our Facebook Page.

Want to help the Co-op while spending time outside? Sign up to volunteer at the Farmers Markets!

 
 

Artists of the Wall

 
Artists of the Wall

Free and Open to the Public

When: June 18th and 19th
Where: Loyola Beach Park

The Artists of the Wall Festival is a celebration of community, creativity, and music. Each year over Father’s Day weekend, neighbors of all ages come together to collaborate on a 700-foot mural at Loyola Park Beach at 6850 North, between Farwell and Morse Avenues. Coordinated by members of the Loyola Park Advisory Council, the festival has become an annual celebration that the Rogers Park community has come to love.

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will be taking part in the festival with painting a portion of the wall.

RSVP and Volunteer Shifts here: www.rogersparkfoodcoop.com/artists_of_the_wall

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 

Host Your Own "Coffee with the Co-op"

 

The Rogers Park Food Co-op needs the help of all of our supporters to reach our goals. Hosting a meeting in your home is a great way to generate interest in the co-op vision!

Your event doesn't even need to include coffee! You could host a wine and cheese tasting, or a pot-luck

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will provide you with informational materials, as well as coffee from Equal Exchange. A member of the Co-op Board will assist as a presenter as well.

 
Coffee Mug
 

Volunteers Needed

 

Are you looking for a great way to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op? We need your help!

The success of Rogers Park Food Co-op depends generous volunteers to move the Co-op forward. Are you a designer? Great at data-entry? Love talking to people? We need your skills!

Build your resume by contributing your talents and skills and developing some new ones. Become part of the developing co-op community of people who are building the co-op.

Meet and engage with your neighbors to create an amazing food co-operative in our community. Learn about food, the food system and the local food system we are creating by partnering with our local farmers. Have fun while doing all of this amazing work.

Want to help? Visit www.rogersparkfoodcoop.com/volunteer.

 
 
 

Thank You to Supporting Businesses

 

SP Kebab

SP Kebab

The international buffet that is the Rogers Park dining scene gets its vitality from the people who have come here from all over the world. One of the newer offerings is SP Kebab, 6808 N. Sheridan Rd., (773) 856-3755. While growing up in Poland, Peter Pietranik ate the best doner kebab had had ever tasted in Bulgaria. Doner kebab is well known in Europe, although it seems to have originated in Turkey. Pietranik has now brought it to Rogers Park, one of the few places in Chicago you can get the real item. While it is similar to gyros, the spices, sauces, and vegetables of doner kebab are different. Co-op owners had a chance to sample the food of SP Kebab at our Annual Meeting. You can try it any day by visiting the storefront on Sheridan Road.

Smack Dab

Smack Dab

Christine Forster and Alex Erkenswick think what Rogers Park needs is more pastry—and more gluten-free and vegan pastry. They opened Smack Dab at 7006 N. Glenwood, (773) 575-0062, just over a year ago to uniformly rave reviews. It's a tiny operation that is only open for breakfast, but it is gaining an outsize reputation for quality food. Smack Dab donated huge quantities of beautiful and tasty mini-pastries (both gluten-free and not) for the March owners' meeting, and there weren't any leftovers!

 
 

Co-Owners:

Join our Exclusive Owners Group here:

 

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Hello From the Rogers Park Food Co-op! April 2016


logo.png

Rogers Park Food Co-op

excitedbanner.jpg
 
 

Rogers Park Food Co-op

 

An innovative grocery co-op, providing better food choices and education to our community.

 
 
 
 
 

Ownership Update


131 Owners!

Welcome to new owners Catherine Garceau, Karen Wollins, Robert Dooman, Anthony Mesok, Anita Sims, Lisa Weber, Robert Farina, Sylvie Desouches, and Senator Heather Steans!

Ownership Contest

To help us reach our goal of 25 new owners in May, anyone who becomes an owner between May 1st and May 31st will be entered in a drawing to win four shares of fresh, sustainable seafood from Hooked on Fish!

The drawing will only take place if we reach our goal of 25 new Owners in May, so encourage your friends to join!

Current Owners who recruit new Owners will also be entered in the drawing for each new Owner recruited. Don't forget to use your custom link from www.rogersparkfoodcoop.com/owner_recruitment!

Help us reach our goal of 155 Owners by May 31st! Don't wait; become an owner today!

Ownership goals

  • May 31st: 155 Owners
  • June 30th: 200 Owners

Once we have 200 Owners, we can commision our market and feasibility studies and move into the next stage of development!

Don't forget to like us of Facebook! Be sure to invite your friends to like us as well!

 
 
 
 

Announcements

 
 

April Recap

 

It's finally starting to feel like Spring in Chicago and the Rogers Park Food Co-op has been busy!

Meet the Farmers

Farmers

Anybody wondering if farmers are interested in the Rogers Park Food Co-op got the answer – loud and clear – at the Meet the Farmers event held April 27 at Uncommon Ground's Devon Avenue restaurant.

Fourteen farm operations told their stories as about 50 co-op owners and prospective owners crowded into the restaurant's back room to mingle with and listen to the farmers. The mood was celebratory because the planned co-op will benefit from the participation of local farmers, and farmers will find another steady market.

"Co-ops are the way to go," said Nate Robinson of Jake's Country Meats in Cassopolis, MI. "We like farmers markets to get to know the people, but co-ops are the next step."

The meetup included informal conversations, a series of presentations by the farmers, and an update on co-op membership, which Vice President Mary Meyer said had reached 130 members the day before, with the signup of State Rep. Heather Steans. Afterwards, four bands presented a fundraiser concert, Farm Fresh Jams.

"Rogers Park is the best community we could hope to serve," said Becky Stark of Midnight Sun Farm. She and her husband Nick Choate-Batchelder have been working at the Glenwood Sunday Market since 2010, and hope to sell to the co-op as they expand their farm in Harvard, IL.

Other farmers participating were Wild Beet Farm, Moah's Ark, Sweet Comb Chicago, Big Head Farm, The Urban Canopy, Dirt Doll, Mint Creek Farm, Sitka Salmon Shares, Timberfeast Woodland Meats, Midnight Sun Farms, Let's Go Chicago, Starry Plough Farm and Metropolitan Farms.

Abbie & Marlon

Farm Fresh Jams

Four talented local bands came out to play music to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op. Thank you to Abbie & Marlon, Abud: A Bard, Luna Blu, Signal-to-Noise, and the Uncommon Ground Staff!

View the Gallery

 
 

Public Officials For The Co-op

 
Roux, Mary and Heather Steans

We are so excited to announce that in our elected officials are two of the newest owners of the Coop.

State Senator Heather Steans and State Representative Kelly Cassidy are not only excited and support the Coop vision and commitment to our community, they have become two of the newest owners of the Coop!

Please take time to contact the offices of Senator Steans and Representative Cassidy and thank them for their visionary support.

 
 

Upcoming Events

 
 
 

4th Moah's Ark Plant Sale

 
Moah's Ark

When: May 14th and 15th, 12pm - 5pm
Where: Moah's Ark
1839 W Touhy Ave Chicago, Illinois 60626

From Mo Cahill:

Our 4th annual plant sale will feature a big variety of heirloom tomatoes and peppers, plus herbs, flowers and more.
 
We have several new tomatoes, including 7 varieties of dwarf heirlooms, old favorites like the cherokee purple, green and chocolate, Moah's yellow, and a couple new Italian imports.
 
This is a 2 day event, Saturday and Sunday.
 
RSVP to this event so that you will be notified of the full list which I will be putting up soon.
 
Happy Spring!!

RSVP
 
 
 
 
 

Waldorf School May Fair

 
Waldorf Maypole

Free and Open to the Public

When: May 14th, 2016 at 10am - 4pm
Where: 1300 W. Loyola Ave
Chicago, IL 60660

Come meet the Rogers Park Food Co-op at the 2016 Waldorf School May Fair!

From chicagowaldorf.org:

The May Fair is an annual celebration of Spring, the Arts and creativity that is celebrated by Waldorf schools throughout the Americas and Europe. This event connects the school to the larger community and celebrates the spirit by which Waldorf schools nourish and support the whole child. May Fair takes on its own aura for each individual school as activities range from barbecues to child-made crafts, handworking, silk dying and more. The most iconic element of May Fair is the maypole dance that evokes the same pride and spirit as it did in festivals centuries ago.
 
 
 
 

Special Offer:
Burn to Earn with Hank Rouse

 

B2E_05-16-2016.jpg

Every few months, personal trainer Hank Rouse and his team of coaches run a Biggest Slim Down Contest. This past Holiday Season, Hank had a Maintain Don't Gain Contest. To win cash prizes, all the contestants had to do was maintain their weight (or even lose weight). We are excited to announce an Exclusive Opportunity for RPFC Co-Owners.

$25 will be donated to the Rogers Park Food Co-op for each participating Co-Owner who achieves the 3% Body Weight (Loss/Gain) benchmark.


More Info
 
 
 
 
 

Coffee With the Co-op

 

You have probably heard neighbors talking about the Rogers Park Food Co-op. Join us to find out why we are excited about opening this community-owned grocery store. Get engaged in the conversation and enjoy coffee, tea and refreshments. For more information, write to [email protected].

There will be two coffees in May:

Sunday, May 1st, 2-4pm
Charmers Cafe: 1500 W. Jarvis
Host: Tom Conklin

Sunday, May 15th, 3-4:30pm
2719 W. Fitch
Host: David and Nina Henry

 
 
 
 

Host Your Own "Coffee with the Co-op"

 

The Rogers Park Food Co-op needs the help of all of our supporters to reach our goals. Hosting a meeting in your home is a great way to generate interest in the co-op vision!

Your event doesn't even need to include coffee! You could host a wine and cheese tasting, or a pot-luck

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will provide you with informational materials, as well as coffee from Equal Exchange. A member of the Co-op Board will assist as a presenter as well.

 
Coffee Mug
 
 

Volunteers Needed

 

Are you looking for a great way to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op? We need your help!

The success of Rogers Park Food Co-op depends generous volunteers to move the Co-op forward. Are you a designer? Great at data-entry? Love talking to people? We need your skills!

Build your resume by contributing your talents and skills and developing some new ones. Become part of the developing co-op community of people who are building the co-op.

Meet and engage with your neighbors to create an amazing food co-operative in our community. Learn about food, the food system and the local food system we are creating by partnering with our local farmers. Have fun while doing all of this amazing work.

Want to help? Visit www.rogersparkfoodcoop.com/volunteer.

 
 
 

Thank You to Supporting Businesses

 

Fat Boys Jerk & Soul Food

Fat Boys Jerk

Gerald Pelissier, the owner of Fat Boy's Jerk & Soul Food, 1636 W. Howard St., (773) 856-0524, was born and raised in Rogers Park, and it seems to come naturally to him to give back to the community. His storefront restaurant has been open since March 2015, and it gets consistently high marks on review sites like Yelp. When he donated both jerk chicken and barbecue chicken to the RPFC Annual Meeting in March, many guests commented on how much they enjoyed it. Mr. Pelissier describes his restaurant as a “place for people to enjoy quality and cheap food” and as a family and neighborhood business. Please visit our supporters on Howard St., Fat Boy's Jerk & Soul Food, who are making Rogers Park just a little bit more tasty every day.

Ethiopian Diamond

Ethiopian Diamond

Right around the corner from Fat Boy's is the Rogers Park location of Ethiopian Diamond, 7535 N. Clark St., (773) 764-2200. Owner/chef Almaz Yigizaw opened the Rogers Park location of her restaurant in 2010, after the success of her original location at 6120 N. Broadway, which has been open since 1996. Not only does she receive consistent accolades for her food, but she is also praised for her constant involvement with the community. She donated great quantities of both meat and vegetarian food for the Annual Meeting buffet, and we thank her for her outstanding generosity.

 
 

Co-Owners:

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Public Officials For The Co-op

We are so excited to announce that in our elected officials are two of the newest owners of the Coop.

State Senator Heather Steans and State Representative Kelly Cassidy are not only excited and support the Coop vision and commitment to our community, they have become two of the newest owners of the Coop!

Please take time to contact the offices of Senator Steans and Representative Cassidy and thank them for their visionary support.

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Bus converted into Mobile Food Market provides Low-Income neighborhoods with Fresh Food

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The Mobile Good Food Market travels across Toronto selling affordable fresh food in neighborhoods, selected through consultation with local communities and analysis of access gaps.

In the United States, about 23.5 million people live in “food deserts,” geographic areas where access to affordable healthy food options (aka fresh fruits and vegetables) is limited or nonexistent because grocery stores are too far away.  Left to depend on the offerings sold at convenient stores and gas stations, this crisis is partly to blame for the increasing obesity epidemic.  Perhaps the solution is to bring healthy food to the people, similar to what the Mobile Good Food Market is doing in Canada.

Credit: Mobile Good Food Market

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What I Love About Rogers Park

There are so many reasons to love the Rogers Park neighborhood, but I thought I’d take a moment to list a few of my personal favorite things unique to Rogers Park.

1. The People

PeopleOf course, the number one reason must be the people of Rogers Park. Rogers Park is the third most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the US, with over 80 languages spoken by its residents. This multiculturalism is at the heart of what makes Rogers Park so special.

Rogers Park has some of the friendliest people of anyplace I’ve ever lived. Everyone is so neighborly. Though there are over 63,000 people in Rogers Park, I feel a real sense of community here.

 2. The Food

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Meet-and-greet will help farmers, food co-op bolster each other

Farmers thinking about future growth will join up with owners of the planned Rogers Park Food Co-op at a Meet the Farmers event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 27 at Uncommon Ground restaurant, 1401 W. Devon in Chicago.

Nearly a dozen farm enterprises will talk about their operations as the food co-op works to reach an interim goal of 200 co-owners and later open a storefront in the diverse lakefront community. The event is free and open to all, owners and non-owners alike.

Nick Choate-Batchelder, who runs Midnight Sun Farm with his wife Becky Stark, already does business in Rogers Park by bringing his onions, kale and other produce to the Glenwood Sunday Market. The farmers also fill boxes for a 22-week Community Supported Agriculture program, but after expanding in 2014 to a 50-acre space in Harvard, IL, more and bigger markets are key.

“Farmers markets are great, but they are only 30 weeks a year,” said Choate-Batchelder. An ongoing relationship with the food co-op, he said, would create a long-term market for the farm's sustainably grown produce.

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What is the Big Deal About Local Food?

Everywhere you go, food is promoted as “local.” Even giant supermarkets push their “local” products. What's the big deal here?

According to the USDA 2012 Census of Agriculture, between 2007 and 2012, there was an 8 per cent increase in sales of direct-to-consumer farm products and a 6 per cent increase in the number of farms making those sales. That means that demand for products directly from the farm—local food—has increased, and farms are responding.

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