The Willimantic Food Co-op

Support the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act

scraig — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:31:42 +0000

Toxic Chemicals Lobby: Exclusive Leaked Footage

Meat Buying Club Passed

davel — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:44:06 +0000

The Meat Buying Club passed at the Annual Meeting on 6/20 with a vote count of 332 in favor to 105 opposed.

Food safety is heating up again and we need your help!

davel — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:57:37 +0000

Although passage of S. 510, The Food Safety and Modernization Act has been lagging, there is now a concerted effort to bring it to the floor for a vote. We alerted you that, as it was originally written, S. 510 would have actually make our food less safe. It threatened to strengthen the forces that have led to the consolidation of our food supply in the hands of a few industrial food producers, and harm small producers who give consumers the choice to buy fresh, healthy, local foods.

Please see more here on the Citizens for Health website.

Make Windham a Sustainable Location for Locally Grown Food

davel — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:08:07 +0000

Eastern CT Conservation Resource & Development Area’s AGvocate Program

Improve farm friendliness & agricultural viability. Interested citizen – attend an informational meeting.

Questions? Contact James Finger, Windham Town Planner. 860-465-3045.

To Sell or Not to Sell Meat?

pgodfrey — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:59:18 +0000

Hi All – as some of you may know based on Alice’s article in the last Newsletter we on the Board are considering the idea of creating a meat buyers club that would work in the same way that the sale of local Thanksgiving turkeys is already done. It would mean that those members who do eat meat would be able to order ethically and locally raised meat that would come to the co-op frozen to be pick up. The reason we have decided to readdress this issue is that many members have written in the member book that they would like the option of buying meat in ways that does not support the inhumane, unethical and environmentally destructive the practices of factory farm system. Alice has reported that she has already received quite a few responses, most of them positive, from members who are interested in the option. We have over 5000 members and given the population trends most are no doubt meat eaters. As a Board member I think we need to support all of our member’s food choices and to do so while up holding our co-operative principles- as in our commitment to local, sustainable and ethical food production. I am including below a few links of interest. One is for a list of all the chemicals in factory farm meat that shows all the problems with super market meat. The other link is for a book that I have recently come across that I think raises some interesting issues in the on-going debate as to whether or not to eat (sell) meat or not in relation to all the complex issues involved..

We are interested in your views as members so please post here and let us know your thoughts or you can also call Alice directly. We are hoping to post a few times a month on topics of interest to create a lively blog spot, so check back and social network with us!

Thanks for your thoughts…

Phoebe Godfrey (board president)

Links:

Downloadable PDF: FSIS DIRECTIVE -SAFE AND SUITABLE INGREDIENTS USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS

Book: Vegetarian Myth Food Justice Sustainability

The Co-op’s Annual Meeting & Potluck

scraig — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:10:07 +0000

Sunday June 20th at 5 pm
Windham Town Hall Ballroom
979 Main Street
Willimantic, CT 06226

See you there!

You can RSVP or ask questions about the Potluck by leaving a comment below.

Co-op Tour – Get to know the Co-op a Little bit Better

davel — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:35:32 +0000

Co-op Tour

New Member? Daunted by the bulk department? Unsure what to do with certain produce items? Get to know the Co-op a little bit better.

Saturday, April 17th at 11am
Tour guided by Shoshana Levinson

April 22nd, Earth Day Events!

pgodfrey — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:24:04 +0000

To honor this years Earth Day (which of course is everyday!), please share things you are doing, events you know of, ideas / thoughts you have etc. I will be involved with the UConn Food film fest at which we will be showing Food, Inc @ 5pm at the student Union. If you have not seen it it yet I strongly urge all to go see it as it affirms all of the worst aspects of the Food Industry and makes one even more happy to be able to shop at the co-op. We have posted the info. for the fest on our calender but I will post it here as well.

Thanks, phoebe

STORRS, CT — The University of Connecticut will celebrate Earth Day with a series of films on sustainable agriculture on Thursday, April 22 at its main campus in Storrs and at its regional Avery Point campus in Groton. The films will be shown in the Student Union Theater, starting at 10 a.m. and run through 7 p.m. The Avery Point campus will show the films in room 103 of the Marine Sciences building starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m. Both film series are free and open to the public.
The Earth Day Film Fest is sponsored by the University Libraries, with support from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), UConn’s Department of Dining Services, retired veteran CANR writer Alexander Gavitt, and the Storrs and Avery Point EcoHusky student organizations, and Real Slow Food.
Scheduled to speak is Rick Hermanot, who is the owner and operator of Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling, CT, which is the largest producer of free-range turkeys in the state.
If you’ve ever wondered if free range and organically grown are viable farming strategies, come see: “Fresh,” “Fridays on the Farm,” “Good Food,” or “The Real Dirt on Farmer John.”
UConn’s regional Avery Point campus in Groton will show three films examining sustainable marine practices, including “Farming the Seas,” “River of Renewal,” and the questions which can arise when you try to eat locally in “Eating Alaska.”
For a complete time schedule and detailed information about the films, please visit: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/about/news/film_festival.html.

UConn Earth Day Film Fest on Sustainable Agriculture

davel — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:09:39 +0000

UConn Sponsors Earth Day Film Fest on Sustainable Agriculture on April 22

The Earth Day Film Fest is sponsored by the University Libraries, with support from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), UConn’s Department of Dining Services, retired veteran CANR writer Alexander Gavitt, and the Storrs and Avery Point EcoHusky student organizations, and Real Slow Food.

Scheduled to speak is Rick Hermanot, who is the owner and operator of Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling, CT, which is the largest producer of free-range turkeys in the state.

If you’ve ever wondered if free range and organically grown are viable farming strategies, come see: “Fresh,” “Fridays on the Farm,”
“Good Food,” or “The Real Dirt on Farmer John.”

UConn’s regional Avery Point campus in Groton will show three films examining sustainable marine practices, including “Farming the Seas,” “River of Renewal,” and the questions which can arise when you try to eat locally in “Eating Alaska.”

For a complete time schedule and detailed information about the films, please visit their website at University of Connecticut Earth Day Film Fest 2010 – Moving Toward Sustainability.

Boom Box Parade – Do you want to be involved?

davel — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:52:50 +0000

It’s time to start getting prepared for the Boom Box Parade! We have some ideas and are ready to starting putting things together. Please contact us if you would like to be involved. We need you!