What is your definition of bounty?
Happy Fall everyone! This is personally my favorite time of the year both in community spirit and weather. For me, when I think about bounty, I think of two things. One example is more tactile, and the other more abstract. The first is a vegetable garden or farm field bursting at the seams with produce that is ready for picking not only for their household, but some to share or sell; basically, there is more to choose from than what is really needed. The other, is the broad concept of an individual having extra margin in time, resources, community, and family/friendship connections. Bounty can mean different things depending on the lens you look through and your experiences. As you reflect upon the year and look towards the close of the year in the months ahead, I wish all of you different aspects of bounty to look forward to personally, and potentially share with others as we shepherd through the final months of the year together.
Update: Hawaii Wildfire Register Donation Campaign Results
From August 27–September 2, our shoppers donated $12,419.04 at our registers to GlobalGiving on behalf of the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund. Additionally, your Co-op matched this amount up to $10,000 through abandoned and donated equity, for a grand total of $22,420 donated to help with disaster relief efforts. I recently received an update from their Strategic Giving Department saying, “Thank you so much for sharing and for your kind words. We are so incredibly grateful for Willy Street Grocery Co-op’s response during times of crises, and cannot thank you enough for your support of the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund. One of the latest grantees from the fund is Aloha Diaper Bank. Aloha Diaper Bank is a local Hawaiian-led organization providing essential goods such as diapers and formula throughout the Hawaiian Islands to families of low income, people who are homeless, and people in crisis, including those affected by the recent wildfires. To date, we have issued emergency grants to 9 nonprofit organizations responding on the ground.” For more information and current updates on the progress they have made to date, or donating directly to this cause, please visit: www.globalgiving.org/projects/hawaii-wildfire-relief-fund/reports/#menu.
Supporting Local Food Pantries through your Double Dollars donations!
The last two months of the year are an impactful time to help support local families gain food security. Starting November 1 and running until December 31 the Co-op will give a 1:1 match on your cash donations and bag reuse, up to $10,000 by providing Pantries of Plenty donations to our five neighborhood food pantries: Goodman Community Center Fritz Food Pantry, Lussier Community Education Center, WayForward Resources, The River Food Pantry, and Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center. The match will be split five ways for the pantries to acquire fresh items that are harder to come by in the winter season. The Pantries of Plenty Double Dollars Match is made possible through abandoned and donated Owner equity over the years. Last year, with donations to the Double Dollars Fund from Co-op shoppers, we matched $13,138. Thank you for your continued support to make this partnership possible! This year we will continue the match up to $10,000 as to increase the impact on pantries still feeling the effects of inflation and residual community ramifications of COVID which has caused a higher food demand at pantries throughout the county.
As a reminder, Double Dollars is a community-supported program through the City of Madison and Dane County program administered by the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin. From late fall to mid-spring, Double Dollars are available at the Co-op, and from June to late fall, Double Dollars are available at participating farmers’ markets while funds last. The vouchers are mainly supported by individual donations, grants, and city/county funding. If you haven’t yet supported the Fund, but want to get involved, you can do so two ways: by choosing $1, $5, $10, or $25 Double Dollars Fund scan cards at the cash registers to add a cash donation to your receipt at checkout, or by simply reusing bags when you shop at the Co-op. When you bring reusable bags for your shopping trip, the Co-op will contribute to the fund per bag. You will see this donation as a line item on your receipt. All monies that go to the Double Dollars Fund are sent to Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin to administer the program.
In FY23 you helped donate $33,615.71 in cash donations (both scan cards and donated patronage) and $35,723.33 by using your reusable bags! Great for the environment and community! With both of these resources combined, it came to $69,339.04 donated to this program through our stores. With those funds, 16,663 vouchers were issued with a redemption rate of 86%!
Reminder: Double Dollars redemption and vouchers issuance started up in October
Speaking of Double Dollars, as a reminder Double Dollar distribution and redemption has already started up. Additionally, every Tuesday October 17 through March 5, 2024, any shopper using their FoodShare/QUEST card to purchase groceries is eligible to receive up to $20 worth of Double Dollars coupons. For every $5 you spend using FoodShare/QUEST for any FoodShare/QUEST eligible items, the Co-op will give you ONE $5 Double Dollar Coupon, up to $20.
These coupons can help purchase any fresh, frozen, or canned produce; and seeds/seedlings for growing edible plants at any of our stores any day of the week from October through May as funds allow.
For more information visit www.willystreet.coop/double-dollars. Double Dollars Tuesdays are made possible thanks to a partnership with the City of Madison, Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, Dane County, Public Health Madison & Dane County, Willy Street Co-op, and other private funders.
Community Reinvestment Fund Seeking Committee Members
The Co-op seeks Co-op Owners-At-Large to serve on the Community Reinvestment Fund grant committee. If you would like to be considered, please fill out our form at willystreet.coop/board-committees by Friday, November 17. Each year, the Co-op allocates a certain amount of abandoned Owner equity to provide grants to local nonprofits and cooperatives for project/organizational work that meets areas of criteria: food justice & access, sustainable agriculture, health & wellbeing and/or social change. In Fiscal Year 2023, the committee received 34 applications totaling $112,618 and made $55,000 in total awards to 21 organizations. The average award provided to each organization was $2,291. The committee is responsible for reviewing the project grant proposals and making recommendations to the Co-op’s Board of Directors for award approval. Committee members must be available from 6:00-9:00pm between February 12 and March 3 for two meetings. Time outside of meetings is required to review documents and a reception for the grant winners and committee members will be scheduled for the week of April 22. Ideal candidates have backgrounds in at least one of the following program focuses: food justice and/or access, creating cooperatives, sustainable agriculture, health and wellbeing, and/or social change.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to wish you a joyful, warm, and enjoyable holiday season! I hope you are able to experience the bounty of togetherness and unity around the dinner table, appreciating each other and the gifts around us; and when possible, sharing our time, joyful moments, and resources throughout the days ahead.
