NEW WEBSITE FOR POGUES RUN GROCER

For updates and information, go to the new Pogues Run Grocer website at www.IndyFoodCoop.org. There you will find a new blog, details on opening date, progress of build-out, events, and can sign up for the newsletter.

Co-op Highlighted in Front Page IndyStar Article

Check out the article and photos in today's Indianapolis Star on near eastside improvements, including the efforts of Pogue's Run Grocer!  Front page, below the fold, or follow this link:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100430/LOCAL1803/4300327/-1/ARCHIVE/NFL-helps-launch-Eastside-on-the-road-to-recovery

Check out all IFC has going on...

• Check out Indy Food Co-op in the latest issue of Indiana Living Green Magazine

• Pick up the latest Urban Times and see a great photo of our mural volunteers

• Join Indy Food Co-op for Chew on This -- One night. 15 locations, 300 mouths chewing on Indianapolis’ food issues today and in the future, May 4, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eat, think and talk with neighbors, friends and new acquaintances at one of 15 different locally owned restaurants or community venues around the city. Over dinner, a facilitator will lead a conversation about “From local to global: How can we use Indiana’s strengths in agriculture and artisanal foods to position Indiana globally?” based on the book Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism by Richard Longworth. Each location will be limited to 20 people to encourage an intimate, yet fruitful conversation. Reserve your seat today. Indy Food Co-op will be participating in a pitch-in dinner and discussion at the John H. Boner Community Center - won't you join us?

• Also, help Indy Food Co-op, Slow Food Indy and the Indianapolis Vegetarian Society celebrate asparagus season with Asparagus, The Movie on Friday, May 7; 6:00 p.m. asparagus-themed potluck; 7:00 p.m. movie showing; $5 donation requested but not required

New Video Tells the Indy Food Co-op Story

Check out this fabulous new video put together by local videographer, 
Steven Shattuck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi6Lx8XhD1k

Mural Day Five: Artists Work Day

The volunteer artist team spent another five hours at the co-op today to work towards the finishing touches on the mural. While there is still some work to day (talk about incredible dedication from these volunteers), as more and more detail is added, the more sweet smelling the flowers become; the more juicy looking the peppers look; and everything is starting to pop out of the wall. Even if you drove by last week, you'll want to cruise by again this week to see the difference.

And, the mural is generating a lot of excitement in the neighborhood. A near east side neighbor said that the mural and the grocery were all the talk during church this morning. A dozen kids stopped by to see what was happening and learned about some new vegetables. A group of neighbors stopped by anxious to volunteer. A Latino priest rode by on his bike and asked about ways he could get his parish involved with the co-op.

And, this week, our membership has grown to 264!  That means that we have only 36 memberships to go to meet our store opening goal of 300. This community-owned grocery store is progressing, one member, one volunteer, one donation at a time.

Mural Day Four: Transforming 10th Street

About 40 volunteers came out last Saturday, April 10, to create a work of art of the east wall of the Pogue's Run Grocer building at 2828 E. 10th Street. Among those volunteers were members of the co-op, neighborhood residents, and about a dozen Tech High School National Honor Society Seniors.

After three years of planning, tangible signs of a new grocery store along East 10th Street have arrived. The volunteers painted a mural that screams FOOD so that there will be no mistake about the cornucopia of healthy, fresh, local food housed inside those front doors. Other volunteers working indoors worked on scrapping, cleaning and prepping the area that will soon be the office of the co-op's general manager.

The all volunteer artistic team lead the mural effort and dedicated hours of time leading up to the work day. That team included local graphic designers and Irvington residents, Sara Lunsford and Jackie Norris, local photographer, Coleman Norris, and near east sider, Sarah Charles. The Indy Food Co-op is so appreciative of these local artists sharing their time, talent and creativity to make the mural such a tremendous success!

Also, local videographer/filmmaker, Steven Shattuck, volunteered his time to capture a portion of the day on film. Look for his edited video on the Indy Food Co-op website soon, and thanks to Steven for contributing this additional creative element to the co-op effort.

Thanks also to the members who provided food to our hard working volunteers. Katherine dropped by a yummy Japanese rice dish, and Bruce provided an incredible pan of brownies flavored with a hint of tangerine zest (we need this recipe for the co-op cook book)!

Critical to our on-going success has been the support of the media to help spread the word about the co-op. Thanks to Jim Poyser and Moriah from NUVO Newsweekly and Bill Brooks from Urban Times for covering the mural project as well as the on-going progress of the Indy Food Co-op and Pogue's Run Grocer.

As has been the case along each step of the co-op development, it is through the hard work, dedication and generosity of the community that our community grocery store will open later this spring. Thanks alone is not enough. But, soon all the work and effort will pay off in the opening of an affordable, convenient healthy food option for Indianapolis.

Mural SCREAMS FOOD

For Immediate Release:

April 9, 2010

Julie L. Rhodes, 317.631.2220

c: 317.371.2788

Volunteers Create Delectable Work of Art at Pogue’s Run Grocer

Mural screams “FOOD” along east 10^th Street

INDIANAPOLIS – As cars drive briskly along the East 10^th Street corridor, generally the only thing drivers see is pavement and buildings. But, this Saturday, April 10, all that will change, as dozens of volunteers will descend upon the future home of Pogue’s Run Grocer to begin a transformation.

“Indy’s only community-owned grocer will create a mural entirely by volunteers to make a noticeable difference at the store location near the 10^th and Rural streets intersection,” said Greg Monzel, Pogue’s Run Grocer’s General Manager.

The east wall of the building located at 2828 E. 10^th Street will scream ‘FOOD’ as people drive by a facility that has in recent years been a third generation electronics retailer and a daycare, but never before a grocer.

In fact, the 40,000 residents living on Indianapolis’ near eastside have few options for healthy, fresh food in the community since two major grocery chains moved out of the neighborhood in the past several years. Many, especially those without vehicles and seniors, are forced to shop for their daily food needs at nearby convenience stores, offering only low-nutrition, high-cost options.

The mural was developed by local graphic designer, Todd Decker, whose conceptual design was selected by Indy Food Cooperative, Inc., the non-profit organization opening Pogue’s Run Grocer later this spring.

“I designed the mural to grab attention of people driving down E. 10^th Street and make an obvious statement that fresh food can be found inside,” said Decker of his design. “The inspiration for the mural came from farmers markets, and the images are from photos that I took of locally-grown produce at markets around Indiana,” Decker continued.    

In addition, a team of other local artists have helped bring Decker’s vision to life by overseeing the project, working several nights to transfer images to the wall in preparation of the volunteer workday. Those experienced mural artist volunteers include Sara Lunsford, Jacqueline and Coleman Norris and Sarah Charles. The wall will be created in a paint-by-number style to allow community participation, even from non-artists. Costs for the mural are covered by a Façade Grant awarded by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation through the East 10^th Street Civic Association.

In addition to the mural, interior painting will continue, as will the cleaning up of donated equipment from Cafe Patachou owner, Martha Hoover. This donation allows the co-op to open its doors with a delicatessen, initially considered cost-prohibitive without the donation.

 “Patachou’s donation of coolers, deli cases and dishes saves the co-op at least $12,000, and allows us to provide sandwiches, soups and salads on day one,” said Monzel. “Donations and volunteers demonstrate the true collaborative spirit behind our community-owned grocer.”

For more information about the event or Pogue’s Run Grocer or Indy Food Co-op, visit www.indyfoodcoop.org , E.mail greg@poguesrungrocer.org, or call 317.677.2076.

- 30 -

About Pogue’s Run Grocer and Indy Food Cooperative, Inc.

In the summer of 2007, a group of individuals met for the first time to begin discussing how to bring the city’s only non-profit, community-owned storefront grocery cooperative to Indianapolis. Since that time, a group of dedicated volunteers have been working hard to secure a location, raise funds and build membership for a grocery cooperative near downtown. The goal of the store is to support the local economy, while making local, fresh, organic and affordable food and products available to urban neighborhoods that currently are not served by healthy grocery options. The store will be open to the general public, offering additional benefits to its members. In addition to operating a store, Indy Food Co-op is dedicated to educating the community on healthier eating through outreach programs, cooking classes and more. The organization has reached 257 members to date, and the store is expected to open its doors in late Spring 2010, seeking to reach the 300 member mark by that time. In addition to memberships, the co-op is being supported by many community partners offering grants, pro bono services and volunteer time. To learn more, visit www.IndyFoodCoop.org , www.IndyFoodCoop.blogspot.com

257 MEMBERS!!!!

Only 43 more members needed to reach our 300 member goal by store opening

 Have you become a member yet?

Join Now!

Community-Owned, Community-Supported!!!

Late last week, the Indy Food Co-op learned of a grant opportunity through the City of Indianapolis - some leftover Community Development Block Grant dollars from 2009 that needed to be spent on worthwhile community efforts.  So, the board and staff pulled together to complete the lengthy application. And, while that effort is greatly appreciated, there are lots more thanks to go around....

A HUGE thanks to Tammi Hughes at East 10th Street for again being our fiscal agent and working to pull information into the application;

A tremendous thank you also goes to the many people and groups who wrote letters of support for us with 24 hours at best and a few hours at worst notice. Please thank these amazing partners when you see them. Those groups include:

• Englewood Community Development Corporation, Joe Bowling and David Price
• Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, Josh Bowling
• Near East Side Community Organization, Chip Gibson
• Super Bowl Legacy Committee and John H Boner Center, James Taylor
• City-County Councillor Brian Mahern
• Indy-east Asset Development, Katy Brett
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Sara Van Slambrook
• Community Development Law Center, Shelia Jenkins and Kim Huizinger
• CODO Design, Cody Fague
• Architecture for Humanity, Teo Chun-Sheh
• Cottage Home Neighborhood Association, Maribeth Bailey

Suffice it to say that the list contains the names of lots and lots of busy people who basically dropped everything to help us out, and we simply cannot thank them enough! 


Now, cross your fingers and toes that we get this grant award!

Mural Day Four: Transferring and Reference Painting

WOW - the Indy Food Co-op is so fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated volunteers helping make Pogue's Run Grocer a success.  Tonight, our mural artistic team came together for the second time this week, to complete the transfer of the mural image on the east exterior wall of the store.  Tonight they also started painting a few areas of the mural to provide some helpful reference to the volunteers who will be assisting in a "paint by numbers" style mural on Saturday, April 10.

We simply cannot thank enough these incredibly creative folks who have for two nights this week spent time making this incredible mural on the co-op building.  You simply have to drive by and check it out and I think you will be as excited as we are.  Sara Lunsford, Jacqueline and Coleman Norris, Sarah Charles, and, of course, Todd Decker, the mural design creator, have been fabulous to work with and a perfect team for our mural project.

We also have to thank Indy Food Co-op's General Manager, Greg Monzel, for working to get our store open all day and then being there to help us out all night (we worked from 6:30 - 11:00 p.m. tonight).

Many folks in the community stopped by to talk with us and find out what is going on!  And, many are excited to see a grocery store coming to East 10th Street.

Please plan to help us on April 10. We will not only be painting the mural, but also working on other projects, including cleaning all the incredible equipment donation by Cafe Patachou!

Also, thanks to NUVO Newsweekly for stopping by to capture the fun on film!

Don't miss being a part of this important community asset! Indy's only community-owned grocery store is successful only because of all the support, enthusiasm, commitment and partnerships!

Thanks you Indianapolis for embracing the Indy Food Co-op!

Mural Day Three: Transferring the Image

Tonight, our fabulous mural artistic team worked together to transfer our delicious mural image onto the wall.

Using a projector, wax pencils and lots of patience, the crew of Sara Lunsford, Jacquelyn and Coleman Norris, Sara Charles, and the mural designer, Todd Decker, worked diligently from 6 - 10 p.m.

Several neighbors stopped by to say hello, and several Indy Food Co-op board members came by to watch the progress, including Deb Sluss, Chris Barnett, Kyle Hendrix, Mary Bowling and Julie Rhodes.

A great time was had by all and we look forward to finalizing the transfer this week and moving towards the April 10 mural painting event. Please join us!

Mural Day Two: Priming the Wall

Last Saturday, March 27, Indy Food Co-op hosted a volunteer workday and many volunteers came out to help! We primed the east exterior wall in preparation for our mural.

A big thanks to Dawn Charonneau for donating lots of supplies and snacks; to Denise Walker for an extension ladder; to George Rudbeck for shop-vaccing the paint chips; and to all the volunteer painters, Kelli Barker, Debbie Pigeon, Bruce Polson, Diane Clark, Kyle Hendrix, Mary Bowling and the Bowling kids (Ben, John and Rachael).

We now have a perfectly white canvas in which to create our mural. Thanks to all who helped make this day such a success!

Mural Day One: Pressure Washing the Wall

Today, co-op member Bob Bronson shared his time and his pressure-washer with the co-op! Bob worked with general manager, Greg Monzel, to clean up the east exterior wall of the store building in preparation for our mural. This blank, white wall will soon be transformed into a beautiful and delicious-looking piece of art. Follow the progress here, or better yet, come out and help:

Priming party: Saturday, March 27, noon - 4 p.m.

Mural painting: Saturday, April 10, noon - 4 p.m.

Let us know if you can help out or have painting supplies, ladders or drop clothes to share - jrhodes4@indy.rr.com

Volunteers Needed THIS Saturday, March 27

THE MURAL IS COMING, THE MURAL IS COMING - AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

We have two important volunteer workdays coming up and we hope you can help!

Please join us THIS Saturday, March 27, from noon - 4 p.m. for a Mural Priming Party! We will be priming the east exterior wall of the co-op building in preparation for our beautiful, new mural. Bring yourselves, your friends and if you have a ladder, drop cloth or paint rollers and pans to share, please bring those along. Please RSVP to jrhodes4@indy.rr.com if you can help out and tell me what supplies you can share!

Also, we will be actually painting the mural on Saturday, April 10, so plan to join us from noon - 4 p.m. that day as we transform this space into a work of art. It will be paint by numbers thanks to our incredible all volunteer artist team: Todd Decker (the mural designer), Sara Lunsford, Jackie Norris and Sara Charles!

Please join us for this very fun event to create something to help the transformation of Pogue's Run Grocer and East 10th Street.

What's Happening at Pogue's Run Grocer

There is a lot of activity these days at 2828 E. 10th Street, and it's getting busier and busier every day.

Community Health Network produced a beautiful new "Coming Soon" banner recognizing all of our critical community partners - drive by the store and check it out!

Our seed sale with Nature's Crossroads is a huge success (order seeds through www.IndyFoodCoop.org and 25% of the sale comes to Pogue's Run Grocer).

We just received word that we will receive $5,000 from the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center for landscaping and will work with dozens of volunteers to beautify the space on April 10 and May 1! Join us!

Food Con was an amazing event where we met literally thousands of people! Thanks to those who stopped by the booth to say hello.

We have a fabulous group of artists helping plan for an upcoming mural. Mural painting begins April 10 - join us!

We are getting ready to roll out a great, grassroots marketing campaign. Our first friend-raising event was a big success and we are planning more (contact us if you are interested in hosting one)!

We currently have 251 members and are seeking 300 members by store opening this Spring! And, there's lots more good news to share very soon. Stay tuned!

Local firm gives Pogue's Run Grocer a boost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 11, 2010

Contact: Cody Fague

Cell phone: (317) 640 – 4817

Email: cody@cododesign.com

Local firm gives Pogue’s Run Grocer a boost

Design team CODO donates branding services to upcoming co-op

Local firm CODO Design mixed “urban utopia” with “freakin’ delicious” in their recent pro bono branding project for the Indy Food Co-op’s upcoming community-owned market, Pogue’s Run Grocer. The grocer, set to open late spring 2010, will offer fresh, local and organic foods, household products, and educational programs.

“This is an exciting step for Indianapolis; we wanted to lend our knowledge of branding, marketing and graphic design to help Pogue’s Run grow,” says CODO Design partner Cody Fague.

Pogue’s Run Grocer, soon to be located at 10th and Rural Streets, will be the only community-owned cooperative grocery in Indianapolis.

“The location at 10th and Rural does pose some interesting marketing challenges,” according to Fague. “Pogue’s Run needs to send the right message to people from many different backgrounds. The key is to get folks excited about the role that fresh, delicious food can play in revitalizing one of our city’s richly historic urban areas.”

CODO Design assembled large boards with inspirational image clippings side-by-side with Indy Food Co-op members. The boards that members found most appealing—the aptly named “urban utopia,” a visual homage to the quaint neighborhood markets of yore, and “freakin’ delicious,” a celebration of fresh, tantalizing foods, became the basis for the grocer’s brand identity.

CODO Design provided market research, logo development and art direction for the food co-op.

“CODO undertook our brand development by getting into the trenches, talking to people in the community, our members and our partners,” said Kyle Hendrix, president of Indy Food Cooperative, Inc. “The process they used was inclusive, and just what a community-owned project needs to lay the ground work for its future success.”

“The energy of the Indy Food Co-op is undeniable,” according to CODO Partner Isaac Arthur. “We worked with some formidable local talent on the project, including interior designers, architects and a logo designer. People are excited about what Pogue’s Run means for the community, and that shows through in the branding.”

“Every successful organization needs to connect with its customers and tell a compelling story,” Arthur adds. “That’s what branding is all about.”

“The CODO team was very enthusiastic about the co-op mission,” said Hendrix, “but we were most impressed with their expansive efforts to understand our diverse customer base and develop a brand that would resonate. As a start-up non-profit, we could never have been able to budget for such high-quality branding services, making the work of CODO invaluable to our community effort.”

For more info about joining Indy Food Co-op or Pogue’s Run Grocer, visit www.indyfoodcoop.org.

For more information about CODO Design, visit www.cododesign.com.

###

CODO Design is a branding and graphic design firm located in Indianapolis. Their recent projects include the rebranding of Indianapolis Early Music, the rebranding of the Indiana Humanities Council program Novel Conversations, and the design of the exhibition Dillinger! Forging a Hoosier Legend at the Indiana State Library.

Ready for Spring Planting - Order Seeds Today

The warm, sunny days remind us that spring is just around the corner! Have you been dreaming about what you will plant in your garden this year? Now is the time to place an order for your seeds, and what better way to prepare than to order seeds from Nature's Crossroads through the Indy Food C0-op? By ordering your seeds through www.IndyFoodCoop.org, 25% of your purchase will come back to support the co-op. So, why not do your part to support healthy, local eating, by growing your own food this year -- and at the same time, you will be supporting a local company and a local non-profit by ordering through www.IndyFoodCoop.org. Fruits, vegetables, herbs and more. Check it the fabulous selection of seeds today!

P.S. In order for Indy Food Co-op to benefit, you must order through the www.IndyFoodCoop.org website. If you look now but purchase later, please remember to re-enter the website through the co-op website.

P.S.S. Please share this information with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers!

Don't Miss FOOD CON!

Join Indy Food Co-op on March 5, for Food Con, an unconventional convention that features art exhibitions, poetry, films and lectures, hand-on activities, and, of course, food. Food Con will be a first-of-its-kind showcase and exploration of the art and culture of food in Indianapolis. Food Con is being touted as a food event for foodies in the same vein that GenCon is to gamers.

The free Food Con event will be held at the Harrison Center for the Arts from 6-10 p.m., during IDADA’s popular First Friday tour. In the gym, Indy Food Co-op and other representatives from local farmer's markets, urban gardens, neighborhood supper clubs will be on hand to answer questions, share recipes and discuss their passion for food. Artists exhibiting that night include Bruce Campbell, Kyle Ragsdale, Carolyn Springer, Penelope Dullaghan, Ben Valentine, Leah Gauthier and Kristin Hess.

Food Con is a joint project between the Harrison Center for the Arts and the Indiana Humanities Council’s Food for Thought program. Stop by and say hello at the Indy Food Co-op booth!

Join Us Saturday At the Indy Winter Farmers Market

If you haven't yet had an opportunity to shop the Indy Winter Farmers Market, you are missing out on one of the most exciting things going on in our city today! Please join Indy Food C0-op on Saturday, February 13, from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the market.

Also, help contribute to the Indy Food C0-op efforts through the IWFM Power of One Challenge. Each week shoppers are invited (not expected or obligated) to put $1 or any spare change in the IWFM Power of One collection jar at the Market Information Table as you enter or leave the market. On Feb. 13, the co-op is the Power of One recipient charity!

This year's IWFM is being held each Saturday at the Chattam Center, 901 N. East Street. You'll find a wide variety of vendors selling fresh fruits and veggies (like apples and greens), fresh baked goods, meats, cheeses, dairy products and eggs, as well as prepared foods like salsas, pestos, savory pies, soups and tamales.

Stop by and see us this Saturday, February 13. You'll be glad you did!!!

Photo from HoosierGardner.com

Order Your Garden Seeds and Support Indy Food Co-op!

It's definitely winter, but spring is just around the corner and many of you do plant starts in cold frames or indoors in the early months of the year. With the gardening boom last year, some seed companies ran out of seeds early in the season. Want to beat the rush and start thinking about spring plantings now while supporting an Indiana business and the co-op?

You can order local, organic and earth-friendly seeds and supplies and help support the Indy Food Co-op at the same time. Visit: www.IndyFoodCoop.org and click on the banner ad at the top for Nature's Crossroads and start shopping. For every order made through our website, 25% of the purchase price comes back to the co-op.

Check out seed packets, seed collections, and gardening kits for a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs! And, start growing your own fresh, local food!

P.S. Nature's Crossroads has no way of tracking purchases to the co-op if they are not made through the co-op website. So, if you browse now and purchase later, please be sure to enter back through www.IndyFoodCoop.org to make your purchases!

P.S.S. Share this info with friends and family you think might be interested!

Co-op Introduces New GM and other news

A note from Pogue's Run Grocer's new General Manager who began employment on January 4:

Dear Co-op Members and Supporters:

Thank you for the opportunity to be your general manager for Pogue’s Run Grocer. I have long been passionate for fresh, healthful, consciously produced foods. I dug my first vegetable garden in my parents’ backyard as a youth, then began using food-based home remedies for health and wellness in my teens. My first job at age fourteen was stocking produce at O’Malia’s. Since the early days I have worked for sustainable, organic, and permaculture farms, farmers’markets, and natural foods stores, rising to management in both agriculture and retail. Additionally, I pursued training as a community herbalist and offer services and products related to whole foods nutrition and medicinal plants.

I have been intrigued by interesting happenings in Indianapolis in the area of urban agriculture and sustainable food networks. I grow much of my own food and gather more from wild plants. Naturally, when I learned that a food cooperative was forming I was eager to be a part of it; I decided then that I wanted to be the manager. Spreading knowledge and awareness about food and health choices is part of my personal mission, and Pogue’s Run Grocer offers me a great opportunity to do so. I look forward to offering you the best fresh, local, and organic food available in Indianapolis; I look forward to being a resource for the community as well.

Sincere thanks, Greg Monzel

Store Update

With over $200,000 in grants secured, the Indy Food Co-op is well on it's way to getting your community-owned grocery opened this year. Some electrical work has been completed on the building, a contractor has been selected to remove a portion of the flooring, equipment is under consideration, management staff is hired, and an interior design plan is nearly complete by probono partners Architecture for Humanity http://www.afh-indy.org/. We are still seeking funding for inventory and operating capital, and member loan commitments are being followed up this month. Anyone interested in considering a member loan to the co-op, please contact Greg at: 317.677.2076.

Membership Continues

Membership in the Indy Food Co-op continues to grow. Currently we have 231 members, growing at about two memberships each week. Please help us spread the word of membership benefits in Indy's only community-owned grocery store by sharing information with friends and family. Help friends understand the difference between the co-op and all these ads that say that the national chains are our "hometown grocer" or our "neighborhood grocer", while they send your grocery dollars out of state and don't support local farmers, local products or sustainable farming practices. Consider hosting a "friend-raising" event at your home where you invite friends over to learn more about the co-op with the help of the IFC board. A very special thanks to IFC members Mark and Sarah Hudson, who are hosting the first friend-raising event at their home on January 30.

Volunteers Sought

Indy Food Co-op is seeking volunteers with the following skills to give your community grocer:

• Web developer to develop a Pogue's Run Grocer website that would compliment the Indy Food Co-op site
• Volunteer coordinator to help us keep track of those interested in volunteering for the co-op and helping recruit volunteers for various activities.

Additional volunteer opportunities for volunteer workdays at the store will be released soon.

Upcoming Events

IFC will be staffing an exhibit booth at the following events:

• February 6, 9 am - noon - Near East Side Community Organization (NESCO) Congress
• April 25, 11 am - 4 pm - Earth Day Indiana Festival, downtown Indianapolis

Please stop by to say hello or let us know if you'd like to help staff the booth.

Yard Signs Available Soon

To help us spread the word about the Indy Food Co-op, one member suggested that we purchase yard signs for members to put in their yard to proudly and publicly display membership and encourage folks to learn more. Those interested in getting a sign for their yard, please send a note to me at jrhodes4@indy.rr.com and we will get one to you as soon as they are produced.

Supporting Local Farming Directly

Now is the time to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, if interested in supporting a farmer to grow food for your family. Big City Farms, Balanced Harvest Farm, Blooming Gardens, Hoosier Organic Connection, Seldom Seen Farm, Valentine Hill Farm and Victory Acres are all seeking CSA shareholders now. Find a complete list and contact information at: http://www.goinglocal-info.com/my_weblog/community-sponsored-agriculture.html

Slow Food Indy Holds Annual Meeting

Join our partners in local foods, Slow Food Indy, for their annual meeting and pitch-in dinner on January 17 from 2 - 5 pm at Earth House (237 East Street, Indy). It will include a preserved and canned food swap, a brief business meeting, entertainment and more. For details, check out: http://www.slowfoodindy.com/events.html

Senate Bill Pushing Local Foods

Thanks to co-op member Margaret Banning for letting us know that Senate Bill 194 has been introduced in this legislative short session. It's a bill that establishes the local and organic food and farm task force to create a plan to expand and support a local and organic food system. On January 5, 2010, is received its first reading and was referred to Committee on Agriculture and Small Business. Learn more or follow legislation at: http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2010&request=getBill&docno=194