February Change for Good Recipient: Ashland High Arts Advocates
February's Change for Good Recipient is
Ashland High Arts Advocates (AHAA),
a volunteer-led non-profit which advocates and raises funds to support Ashland, Oregon area public schools arts programs, teachers and students. Through annual fundraisers, AHAA funds summer programs, teacher grants, guest artists, needed equipment, and organizes the largest annual youth showcase in the region, the Winter Fine Arts Festival. Each year, AHAA provides thousands of dollars in summer arts scholarships to students, as well as annual operational grants to teachers.
This Change for Good month's funds will go directly to Jake Taub's Culinary Arts Program at Ashland High School.
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AHS offers six Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management courses as well as additional internships for students in grades 9-12. In each of their courses, students have the opportunity to earn free or discounted credit at Klamath Community College, Lane Community College, or from SOU's Hospitality and Tourism program.
Culinary Arts Program students earn the knowledge and skills to cook for themselves and make informed decisions about the sourcing of ingredients within the introduction classes.. Students may carry on to our advanced classes and learn relevant industry skills that allow them to enter the workforce immediately after high school or while pursuing a post-secondary education.
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The program caters many events for local organizations. Some of the organizations they have worked with in the past are: The SOU School of Education, SOU’s Best of the Best Art Show, The Ashland Independent Film Festival, The Hearth, and Jackson County Public Health.
For the past five years, these Culinary Arts and Hospitality students have consistently placed in the top two positions in our regional high-school competition at the Ashland Culinary Festival!
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Jake Taub and his Culinary Arts Program are presently working with students in our design and manufacturing programs to modify an old school bus into their very own food truck in order to further the opportunities to give students hands-on experiences serving our community. They're hoping to finish this project by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
Support Ashland High Arts Advocates (AHAA) when you round up your purchase at the register throughout the month of February!
To learn more about this organization or learn about volunteering, click here to visit their website.
What is Change for Good?
The AFC Gives committee focuses on ways that the Co-op community can support local organizations and groups doing important work in the Rogue Valley.
2020 is the first year of Change for Good, a register round-up program to benefit a slate of ten organizations, voted on by Co-op owners, through the cumulative donations of shoppers choosing to round-up their shopping total to the nearest dollar.
From one cent to 99 cents, it all adds up to feeling good about supporting the community.
More Co-op News
Free Monday Night Lecture - Some Cool Science about Breathing
Join Kelly Martin as she explains how your breath impacts everything from ankle sprains to headaches. Learn why belly breathing isn't good for you, how to breathe correctly, and how to maximize lung health, improve posture, enhance walking efficiency, reduce anxiety, and improve sports performance.
Access the Zoom recording here.
Zoom access password: 2zu@KQWU
Chatting about community giving with JPR's "Jefferson Exchange"
Recently, Julie O'Dwyer, Ashland Food Co-op board vice-president, joined a panel of guests on Jefferson Public Radio's "Jefferson Exchange" to discuss how the pandemic has led to an even greater need for community giving and support of local non-profits.
Change for Good in August: KS Wild
This month's featured organization in the new Change for Good register round-up program is KS Wild (short for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center).
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Get to know Ashland Emergency Food Bank
The sixth cooperative principle, "Concern for Community," has become even more important since the pandemic began and economies, locally and globally, started to constrict. To address this, the Board of Directors agreed in April to release 100% of patronage dividends and designate Ashland Emergency Food Bank as a donation option for those dividends - resulting in over $20,000 in donations. And with the early launch of Change for Good register round-up, AEFB was a natural choice to receive round-up donations.
July / August GM Update: Walking the Walk
I wrote at the beginning of the year that the Co-op model of business was a blueprint for the future. The concept of “planet, principles and people before profit” is a guide for how cooperatives can run a successful business that puts more back into the community and local economy than national chains, while using less resources and creating less waste.
2020 Co-op Election Results
2020 Co-op Election Results
Ashland Food Co-op owners voted for three open seats on the Board of Directors, and for ten non-profit organizations for the Change for Good register round-up program.
Click a name below to read more about that Co-op Board member.
A statement from the Board of Directors on racial justice
Dear Ashland Food Cooperative Family and Community,
Co-op Owners Step-Up to Support the Ashland Emergency Food Bank!
AFC and AEFB Press Release - Local Strength!
Release Date: 5-26-2020
In April, the Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors announced to the community that the Co-op would be returning 100% of the 2019 Patronage Dividend to its owners. The 100% Patronage Dividend return to Co-op owners converted to over $628,000.
The Co-op Board felt in this time of great need it was not the right time for the Co-op to put away funds for the future, but rather to support owners fully so they may have more strength to weather these stormy times.
Free Monday Night Lectures - virtual and recorded
Thanks to the many agile and adaptable experts in the Rogue Valley, the much-loved Free Monday Night Lectures live on - even if everything is moving online.
While we miss seeing community members with a joy of learning showing up at the Co-op Classroom, we hope these recordings teach and inspire you.
An update on Strategic Energy Management at the Co-op
By Nina Friedman, Strategic Energy Management intern
Open letter from AFC Board on Coronavirus Policies
The Ashland Food Co-op has played a critical role supporting our community for nearly 50 years by providing healthy food and a safe place to shop. With the recent COVID-19 shutdown, this support has been even more important and has stretched our organization in ways that we could not have anticipated. We have endeavored to address the needs of both our staff and our customers, hopefully in the most cooperative manner.
Owner Voting on 2020 Co-op Board & more
As an owner of the Ashland Food Co-op, you are an important decision-maker in the leadership of the Co-op! A vital part of your ownership is voting for the Board of Directors.
On the ballot: Vote for Board Candidates and Change for Good Organizations
Vote for Board Candidates
This year, four candidates are nominated for three Board positions: each elected Board director will serve a three-year term. The candidates are Ed Claassen, Mark Gibbs, Carolina Livi and Julie O'Dywer.
2020 Annual Meeting for Owners
Mark the evening of May 13 at 5pm on your calendar and join us for the 2020 AFC Annual Meeting. We’ll host the meeting online using Google Hangouts. Please click here to join the meeting, or call in at this number:
+1 617-675-4444
PIN: 719 680 293 2056#
A dozen local favorites to explore this summer
The Co-op has always had a focus on supporting the strong local scene of growers and producers - and in these times, it's even more important. Here is just a small selection of some of our favorites from the area. Help support local businesses next time you stop by the Co-op by picking one of these products.