Wheatsville Co-op Austin, TX

[Dan Gillotte <gm AT wheatsville.coop>]

Hi Wheatsville friends

In this e-mail!

Last week for July Specials!
New features on the web-site!
Coffee with the board!
Read about why being a board member is a good thing to do!

It was great to see so many of you at our Member Appreciation Day last Saturday! I hope you felt appreciated, because we sure do! I also want to thank all the folks who come up and introduce themselves as recipients of these e-mails! I like to meet all of the people that I communicate with virtually!

We are heading in to the last weekend for July Co-op Advantage Specials!

Here is just a sampling of what we have in store for you!

Refrigerated
Lightlife Veggie Hotdogs for $2.69 (We like ours on a Rudi's bun with sauteed Kale and Onion!)
Brown Cow Lowfat Yogurt for 69¢
Nancy's Plain Yogurt quarts for $2.29
Organic Valley Soymilk for $2.99

Grocery
Rudi's Organic Hamburger Buns for $2.69
Little Bear Tortilla Chips for $2.29
Clif Energy Bars (Selected varieties) for 99¢!!!
Country Choice Organic Sandwich Cremes for $2.69
Cool Fruits Freezer Pops for $2.19
Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade for $1.69, this is a real favorite around here!
Westbrae Organic Beans for $1.19
Annie's Naturals Dressing 16 oz. selected varieties for $3.99
Lots more great stuff on deal check out the flyer in store or get it on-line http://wheatsville.coop/CAP%20flyers/SW0707_final.pdf
The flyer also has a cool recipe for Roasted Italian Potato Salad and some tips on grilling and having a great picnic!

Speaking of on-line! Check out two cool new features on our web-site:
The first one is a list of all the local vendors that we support and have available for your purchase http://wheatsville.coop/local.html
The next solves that problem of getting home with a bag of spices, herbs or capsules and forgetting what you bought. Mistaking cumin for fenugreek can really ruin a meal! So, we have our herbs listed with their PLU numbers on the website http://wheatsville.coop/cooking_charts/herbspicecodes.html

Coffee with the Board on Sat. August 4th from 10-Noon. Join your board members for some coffee and light snacks on the patio! Talk about co-op issues, local news, sports or the transformation of society! 

Run for the board!
The deadline for announcing your intentions to run for the board of directors of your co-op is drawing near! If your haven't launched your exploratory committee, you better get hopping! We seek to have contested elections at Wheatsville and would encourage you to consider serving your co-op in this manner. If you are interested, e-mail boardemail AT wheatsville.coop  for a nominations packet. Nominations are due August 15th!

Why I love being a Board Director at Wheatsville by Rose Marie Klee
As we approach a new election season, I feel compelled to share a bit about my
experience as a Wheatsville Board Director for anyone who might wonder what it might
be like.
I had only been a member of Wheatsville for six months when a series of events spurred
my interest in running for the board. For one thing, I had *finally* graduated from UT,
and being out of school freed up some mindspace for pondering how the world works—
our food supply, our economy, our community. I also have some friends at Tecolote
Farms, who inspired me to think about food sources and the great people who dedicate
their energy to ensuring the supply of wholesome produce. I became a religious devotee
of the Downtown Farmer’s Market, and delighted in discovering the freshness of local
food eaten in season.
And there was one little cosmic coincidence that got me: I went to Breckenridge,
Colorado for the Fourth of July, 2004. There was a big party that my friends were gigging
at (bluegrass and belly dancing). As I reveled in the cool mountain air, this lovely being
suddenly approached me and exclaimed, “Hey! I’m your grocer!” It took me a while to
realize that it was none other than Wheatsville’s own, Johnny Livesay. How cool is
that—not only to run into each other at a party in Colorado (and share some awfully good
homemade wine)—but that he actually recognized me, one of thousands of WV patrons. I
know that this is one of the things that we all love about Wheatsville—the great
community that develops as we say hello in the aisles and greet each other on the porch.
I got home late from my 1000 mile drive back to Austin and the summer issue of The
Breeze was waiting for me in the mailbox. As fate would have it, as I flipped though the
newsletter and ended up reading an article calling for new board candidates. Somehow
this seemed extremely serendipitous and the idea was appealing on many levels. Of
course there is the all-around grooviness of being involved with Wheatsville, and I very
much looked forward to meeting and working with some really great people. I knew that
I would expand my community and discover some really interesting and inspiring folk in
my role as a Director, and I have to say, it has been truly wonderful to interact with so
many of our owners over the past few years. As you all know, we are a diverse lot that is
bound together by our common interest in wholesome and tasty food, social justice, and
the convenience of shopping at our friendly store.
But the other big reason I wanted to run for the board was for my own learning
opportunities. I knew that there were valuable skills to be learned (for the benefit of my
own life and work) and I especially looked forward to learning about finances, how a
grocery store works, developing some teamwork and meeting facilitation skills, and also
seeing how another board works (I have been active on the board of the American
Society of Civil Engineers for many years).
What I’ve gained is all that and more! Wheatsville is about so much more than selling
groceries, and likewise being on the board is a beautiful opportunity to think about large
and lofty ideas—like the transformation of society! It has been great to be part of this
movement toward sustainable economics, wholesome food, and cooperative enterprise.
One of the greatest benefits to me has been the opportunity to learn about the processes
for large-scale change (since I am personally on a mission to help change the world). It is
pretty exciting to study, discuss, and mobilize on issues that affect our community at a
small and large scale. Through training and conferences I have also had the opportunity
to discover a huge and thriving movement of people who truly believe that cooperative
economics can help save the world. It is beautiful to learn that there are communities in
Ghana being empowered by locally and cooperatively managed banks, and gatherings in
small-town Vermont to collectively envision how they would like their society to evolve
over the next 100-years.
As our teacher, Mark Goehring, pointed out during our March board retreat, ‘people think
that big change happens like a spark that ignites an explosion, but really the groundwork
is often laid over 30-years of conscious study and dialogue.’ It is pretty awesome to be a
part the movement that has helped make organic foods mainstream today and given new
cache to supporting community economics. Our future belongs to those who imagine it!
If you are interested in learning more about being a Wheatsville board director, please
contact us at boardemail AT wheatsville.coop


Hope to see you soon!
Dan Gillotte
Wheatsville GM and e-mail guy