Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op / Winter 2013

W I N T E R E - I S S U EWelcome

Contents2 $25 Buys a Lot 3 Heritage Point Updates5 Good Food CSA9 Local Focus11 Community Garden13 Healthy Roanoke Valley

14 Real Food15 Board Talk16 Co-op Downtown17 Health & Wellness18 Classes & Events

AdvertisingThe Co-optimist is published four times annually by Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. For advertising information, please e-mail info@roanokenaturalfoods.coop or call (540) 343-5652.

Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op1319 Grandin Road, SWRoanoke, VA 24015

Phone: (540) 343-5652 Fax: (540) 343-5711Website: www.roanokenaturalfoods.coopEmail: info@roanokenaturalfoods.coop

Store Hours Every Day: 8am - 9pmHappy Belly Deli Hours Every Day: 9am - 4pm, Lunch: 11am - 2pm

Sta!General Manager: Bruce PhlegarHuman Resources Coordinator: Elizabeth WilsonFront End Team Leader: Heidi GarrabrantMarketing Coordinator: John BryantCenter Store Coordinator: Lisa BalkomFresh Foods Coordinator: Diana McGuire Accounting Team Leader: Carleen GreenmanWellness Coordinator: Elizabeth GoodDowntown Store Coordinator: Dean EricksonFarm Coordinator: Sean Jordan

Editor John Bryantjohn@roanokenaturalfoods.coop

Design & Layout Joe Burge

Photography Allison Money, Jim Crawford

ContributorsGayle Havens Cooley Allison Money John Bryant Heather QuintanaStephanie Specht Jay & Amanda ForresterSummerRain Ursomaso

Board Of DirectorsPresident: Gayle Havens CooleyVice President: Bob CapperTreasurer: Ron McCorkleSecretary: Sandy TaylorStaff Representative: Melissa TaylorSam Eakin Bryan HantmanKerstin PlunkettKrista Stevenson

Content of the newsletter should not be used or construed as medical advice.

On the Cover: The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op sta! pose for a portrait during quarterly inventory on New Year's Eve 2012.

© 2013 Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op

optimist

WelcomeJohn Bryant Marketing Coordinator

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Behold, the Co-Optimist’s first exclusively electronic issue! “It’s about time,” some may say. Noted. Others might re"ect, “I miss the hard copy version.” Don’t worry, we’re still printing 3 issues a year. In all honesty, this e-issue is helping us accomplish two of our New Year's Resolutions: to communicate more with our owners and shoppers and to reduce our carbon footprint. 2012 was an exciting year for Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op; we founded Heritage Point, our cooperative urban farm in Northeast Roanoke; we announced plans to open a second location, which will serve the historic downtown market district; and we’ve grown into a food co-op that is now over 3,000 owners strong. With all of this excite-ment building up a full head of steam in 2013, we know that we’ll have to “step it up” when it comes to sharing the news with our community. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op has traditionally published three issues of the Co-Optimist each year. The e-issue will allow us another opportunity to share co-op news, community stories and wellness tips with our readers. The other bene#t of this e-issue is eliminating printing, which even for our small publication totals about 2,025 pounds of paper and ink per issue. Publishing an e-issue may not be revolutionary at this point but it was a revelation for me to learn that we would literally save a ton of paper and be able to communicate more by going online. So there might be something revolutionary about this digital world afterall. Proving once and for all that the digital revolution will not be televised, it will be streamed online.

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It’s important that our owners understand the privileges and responsibilities that come with owning shares in the co-op, but I rarely, maybe never, hear a shopper ask about responsibilities when they are thinking about becoming an owner. Future owners want to know about the bene#ts, and rightfully so. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op’s owners are fully vested by pur-chasing 8 shares for a total of $200. Owners can buy all the shares at once or buy one share at a time, $25 each, over the course of eight years. With the purchase of the #rst share, an owner has all the bene#ts of ownership, which include a vote in board elections, discounts on Owner Sales, and a patronage rebate for pro#table years. I know many owners wonder, “Will buying a $25 share be worth what I’m getting in return?” I wondered the same thing when I became an owner and I found the answer to be “Yes!” First, for the math nerds out there, let’s check out the num-bers. In 2012, discounts at the registers totaled over $62,000 for owners. On average, each owner saved about $31 in discounts. The average 2011 patronage rebate check for owners was about $5. Right o! the bat, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op’s owners are showing a 44% return on investment for average spending based on our current ownership. The Co-op has four Owners’ 10% O! Days each year, so an owner would only have to spend $62.50 on groceries (or anything else in the store!) each of these Saturdays to make up the cost of one share. Owners also receive a discount on every Co-op Class, so the owner discount for attending just a few classes pays for one share. How about the social impact of ownership? A $25 share buys a piece of a company that will soon be operating two retail stores and the largest contiguous urban farm in the United States. Thanks in large part to our strong ownership base, Roanoke Natu-ral Foods Co-op donated over $5,000 back into our community in 2012 with our “Raising the Ante” program through our customers using reusable bags. We continue to support other community e!orts like the farmers’ markets in Grandin Village and West End, and will start our own farmers’ market at Heritage Point in 2013. Finally, ownership in the Co-op is voluntary (the #rst of the 7 Cooperative Principles) and an owner can request a refund for her or his shares in Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op at anytime. Our ownership model is not an annual membership fee, it’s stock in the company. We know that lifestyles change, families relocate, money can be tight sometimes and we don’t think that your voluntary ownership in the Co-op should ever hinder you in any way. Afterall, the fundamental purpose of a co-op is to serve its members' needs.

Ownership with Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op comes with many bene#ts, privileges, and responsibilities. The beauty of the cooperative model is that we all work together to build and preserve a business that will provide a valuable service for its members. Owners have the responsibility of #nancially support-ing the organization by purchasing products and shares, while the organization is tasked to provide bene#ts and rewards for its owners. Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op’s strong base of owners is building a stronger co-op with more bene#ts and a greater ability to work ever closer to achieving our mission, or Cooperative Ends.

$25 Buys a LotJohn Bryant, Marketing Coordinator

ENDS STATEMENTRoanoke Natural Foods Co-op exists to create a vibrant, local and sustainable cooperative community where decisions are grounded in the balance of economic, social and environ-mental responsibilities.

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Heritage Point UpdatesChickens Thanks to Hurricane Sandy the chicks were delayed about a week but our little miracles, all 100 of them, arrived early on Friday, November 16th in a small cardboard box delivered overnight from Texas. Only one day old, they were just learning what it was to stand, walk, eat and drink. The heat lamps were kept at 95° F in the brooders (small nesting rooms) for the #rst week so that the chicks were warm enough until their feath-ers grew out. By the end of their 30 days in the brooder the temperature could come down to 75°F. Now in what is called the pullet stage, the ladies are enjoying their new home in the coop.

Things certainly are progressing out at Heritage Point, the Co-op’s 25 acre urban farm on Blue Hills Drive. After Roanoke City Council voted to approve the sale of the land in October, the deal was !nalized at the end of the month and the keys where handed over. Then began the hard work, turning a horse pasture into a fully operational urban farm. Despite setbacks due to weather and equipment delays, plans are progessing well in the early weeks of 2013.

to visit FarmRoanoke.comCLICK HERE

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Vermiculture: the cultivation of earthworms, especially used to convert organic waste into fertilizer. At Heritage Point Farm Red Wigglers are our worm of choice which only dig about 18 inches into the ground versus earthworms, which go down much deeper. These little guys will add a few degrees of heat in the hoop houses, with a single row 3 feet wide and 70 feet long in each hoop house. The best part of vermiculture is that once we are at full operation on the farm Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op will have a zero cardboard footprint. Meaning all of the cardboard waste we create at our stores will be used and broken down into fertilizer by the worms.

Worms are multi-sexed and can switch genders to mate with whatever sex they come in contact with. This means Heritage Point will be producing a lot of worms, roughly 16 pounds of new worms created each day when we are at full operation.

Earth Worms

Co-op Coop Heritage Point Farm Manager Sean Jordan and Special Projects Coordinator Jim Crawford constructed a 36' x 16' enclosed coop for weather & warmth while our laying hens are young. The hens are basking in roughly 600 square feet of peck and scratch heaven during the winter months! There will be more con-struction to come, including an outdoor pen area that will then open into the basin at the edge of the property. Predator protection from animals such as raptors will begin by placing #shing line attached to the roof, creating an invisible barrier for the chickens. The line is loose enough for the bird to simply get tangled, be annoyed and "y o!. The raptors quickly learn not to interfere with the chickens, or “them magic chickens with an invisible force #eld,” as Sean joked.

Solar Panels Direct Connect Solar & Electric of Floyd has donated a small grid tied photovoltaic (PV) system to help power food produc-tion at Heritage Point. Generating almost 1 Megawatt (MW) of electricity annually, this maintenance free system will help to power lights and refrigeration. As part of an educational component, Co-op patrons will be able to monitor the PV sys-tem production on the web or their smart phone in real time and learn about how a PV system operates and produces power under all kinds of weather conditions. We are pleased to have a carbon free energy source at Heritage Point and plan to have it operational in Spring 2013.

Right, Worms turn organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer.

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Good Food CSA

There is a treasured picture in my fam-ily, a baby standing in the middle of an upturned !eld, covered in dirt. Her mouth is open in a great happy baby laugh, her hands are full of small potatoes she had grabbed from the ground. That was me 20 years ago, on my family's organic farm. I was raised by organic vegetable farmers who believe that good food is the heart of a good lifestyle and the key to happiness. My !rst food was pureed kale, still a favorite home cooked meal. Throughout my life my mother, Tenley Weaver, instilled in me the value of good food and the people that create and support it. She later took this theory and created a thriving business, Good Food-Good People, to promote the connection between local farmers and food lovers. My mother was raised in Lancaster County, PA surrounded by farms, although not a farm child herself. She had occasion-al chances to run tractors and experience the farm lifestyle, which was the start of her love of farming and food. The seventies counterculture had an impact on my mother and she realized the e"ects of food on her life and the environment around her. For several years after college, she worked at the Newark Natural Food Co-op, immersing herself in the "foodie" world. Her education and the

experiences of the co-op prepared her for the rest of her food career. She soon real-ized that she wanted to be a producer of food, not just a retailer. "I wanted to get to the bottom, to the most basic element of human food," she said. "I wanted to be a part of the produc-tion of fresh, healthy food."

Good Food's Beginnings My mother and father bought an old corn!eld surrounded by forest and cre-ated a farm in Floyd, VA. Mom started homesteading out of a small shed while raising me. My childhood consisted of home canned peaches, apple butter and dilly beans to prepare for the winter. We had an outhouse, several spoiled horses to plow the !elds and our own hands to do the labor. Although I doubt I was very helpful at three years old, being able to raise me without the help of babysitters had perks for my mother and enabled her to work on the farm freely. She began the business by contact-ing restaurants and wholesale buyers to sell her vegetables to the surrounding areas. Delivery days were always some of my favorite hours of the week. I would torture mom with Winnie the Pooh sing along tapes as we would drive the several

miles to businesses in our little blue pick-up truck. She taught me how to make receipts and be courteous to customers, learning herself about good customer service and marketing along the way. Mom wasn't the only one working to start up a small farm. Friends in the com-munity were trying to market their veg-etables to the same restaurants. It seemed to make sense that they share part of the gas expenses and send the produce on one truck. Mom became the coordinator and this e"ort was the start of the idea of Good Food-Good People, which was originally called Mountain Grown. The separate farms learned the importance of working together. Mom held meetings to help the farmers coordinate products and quantities so the farms would not compete with each other. She relayed the restaurants' expectations for quality and packaging and how to make their organic and local products more important for the chefs to purchase than those from big food distributors. Back then, the business ran o" scraps of paper on Mom's clipboard and ink notes on her hand. With a college degree in Spanish Literature, not at all related to her passion of farming and food, she simply gave her best shot at marketing and learned what worked best as she went along. Mountain Grown eventually became Good Food-Good People (GFGP) and expanded into attending several weekly farmers' markets. In 2004, GFGP became an LLC. Today Mom has a successful busi-ness that has graduated from the kitchen table to what we call the "Circus Camp", a small track of land consisting of walk-in coolers, pack houses and large yellow vans to haul produce. GFGP wasn't a busi-ness that was created to make money, it simply grew to !ll a niche in the local food movement of Southwest Virginia and now serves hundreds of customers within a 100-mile radius of Floyd County.

CSAs Although Mom's business does a lot of sales with restaurants and has many farmers' markets, one of the most important ways that GFGP provides healthy food to the average person is through Community Supported Agricul-ture shares, or CSAs. This is a way that customers can get fresh food seasonally delivered to a site near their homes. They pick up their weekly share and enjoy the fresh food that it holds. Many times the shares are simply just veggies, although some farms o"er egg, meat, crafts and pre-made food shares. GFGP also of-fers an a la carte program that allows customers to order bulk boxes of select products that are also delivered to some of the share delivery sites.

SummerRain Ursomarso, Good Food Good People

Tenley Weaver

"I wanted to get to the bottom, to the most basic element of human food"

Growing up in the business

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Most CSAs work on a contract system requiring the customer to purchase the whole share for a season or a year. This enables the farmer to have enough money to buy seeds and start the crops that will be part of the share. The customer will then receive their prepaid food throughout the year. The end product of a CSA is delicious: fresh food delivered almost to your doorstep and ready for nibbling and gourmet cooking. But many people do not realize the amount of work that goes into each vegetable arriving in the bag or box share. Last year I was GFGP's fruit share captain, in charge of ensuring that every piece of fruit arrived to the customer in peak condition, so I truly saw the remarkable e"orts that go into each share.

Step by Step Each crop must, of course, start out as a seed and be grown into a mature plant or fruit that we can eat. Depend-ing on the type of plant, this can be several weeks to several years of work required. After the crop has matured, the farmer and helpers pick and pack the fruit or veggies, usu-ally early in the morning. They delicately pile the crops into boxes, arranging them so they will not bruise or scu" the fragile skins or crunch the beautiful leaves.

Left, Good Food - Good People owner Tenley Weaver receives produce from Riverstone organic farmer Brett Nichols. Middle & Top Right, GFGP employee Theresa Gigante packs CSA share boxes in the "Circus Camp." Bottom, A Good Food - Good People CSA share box, featuring produce from multiple farms in Southwest Virginia.

All farm-fresh products originate within 100-mile radius.

Many weekly options of box sizes and product selections.

Eat local for 10 months a year!

New extended season programs.

*RRG�)RRG���*RRG�3HRSOH�/RFDO�)DUP�6KDUHV��A Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program ³ available at the Co-op!

Top quality seasonal fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs & more. Organic & biologically-grown crops given absolute priority.

Numerous deliveries: Roanoke and neighboring communities.

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to see Tenley Weaver talk about CSAsCLICK HERE

Good Food CSA » continued from page 5

Mom will then place her order with the farmer and send me out in the big yellow van to pick up the load. Sometimes the order will #ll the amount needed for the shares, other times the crop won't yield enough and Mom must call around to other farmers to #ll the CSA order and guarantee her customers a happy and full share that week. When I arrive back at the "Circus Camp" chaos commences. Bags and boxes are labeled with each share family's last name, and #lled with exact

amounts of product for that week's share. Once the shares are packed and closed, they are stored in the cooler until they are sent out the next day. Depending on where the shares are being taken, they leave the cooler between two and nine in the morning. They are packed into trucks, and driven to the drop sites where the de-lighted sharers will arrive to pick up their delicious food. It seems like a long process to bring the CSA shares to the customer, but with the work of several hands in the products' route, the journey of the food usually takes about 36 hours. From the seed, to the truck, to the hands that deliver it to the customer, great care is taken to ensure the freshness and quality of the product

within each share. In addition to bringing good food to customers within the region, CSAs also serve a greater purpose throughout the community. CSAs help to support the lo-cal economy by giving farmers a consist-ent income and helping them to start out the year ahead, rather than in debt. The community is also connected by CSAs as people become more aware of where their food comes from and start to care about the journey it takes and the people

in between. CSAs reduce the impact on the environment by providing local food that has traveled a smaller distance to reach its eaters. Many CSAs also have reci-pes and newsletters that help customers learn about local, seasonal, and healthy foods in the area, in order to eat better within their homes. Most farms have contacts, either online or by phone. These are the best way to get information and sign up for a CSA. The deadlines for many CSAs are late in the winter or early in the spring, with many of them closing registration in early to late March. Some farms also o!er di!erent sizes and styles of CSAs to #t their custom-ers needs, so there is sure to be one that will work for every family.

Good Food for Good People One of the most rewarding aspects of the food business for me is attending the farmers' markets. GFGP has several farmers' markets to attend on a weekly basis. I have helped to run market booths since before I could talk and learned the true nature of the market process, in ad-dition to getting to know the customers that venture out in the early mornings to hand pick their fresh food. Meeting people of all generations and all walks of

life has taught me that people value good food. Seeing the families arrive with small children and grandparents to pick out their favorite edibles and watching them teach their children about the quality of a good meal always brings up memories of what my mother taught me years ago. I am always overjoyed to watch a young child's eyes light up when he/she sees the colored stalks of a rainbow chard or the curly foli-age of my preferred kale. GFGP has grown to encompass many di!erent branches, all dedicated to local, organic and healthy food for the people within our area. The original farm where I dug in the dirt as a baby is still in the same place, producing food for GFGP as does any other farm associated with the company.

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On a neighboring road, the company has a small health food store, which was originally started to distribute our extra veggies from the farm to our neighbors and friends. The store has now grown to cover half of the garage it is housed in and is stocked year round with local delicious food, serving people from all over the region. Throughout my twenty years of living on an organic farm and being a part of Good Food-Good People I have noticed the impact that local, organic food has on the envi-ronment and humanity as a whole. Like most teenagers, I was not always appreciative of my parents' e!orts towards my upbringing and the businesses that they had cre-ated. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized the blessings that I had been given. I think back to that girl standing in an upturned #eld, excited about the potatoes her mom had just helped her to unearth: good food is what it is all about.

Left, Good Food - Good People accountant/organizer Christy Pugh. Middle, CSA shares & wholesale produce #ll the cold box to the brim before distribution. Right, The "treasured photo" of SummerRain and her mother Tenley Weaver.

Consumer Choices

Variety of Foods

Number of Farmers

Leftovers

Structure

Some CSAs allow a mix and match ap-proach, giving consumers the choice as to which foods they buy from week to week. Others make up standard boxes of food that are the same for every member.

What is o!ered to consumers can also change. Some are con"ned only to produce - fruits and vegetables - while others include things like meat, dairy, eggs, #owers, preserved farm products, and even locally-made artisan products. In rare cases, other packaged health foods (such as tofu or pre-made quiche) are also o!ered to members.

In some instances, a CSA will be based around only one farmer and the foods they produce individually. In other cases, a community supported agriculture project will encompass several farms to provide additional variety and stability of food production.

In many cases, there are leftovers of produce and other foods. Sometimes this food is sold at a local farmer's market, other times it is donated to local nonpro!t organizations.

The basic premise of a CSA is shared risk and reward, but the model used for this can change from CSA to CSA. Some involve a pool of money that is used to buy a farm, pay a farmer, and then all the foods are shared equally. More common today is the idea of shares - members each purchase a share at the beginning of the year and are then guaranteed that portion of the farm's bounty as the season progresses. If the season is bad, their box is less full, but if bountiful, their box over!ows.

TYPES OF

CSA'S

Copied Directly from Source: http://www.ecolife.com/de!ne/community-supported-agriculture.html

WInter 2013 8

to learn about other CSAs in our areaCLICK HERE

LOCALFOCUS

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Full Circle Farm

Dolest,Fuga

A winding road through the deep woods of Floyd County eventually emerges into a large clearing with a slop-ing hillside that is Full Circle Farm. The 8-acre “green spot in the woods” serves as home base for Dennis Dove and Good Food-Good People owner Tenley Weaver and is considered one of the #rst organic farms in Southwest Virginia. What began as a market farm for Tenley grew into a full-"edged production farm when Dennis took over in 1997. Dennis studied agronomy at Michigan State and later water conservation and land management at Virginia Tech before starting to farm in Catawba where he set up a seed savers group in the mid 1980s. Dove worked to increase seed variety and preserve heirloom foods through the seed bank, called Johnny’s Seeds, which began with less than 400 people and grew to over 1,000 under his stewardship.

Using his knowledge and passion Dennis decided to become a full-time farmer in his 40's. When he began organic farming there was no real, local working model, though thanks to him and others there are now quite a number of resources in the Floyd community, from large scale organic farming to sustainable, solar homesteads like Full Circle. “I wanted to walk the walk before talk-ing the talk. I needed to learn this work," Dennis said. "Yes it is a physically demand-ing job, but I needed to know what it takes to farm, to make sure it (organic, sustainable farming) could be done before spouting it as possible.” The #rst 5 years were a test to see what works best on the land. “When starting a farm you de#nitely have to put in your sweat equity and it is not cheap, with farmland running triple the cost of your #rst home,” Dennis noted. Water was

an issue for the farm until a spring well was dug, now run by solar rather than a generator to pump water up the hill to the crops. “It takes a lot of sacri#ce, but its a great lifestyle,” Dennis said. The #rst crop Dennis ever planted on the farm was garlic, joking that it was nice to be rooted to the land. The farm now grows roughly 50-60 di!erent kinds of vegetables, supplying mainly for the GFGP CSA shares. He enjoys growing old time breeds of tomatoes like Brandywine and Cherokee Purple. He also loves to grow kale. Full Circle produced over a ton of kale last year, all started from seed, and is considerd the new premier crop for many organic farmers. The farm is still working to be as pro-ductive as possible within their land limits and resources, and will always be organic in philosophy as well as practice. With the possibility of a farm school in partnership with Sustain Floyd on the horizon Dennis may soon be sharing his hands-on knowl-edge of honest work with others. “My feeling is I better lead, follow or get out of the way.”

Allison Money Communication Specialist

Where The Body Meets The Soul.1320 Grandin Road SW, Roanoke VA, 24015

540-400-8552 www.urban-gypsy.org

Winter 2013 10

Left, Dennis Dove in the big hoop house, "Jonah". Top Left, "Hugging" coled carrots. Top Right, Dove loads spinach seeds into his seeder. Bottom Left, Full Circle Farm employee Veronica Santo and Dove talk over the remaining duties for the day. Bottom Right, Dove with his push seeder on the farm, planting spinach.

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The property around Roanoke's lovely Mountain View Estate is about to get a blast from the past: a vegetable gar-den. The Roanoke Community Garden Association (RCGA) is planning its next community garden project in the Mountain View neighborhood on the same block as the Mountain View mansion and will include a vegetable garden, which was an annual delight on the grounds when J.B. Fishburn and his family owned the estate. "We had a large garden where the rose garden is today," said Louise Kegley, the granddaughter of J.B. Fishburn. "My grandmother planted irises along the road and roses lined the walkway." The City of Roanoke has owned the mansion and land since 1956 when Fishburn, a former Roanoke Times publisher, deeded it to the city for recreational use. RCGA is in negotia-tions with the City of Roanoke to lease about 1/3 acre of the property, which sits at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and 13th Street. “This site will serve 200 community gardeners,” said RCGA’s president, Mark Powell. “We’ll be able to expand community gar-den access to the Mountain View neighborhood, which includes a large population of elderly, refugee and youth residents.”

This outreach to Mountain View’s at-risk population caught the eye of the Roanoke Women’s Foundation, which awarded RCGA a $70,000 grant for the project. The money will go a long way toward making the Mountain View Community Garden a centerpiece in the revitalized Moun-tain View neighborhood, which was named a Best Old House Neighborhood in 2011 by This Old House Magazine. Mountain View Community Garden, which will be promi-nently featured on a corner lot along the main corridor of the neighborhood, will be a very public place. “We want to make it very accessible and inviting,” Powell said. To do this, the group plans to incorporate public art, a number of educational oppor-tunities, as well as many types of gardens including raised beds, vertical and herb gardens. Twenty-eight students from Virginia Tech's Landscape Archi-tecture and Urban Studies class submitted design proposals for the garden at the Mountain View Neighborhood Association meeting in December. The same class submitted two designs for RCGA’s previous project, Hurt Park Community Garden, in the fall of 2011. “In just one year the interest around community gardens has exploded,” Powell said. The #nal design for the Mountain View

Community Garden John Bryant, Marketing Co-ordinator

Mountain View Plans Community Garden

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Community Garden will likely include elements from many of the students de-signs, which is a testament to the spirit of collaboration and sharing that is needed in order to develop a community garden. Mrs. Kegley, who lived at Mountain View from 1934-1956, said back then the children were given their own gardens.

"They were no more than 3 feet wide and about 12 feet long. We'd plant our on-ions, parsley, carrots and radishes. It was nice. I'm glad to see people are going back to the land more and more."

Left, Virginia Tech students discuss community garden designs with Mountain View resident Cathy Crawford (right), Top Right, Mark Powell (center) with young community gardeners at the Hurt Park Community Garden on Patterson Ave. Bottom Right, The Mountain View Estate, which was gifted to the City of Roanoke in 1956 by J.B. Fishburn.

Healthy Roanoke ValleyProblems Become Possibilities

Stephanie Specht, Communications Manager United Way of Roanoke Valley

If you ask anyone about healthcare they will probably tell you about all of the problems with the healthcare industry and the health of our nation. Rising costs, obesity, mental health…the list can go on and on. However, with problems come possibilities. This year, a group has come together to !nd the problems and the possibilities in Roanoke.The group, spearheaded by Carilion Clinic, set out to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment. But, rather than simply assess the problems, the group is aiming to achieve positive results in the community, so the team is focusing on the far-reaching impact that such a study could produce. A Community Health Assessment Team - which included Pat Young of Community Works, Eileen Lepro of New Horizons Health-care and Shirley Holland, Pat Smith, Marie Webb, and Aaron Harris Boush, all of Carilion Clinic - brought together other stakehold-ers in the community to not only assess the overall health of the Roanoke Valley, but to develop a common agenda, a shared vision and measurement system, facilitate continuous communication and create a supportive community to address the needs of those who live here. The team began the assessment with a Community Health Forum in February 2012 and in March of that year they con-ducted almost 4,000 surveys with residents of the Roanoke Valley, ten focus groups with area providers and community leaders, as well as six focus group meetings with targeted populations living in medically underserved areas. “We were not only able to really dive into the data, but we were also able to talk to people that really su"er from a lack of primary care, oral care and mental health services,” explains Pat Young of Community Works and Project Manager for the needs assess-ment. “Many organizations just don’t have the time or resources

to do focus groups or survey 4,000 people.” The overall assessment covered the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, including the cities of Roanoke and Salem and the counties of Craig, Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke. The team combed through the !ndings and found three common themes a"ecting healthcare in the Roanoke Valley: access to health services, coordination of care, and wellness. The problems were apparent, so it was now time to !nd solu-tions. In August 2012, to ensure that the strong momentum created through the collaborative action of the Community Health Needs Assessment continued, United Way of Roanoke Valley (UWRV) was asked to serve as a community agency lead as the next steps for planning and implementation of a community health plan were determined. Using the parameters of collective impact that helped guide the Community Health Needs Assess-ment, experts and stakeholders within the community were called upon once again to lend their guidance and expertise as a com-prehensive plan was developed; thus, the “Healthy Roanoke Valley” initiative was created. Experts in the healthcare industry are now volunteering their time working in speci!c work groups: Access to Health Services, Oral Health, Mental Health/Substance Abuse, Coordination of Care, and Wellness.

The work groups have set out to meet three main goals:

1. Create improved access to a"ordable primary care services, as well as mental and oral health services 2. Improve coordination of care to ensure access to available resources and services that address the healthcare needs of the community3. Create a culture of wellness

The work groups will be managed by United Way of Roa-noke Valley and a Steering Committee made up of community organizations. “UWRV was delighted to be able to continue to work along-side the many dedicated organizations that partnered together on the Community Health Needs Assessment,” says Frank Rogan, President and CEO of UWRV. “We may be successful in our respective silos, but if we organize ourselves better and really buy into a shared vision, we can do even more as a community.” The project is expected to be complete in April 2013. Pat Young, who continues to manage the planning and implementation of the project going forward, truly believes there is strong support for a community-driven plan and that a “Healthy Roanoke Valley” is possible!

Members of the Community Health Needs Assessment Team discussing the results of Health Needs Assessment conducted in 2012.

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CLICK HEREto learn more about Healthy Roanoke Valley

REALFOOD

Heather QuintanaCerti!ed Health Coach, Certi!ed Food Educator

Easy to prepare, nutrient rich Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain that can be traced to the Andes region of South America 7,000 years ago. This gluten-free “golden grain” is the only plant food that provides all the essential amino acids. Depending on the variety, the protein content of quinoa can be as high as 22%. Quinoa also boasts a high concentration of two antioxidant !avonoids found in berries like cranberry or lingonberry. Even more impressive, quinoa also contains a long list of anti-in!ammatory phytonutrients and “healthy” fats which may protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and arthritis. Versatile and simple to prepare, all it takes is a quick rinse under water and quinoa is ready to cook just like rice – in only 15 minutes! The purpose of the quick-rinse is to remove the naturally occurring, water-soluble, bitter-tasting com-pound called saponin. Use quinoa in recipes that call for couscous or rice. Thanks to quinoa’s ever-growing popular-ity, there are loads of great recipes available online and in cookbooks. Quinoa is great for a super-power breakfast, adds a nice texture when tossed in a green salad, and is my personal favorite when used to substitute bulgur in the traditional Lebanese dish, tabouli. You can "nd quinoa in the bulk bins at the Co-op.

Quinoa

Heather Millar Quintana is the founder of Happy Healthy Cooks, a program that turns kids and their fami-lies on to healthful whole foods because their health depends on it. A Certi!ed Health Coach, Heather guides, moti-vates, and supports her clients to live the

healthiest, happiest lives possible. At any given time, you’ll likely !nd Heather cooking, teaching, mountain biking, belting out a song or a laugh, or busy raising two happy healthy funny sweet boys.

WInter 2013 14

Quinoa Super-Breakfast

3 cups water 1 cup quinoa 1/4 cup diced squash (you can use frozen, just cut into smaller pieces) 1/4 cup thinly sliced carrot rounds 1/4 cup raisins1/4 cup almonds1/4 cup sesame seeds1/4 cup milk (almond, rice, coconut, cow)

Rinse quinoa well with cool water in a !ne mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Bring water to a boil. As water is coming to a boil, prepare the remaining ingredients. Add quinoa, squash, carrots, raisins, almonds and sesame seeds to boiling water. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the milk. (Drizzle a little bit of maple syrup over the top for a touch of sweetness)

Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook time: 15 minutes, Serves 4

Directions

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, rinsed2 cups boiling water3 – 6 TBS homemade vinaigrette1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed1/2 cup toasted pine nuts3 scallions, chopped1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced1/2 small tomato, diced1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1 part olive oil 1 part red wine vinegara bit of Dijon mustarda bit of honey (optional) salt & pepper

Rinse quinoa well with cool water in a !ne mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa to boiling water. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredi-ents and set aside. When quinoa is !nished cooking, "u# with a fork and set aside to cool. (If you don’t have time to let it cool, spoon the quinoa into a !ne-mesh strainer and run under cool water) Toss quinoa with remaining ingredients and vinaigrette and serve.

Recipes by Heather Quintana

Total time about 20 minutes, Serves 4

Combine in a tight-!tting jar and shake

Directions

Vinaigrette

BOARDTALK

15 Co-optimist

With the holiday season now behind us, I have time to re!ect on 2012 and what it has meant for Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op. One word comes to mind – exceptional. While co-ops around the world were celebrating the United Nations’ declaration of 2012 as the Year of Cooperatives, in our corner of Virginia, Roanoke Natu-ral Foods Co-op spread its cooperative wings to embrace urban farming and an expansion into a second location in downtown’s historic market district. No doubt 2012 will be a prominent chap-ter in the history book of our Co-op. Growth has not just been the focus of our Co-op. Coopera-tives around the world are focusing their attention on coopera-tive growth and development. In October 2012, the Quebec 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives drew cooperators from around the world to discuss the future of the cooperative model. The International Cooperative Alliance issued their “Blueprint for a Cooperative Decade.” Subject to approval by the General Assembly, this blueprint will mark the beginning of a global cam-paign – “the “2020 Challenge” - to make the cooperative business model become:

1. The acknowledged leader in economic, social and environmental sustainability

2. The model preferred by the people3. The fastest growing form of enterprise.

On a national level, the National Cooperative Grocer’s Associa-tion has invited board leadership to their meeting in April 2013 for a joint GM/board leadership session. The purpose will be to build and deepen our collective understanding and shared vision of the di!erences we can make together by growing our co-ops. At the regional level, our CDS Consulting Co-op will be o!ering two new training modules in 2013. One of these is titled “Leader-ship Training: Growing Your Co-op,” and is designed to provide board leaders and GMs with skills to build more e!ective teams which translates into stronger cooperative leadership. The second module is titled “Strategic Seminar: Growing Our Co-ops,” and will be a highly interactive forum amongst regional co-op leaders and will concentrate on understanding the issues related to growing our co-ops and the impact of cooperatives in our communities. Thank you for your continued support of our Co-op. Increasingly, I see how the seemingly casual act of shopping at Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op reverberates throughout the entire cooperative world and how important it is for the continued growth of the coopera-tive model.

In cooperation,

Gayle Havens CooleyBoard President

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Board of Directors Applicants Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op is now accepting applications for the Board of Directors. The board is the legal representative of the owners. It ensures appropriate organizational performance and, as such, is responsible for the overall well being of the Co-op. To qualify as a candidate you must be an owner in good standing. Applications are reviewed by the Nominations and Elections Committee and an election ballot is created and mailed to co-op owners. The election results will be announced at the Annual Owners' Social & Meeting on Sunday, May 5th. If you are looking for a way to be more involved in your co-op, apply for the Board of Directors today. The deadline for applica-tions is March 15th.

SAVE THE DATEAnnual Owners' Socialand Meeting Sunday, May 5, Time & Location TBD

Winter 2013 16

CO-OPDOWNTOWN

New StoreOpening Spring 2013

The Co-op is excitedly preparing for the opening of our second location in Downtown Roanoke. It’s a major step for our Co-op, which has served the Roanoke Valley for 37 years, as the site will allow us to provide the downtown area convenient access to many great natural and organic products while building great relationships with many of the residents, workers and businesses, including the farm-ers’ market vendors, in a revitalized downtown. The downtown storefront, which is a total of 1,225 sq ft, will have a sales #oor of 825 sq ft. There will be two check-out registers and products from every department in our location on Grandin Road will be featured on the shelves. Equipment and shelving has been ordered, signage is in the works but one question remains: product mix. The Co-op has operated for over 30 years in the Grandin Village, so we have a good idea of what Raleigh Court and its surrounding neighborhoods want on the shelves at the Co-op, but Downtown Roanoke is di"erent. We’re asking our shoppers, as well as downtown residents and workers, to help us to determine the product mix by completing a simple survey. You can !nd the survey online or pick up a hard copy at the Co-op on Grandin Road. Make your voice heard at your community-owned food co-op; let us know which products you’d like us to carry at Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op in Downtown Roanoke.

Top, The Co-op’s second store on Market Square sits at the corner of the historic downtown farmers’ market. Bottom, The Co-op’s newest location will be a !rst #oor corner storefront in Center in the Square, currently under going a $30 million renovation.

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WELLNESS

Downtown Store SurveyCLICK HERE

Let us know what you'd like to see on the shelves.

It’s the time of year for New Year’s Resolutions, those pesky little self commitments that begin with a spark of emotion but ultimately drop us in a sea of guilt when we inevitably fall short of our expec-tations. Yet despite this cycle, we once again approach the new year with a mindset that this time it will be di!erent. So how can it be di!erent? First and foremost, you must expect the novelty to wear o!. A spark of emotion may have begun your journey, but to see it through you will need to weather the highs and lows. Here are the keys to turning your New Year’s Resolution into a lifestyle change.

Train with a supportive and positive group of people. When your #tness becomes social group accountability and encouragement are your reinforcements during the low times. 

Smash your scale and train for performance only. Let your energy levels, mood, and overall performance dictate your success and end your unhealthy relationship with the scale. Turn your #tness into a performance sport and you will never again dread working out. 

Your overall approach to #tness must include nutrition and mobility. These are both highly individual so seek out a quality coach to put together a plan for you. 

17 Co-optimist

Jay & Amanda Forrester o!er a combined 20 years of experience in performance training and nutrition coaching for people of all "tness levels. Their passion for changing lives by teaching "tness as a sport pushed them to open Brickhouse CrossFit, the "rst CrossFit a$liate in the Roanoke Valley. In less than three years they have grown from 20 athletes training in an 800 sqft downtown loft to nearly 300 athletes training in a 12,000 sqft world class CrossFit Sport Performance Training Center. 

Photo by Amy Nance-Pearman.

Expect the Novelty to Wear OffMake Your Resolution Your New Lifestyle

Jay & Amanda Forrester Brickhouse Cross#t

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HEALTH&WELLNESS

Winter 2013 18

CLASSES & EVENTS January - April

Wellness WednesdaysFebruary Topic: Heart Health Wednesday, February 20, 6:30 - 7:30pm$5/Owners Free

Hungry for Change FilmScreening & Juice Tasting Thursday, March 21, 6pm$5/Owners Free

Earth Day RoanokeGrandin VillageSaturday, April 20, 10am – 4pmFree to All

Happy Healthy SinglesThursday, February 7 &14, 5:45 - 7:00pm$20/$10 Owners

Introduction to Qi Gong II WorkshopSaturday, February 9, 10am - 2:30pm$30/$20 Owners

Happy Healthy VegetariansThursday, March 7 & 14, 5:45 - 7:00pm$20/$10 Owners

Happy Healthy Teens(Middle/High School)Thursday, April 11 & 18, 5:45 - 7pm$20/$10 Owners

Shopping Healthy on a BudgetTuesday, January 29, 6 - 7pm$10/$5 Owners

Holistic Childbirth Preparation Workshop: Nutrition, Exercise, & Developing a Pain Coping Mindset in Pregnancy Saturday, February 2, 10am - 12pm$10/$5 Owners

Getting Back to Basics: Alkalinity v. Acidity in your Nutrition

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Heart-Centered Tips For Creating a Healthier Life

Days of Service FebruaryAngels of AssisiSaturday, February 23, 9am - 1pm March Wasena Park CleanupSunday, March 10, 2 - 3pmApril Roanoke Community Garden AssociationSunday April 14, 1 - 4pm

February is American Heart Month, and unfor-tunately, most of us know someone who has had heart disease or a stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. Join us to learn simple, e!cient, and highly e"ective steps that can reduce your risk (and of those you love), and optimize your health & Wellness.

HUNGRY FOR CHANGE exposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industry don't want you to know about; deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. Find out what's keeping you from having the body and health you deserve and how to escape the diet trap forever. Discussion and fresh juice tasting with Certi"ed Health Coach Karen Scott.

Hang out with hundreds of your closest friends. A family festival with live music, children’s games, arts and crafts from local vendors, eco demos and so much more. www.earthdayroanoke.com

Wellness WednesdaysMarch Topic: Acid vs. Akaline Wednesday, March 20, 6:30 - 7:30pm$5/Owners Free

Our bodies have a normally basic (or alkaline) pH that our metabolic processes depend on to function. When the balance leans more towards acidity for long periods of time, sickness and disease processes can begin. Join us as we delve into body chemistry, metabolism, and our current food sources. We’ll go to the root of the problem and shed light on the signi!cance of our nutritional choices and the direct impact they have on our state of health.

Learn some fresh, healthy, easy ideas for people who are cooking for one.  This hands-on class is ideal for busy professionals who "nd them-selves relying on fast food, take-out, cereal and want to start making changes for better health that doesn’t keep them in the kitchen all night long.  Learn from other classmates as we cook together, meet new people, and have a good time!   Taught by Heather Quintana, Certi"ed Health Coach and lover of good food.

Introducing Qi Gong to beginners with Esther Mabry. Qi gong is derived from two Chinese words: Qi translated as energy or ‘life force’, that which keeps us alive. Gong means work out or practice. Qi Gong therefore means an exercise that keeps the energy moving throughout the body. The movements were discovered by sages watching animals perform some of their routine activities during the day. There is what they call ‘dance of the crane’, ’swimming dragon’, ’snake meditation’ or such descriptive terms. The exercise depends on 5 important practices: regu-lation of breathing, posture, control of mental activity or concentration, visualization, slow meditative movements and quiet relaxation of the whole body.

Come have some fun and learn how to make some simple, delicious foods that help keep you healthy as you learn skills you’ll use for a lifetime.  This class is hands-on, everyone participates!  Sign up with a friend, or come alone and meet someone new.  Taught by Heather Quintana, Certi"ed Health Coach.

Come have some fun and learn how to make some simple, delicious foods that help keep you healthy as you learn skills you’ll use for a lifetime.  We’ll be including ideas suitable for vegetarian and vegan teens for this class too! This class is hands-on, everyone participates!  Sign up with a friend, or come alone and meet someone new.  Taught by Heather Quintana, Certi"ed Health Coach.

Learn how to eat healthier without breaking the bank with Holistic Nutritionist Jeanie Redick. Tour the Co-op and discover the best way to shop for groceries and meal plan for your family for a healthy diet and budget.

Come enjoy a taste of Rhythm of Birth’s gourmet childbirth preparation! Thinking about the pain of birth and giving you and your baby the nutrients you need during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum can be overwhelming. Cultivating mindfulness, developing pain coping practices, and "eating in awareness" will help guide you as you prepare for birth and parenthood. This workshop is for anyone trying to get pregnant, supporting someone during birth, and pregnant couples on their journey towards birth. Dads and partners are encouraged to attend. Please visit www.rhythmofbirth.net for information on doula support or a full childbirth class series.

Co-op owners receive 10% o! all purchases, all day. Pick up great deals and visit with neighbors and friends while shopping at your local co-op.

Owners’ 10% Off DayFebruary 9, 8am - 9pm

Sign up today » Sign up for classes at any register, by calling 540.343.5652 or emailing info@roanokenaturalfoods.coop. Seating is limited.

This

of the Co-optimist is a clickable, easy-to-share, starting place to learn more online about Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op and the

issue estories that

inspireus.Ends Statement

Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op exists to create a vibrant, local and sustainable cooperative community where decisions are grounded in the balance of economic, social and environmental responsibilities.

1319 Grandin Road, Roanoke, VA 24015

540.343.5652

www.roanokenaturalfoods.coop