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April 2023 Newsletter |
Wild Onion Market is our market. We’ll keep dollars local, support local farmers and producers, and help build a sustainable food production and packaging system. Join here!
Spread the word! Share and comment @WildOnionMarket on Facebook
We’re getting closer… We need to reach 2000 Owners to get the store open… Join our welcoming community.
Together, we are building a community-owned grocery store where we can make consumer choices that reflect our values.
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Wild Onion Market’s General Manager, John Calhoun, even wrote a song about why people should join our co-op – check out his ukulele breakdown! https://youtu.be/WnsR8lFsTQ4
7007 N. Clark Update
See the store in progress – take a video tour of the building with our General Manager John Calhoun and General Contractor Helenia Madrigal.
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Construction updates:
- In-ground plumbing has been completed, the City has inspected and approved.
- Exterior signage and materials have been ordered.
- To finish construction, Wild Onion Market must raise the last 30% of the $1.16M needed. We’ve raised an amazing $821,000 so far, but must raise donations and Owner investments to reach the goal. Help if you can, and please spread the word! Learn more here.
New Board of Directors Members and Officers
Many, many thanks to the Board members whose terms have just ended. They have worked hard on behalf of Wild Onion Market and and will continue to volunteer their time:
- Cam Davis, 1 year
- My Nguyen, 1 year
- Michelle Parker-Katz, 4 years
Welcome to our new Board members, thank you for stepping forward in this crucial phase of Wild Onion Market’s development:
- Fernanda Ayala
- Meryl Davis
- David Greenspan
The Board has elected new officers, our new leadership team is:
- David Greenspan, President
- Fernanda Ayala, Vice President
- Meryl Davis, Secretary
- Stephen Johnson, Treasurer
Meet your new Board members:
| Fernanda Ayala
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Meryl Davis
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David Greenspan
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In Memory of Debbie Hillman
Debbie Hillman was Owner #604 of Wild Onion Market. She was a longtime contributor to this newsletter, sharing meaningful information about events, organizations, policy and research in her monthly Food Politics Corner column. There is a good piece about Debbie in the Evanston Roundtable, as well as one written by her daughter, Saya Hillman: In Memory of Debbie Hillman – Mac & Cheese Productions℠. Saya’s post includes information about the memorial gathering for Debbie, to be held in June. Debbie’s website is a wealth of information: www.
Apparel Fundraiser – New Colors, Tagline & Youth Sizes!
It’s spring and time to get yourself covered in a range of Wild Onion Market apparel! Tees and sweatshirts have the new tagline: good. local. food. Show your co-op pride, help spread the word, and contribute to our general funds to help get our market at 7007. N. Clark Street in Chicago open. The apparel store is open until May 22. Your order will be shipped directly to you.
Wild Onion Market recently became member of National Co+op Grocers. NCG is a co-op made up of co-op grocery stores around the country. NCG was created to give small co-ops like ours a chance to compete with larger chain grocers. We will now be able to take advantage of a collective purchasing agreement with our main natural food distributor, UNFI. It’s hard for one co-op to compete with large grocery chains, but since over 150 co-ops are members of NCG, member co-ops can benefit from lower costs of goods. This means Wild Onion Market customers will be able to benefit from fantastic sales and Everyday Low Prices on staple items. We are excited about the opportunity to make healthy foods more accessible. We will also be able to greatly benefit from the technical assistance and peer support that NCG provides to start-up food co-ops like Wild Onion Market. Each year NCG is only able to approve 6 new co-op applicants, so this is a major achievement for our co-op!
Events
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May 3 – Board Meeting: 6:30 – 8:30 PM. Open to all Wild Onion Market Owners. Zoom link:https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
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May 10 – Wild Night Out at Candelite: 7:00 – 9:00 PM. We welcome you to come out Wednesday, May 10 from 7 pm – 9 pm to Candlelite at 7452 N. Western in Rogers Park. This will be an opportunity to learn more about Wild Onion Market and our plans to open a food co-op later this year. This is an way for Wild Onion Market Owners to gather and build community while supporting the local businesses that are also Owners in the co-op. Become a Wild Onion Market Owner at the event and we’ll buy you a drink!
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On April 15 at Northtown Library, we had our first Wild Onion Market potluck information session – more are planned! We were able to visit with each other over delicious food that could all be made from produce and products we’ll stock in our full-service market. Three people became new Owners! Food contributions included orange cinnamon rolls that Meryl Davis, our new Board Secretary, made from a New York Times recipe, and Ricky Burton-Romero’s “sausage balls.” Thanks for Ricky for sharing this recipe: 1 lb of bulk sausage, 2 c of Bisquick, and 2 c of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Mix all together, roll by hand into balls, and cook at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Thanks to all who attended, it was great fun!
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Volunteer Recognition
Volunteers and their efforts are pivotal to opening our Wild Onion Market. This month, we’d like to celebrate our hard-working grant writers. Over the last year and a half, over 15 people have helped to research, prepare, write, revise, and edit the major grant proposal we submitted to the city of Chicago. We recognize and thank those individuals, wholeheartedly, for their important roles in helping us aim to secure funds to open our store! THANK YOU!
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A year ago, we launched our Capital Campaign with the goal of raising $1,160,000 to fund opening the store. At our March 16 annual meeting, we launched the 3rd phase of our Capital Campaign with the goal of raising the remaining $416,000 by May 19. We’ve raised almost $100,000 in this phase and just need $339,000 more!
Closing our funding gap will allow us to complete construction, install equipment, hire our staff, fill the shelves, and open our co-op. Let’s do this!
Anyone can make a donation. We also have Owner-only investment options. Make a pledge today to invest or donate.
Not yet an Owner? Join here: http://join.
We’re happy to answer any questions about the Capital Campaign at invest@wildonionmarket.com.
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Help the Wild Onion Market Community Grow
Join us as an Owner if you haven’t yet (scholarships are available).
Help spread the word about Wild Onion Market and our progress:
- Talk to a couple of friends or co-workers about us.
- Share and comment on a post @WildOnionMarket on Facebook
and Instagram -
Help keep progress towards store opening on track! Support construction by making a further investment or donation, options are explained here.
It takes a strong community to open a co-op market. Contact hello@wildonionmarket.
We are on the move – gaining Owners, fundraising, and getting our store ready to open!
Questions about Wild Onion Market? Email Board@
Wild Onion Market
http://join.wildonionmarket.
http://join.wildonionmarket.