April 2022

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 and Instagram

Earth Day 2022

It it out of respect and care for the Earth and humankind that Wild Onion Market is being built.

Wild Onion Market’s Vision: A vibrant community where people, planet and prosperity are connected through food.

And Mission: To cultivate a thriving community-owned grocery store than connects people to fresh, local food and to each other.

We’re close to making it happen! Together, we’re getting closer to opening and creating local jobs.

We hope to open our doors at 7007 N. Clark St. this year! The site team is gathering construction estimates and getting closer to applying for permits. The faster we reach 1600 owners (we’re 78% of the way there!) and raise $1.16 million in investment capital (we’re 23% of the way there!), the faster we’ll open.

Not yet an Owner? Now is the time! Purchase a one-time only Owner share for $250 per household/business. To make ownership more affordable, we have various accessibility options, including monthly installments starting at $10, and a scholarship program. Read more about Wild Onion Market.

We are Brewing up a Special Release Beer with Sketchbook this Summer!

What Should we Call It?

Wild Onion Market is collaborating with Evanston Development Cooperative and Sketchbook Brewing Company to release a special beer early in Summer 2022. The concept for this beer release is the solidarity economy, “the solidarity economy is a global movement to build a just and sustainable economy where we prioritize people and the planet over endless profit and growth.” Wild Onion Market and Evanston Development Cooperative base their business models on a cooperative structure that puts people and planet first before and without being beholden to shareholders or corporate interest. Both businesses are completely community-owned and managed.

Now that we have the beer concept…we need a name! Please send your ideas for a beer name to lisa@wildonionmarket.com by May 1st. If your name idea gets picked we will acknowledge you on the special release beer information webpage.

7007 N. Clark Update

The building’s previous signage has been taken down! Wild Onion Market signage is in the works, and we’ve started to show our presence in the space.

We continue to work with our architect, construction manager and store designers to finalize the plans for the store so we can submit to the city for permitting. In the meantime, we are thrilled to be at the point where we have a group of co-op owners who are vetting possible local vendors and farmers for the co-op.

This past Sunday, 12 co-op Owners volunteered and helped clean the store before we host our first event! Food and drinks will be served to celebrate all the work our capital campaign is doing to help us open our store! We hope to offer tours for owners in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

What are We Funding?

We’re funding the bulk food area: We’ll have approximately 41 linear ft. for foods that the market buys in bulk and, therefore, can sell to customers for less while practicing our values of sustainability and buying local. Customers will be able to bring your own containers. There will be containers available for those who want them, which will be sourced with sustainability considerations in mind (such as no single-use plastics). Our store designers plan to use recycled shelving from another food co-op they planned.

We’ve started fundraising for this amazing new store. You can follow our fundraising progress by watching the ticker on our website. While you’re there, learn more about your options for participating in the Capital Campaign, and make a pledge. Anyone can participate, whether you are an Owner or not. Let’s build our store together!

Your pledges toward the Campaign help fund needed items like display tables, while minimizing what we have to borrow from banks. Invest in preferred shares or make a donation of any size.

You can always reach us at invest@wildonionmarket.com with questions.

Become an Owner.

Consider a pledge to support the growth of our market.

Board Elections Results

Thanks so much to all Owners who voted in the elections, and to those who ran for the board positions, or considered it!

Welcome to new Board Members My Nguyen and Ryan Azark! Your interest, commitment and efforts are much appreciated.

Huge and continued thanks to Ann Schramm (Owner #140) for many years of volunteering, especially with Community Engagement. When on the Board, she co-chaired that committee along with managing Volunteer Recruitment. You can see her in many recent photos, too, as she helps to prepare our market by cleaning and posting signs. Though stepping away from the Board this year, she continues work with the community, Wild Onion Market events, and is now also working hard on the Capital Campaign.

Food Politics Corner

by Debbie Hillman

www.FoodFarmsDemocracy.net

DLHillman@sbcglobal.net

1. LOCAL & STATE LOCAL FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE: A Menu of Climate Tactics This blog was commissioned by Wild Onion Market as an editorial for Our Evanston’s spring issue. Unfortunately, it was not included in the issue (for an as yet unknown reason). In the interest of not letting good energy go to waste…
2. MIDWEST Mapping Agricultural Lands: From Conventional to Regenerative Novel index of 13 variables. Compares 1056 counties in 12 Midwest states re: type of agriculture. Basis for future final report of Midwest Healthy Ag re: connection between healthy people, healthy agriculture.
3. NATIONAL/GLOBAL Stop Land Grabs story map by Uprooted & Rising Higher Ed endowments and retirement funds (TIAA) displace local communities across the globe for large-scale plantations. Drives climate crisis.

Wild Onion Market Events

Upcoming: Follow our Facebook and Instagram to find out about “Sneak Peek” events at our store. You’ll be welcome to come on by to take a “peek” inside, as well as pick up posters, car magnets, and buttons – all great ways to spread the word about Wild Onion Market!

May 5: Wild Onion Market Board Meeting, 7-9 PM. All Owners are invited to attend. Write lisa.gordon@wildonionmarket.com for Zoom link.

May 16: Capital Campaign Committee/Community Engagement Committee Meeting, 7-8 PM. Meetings are the third Tuesday of each month. Write mary@wildonionmarket.com or lisa.gordon@wildonionmarket.com for Zoom link.

Call to Action

SIMPLE WAYS TO SUPPORT WILD ONION MARKET

follow the co-op on Facebook and Instagram (please SHARE, COMMENT, and LIKE posts!)

wear a co-op button, display a car magnet or poster (write hello@wildonionmarket.com to get one)

tell your friends and neighbors about Wild Onion Market (share our website and social media links)

It’s not too late to join the amazing Capital Campaign caller team to raise the funds needed to renovate and upgrade 7007 N. Clark St. to support our mission and vision. We’ll train you, provide scripts, and infuse inspiration to support you! The Campaign kicked off on March 6 and continues until May 22. Email hello@wildonionmarket.com for more information and to get connected.

Or maybe you love planning, coordinating or hosting events to engage our communities – to educate, to recruit, and to connect? There are many ways to participate. The possibilities are unlimited and so rewarding! Email hello@wildonionmarket.com to learn how you can get started.