From The Ground Up
Happy New Year from Common Ground Food Co-op!
  
Owner Deals
Round Up For Good: Over $52,000 Raised For Local Charities!

Did you round up your total to the nearest dollar when you checked out? Thanks to all of our customers, we have nearly doubled last year's total!

Our Round Up For Good Program enriches our relationships with many local organizations that align with our community's needs. We are thankful that we can financially encourage their efforts and are grateful for your support each month.

Apply to be a Co-op Artist!

Are you an artist? We're looking for local artists of all ages to apply for our Art Gallery! Deadline is January 13th, 2017!

As an Co-op artist, you will receive free promotion and a free Art Reception, and your work will be shown for two months in our Flatlander Classroom.

162 Food For All Members in 2016!

Our Food For All Program strives to make food and food education more accessible to our community by providing affordable and healthy options. Food For All includes Co-op Basics (150 affordable food staple items), free takeaway recipes, store discounts, new owner equity grants, and free classes for cooking healthy on a budget.

Check out our Food For All Application in store!
543 New Owners in 2016!

Thank you to our new owners (and longstanding owners) for deciding to invest in Common Ground! As we grow in number, we are able to increase our support of small local farms and producers, directly benefiting the livelihoods of our neighbors! 

As an owner:
-You are given an equity investment in Common Ground.
-You save $5 on every  co-op class! 
-Get 10% off any special order.
-Enjoy 10% off 3 shopping trips a year during our Owner Appreciation Days.
-Vote for our Board of Directors and Round Up For Good organizations in September (owner's equity share must be paid in full after the first year to participate).
-Free Co-op Explorer activities for your kids
-Over a 100 Owner Deals and Co-op Deals each month.

January 6th, First Friday Event

This Friday, Jan. 6th, from 4:30 to 7pm, we are celebrating Cooperative Producers like Equal Exchange, Alaffia, Just Coffee, and Frontier Co-op!

Join us for free samples of hot teas, chocolates, wines, and learn more about co-ops!

Check out Imbibe Urbana's map for more local events
Charles and Sarah Wisseman's Art Reception: Jan. 27 6:30-8:30pm

Come to the Art Gallery Reception on January 27th! We will be celebrating the brilliantly talented couple, Sarah and Charles Wisseman! We were luck to visit their home studio to see more of their art pieces.

We made a  Wisseman's Virtual Studio Tour so you can see their amazing work!
Owner Appreciation Days: Jan 19-22nd

Looking to preview a few sales for Owner Appreciation Days?  Save 10% on one shopping trip of your choice between January 19th-22nd! We will have door buster deals, Owner Deals, Co+op Deals, raffle prizes, and much more!

- $1 Field Day's Sparkling Water 6 pack
- $1 Field Day's Tortilla Chips
-  $1 Field Day's Salsa
- $4.99 Equal Exchange Colombian Roast (packaged)
- $2.39 GT's Kombucha, all varieties
- $1.99 Endangered Species Chocolate Bars
Deli Specials

The Green Tea Latte is the featured beverage for January!

Organic Matcha Green Tea, lightly sweetened and steamed with your choice of milk, will ease you into the new year!

The Deli will have some great specials on Specialty Cheese, Meat, Bakery and Deli items during Owner Appreciation Days!

Call in a Sandwich or Pizza Order Today! (217) 239-4525
Happy New Year from Wellness!

Look for fresh updates and changes coming to our Wellness Department over the next few months as we bring in lots of new products and bring back some old favorites.

Our plans include a new cooler for refrigerated flax oils and probiotics, expanded selections from some of our best supplement and personal care lines, and a refreshed look. As always, please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. We are happy to help.
Produce Feature: Learn about Pesticides in Produce

Thanks to the Consumer Reports' analysis of Pesticides in Produce, you can learn more about the level of pesticide risk in individual produce and what countries spray the least.

In The Flatlander Classroom

We have many events happening in our classroom this month. Remember that owners get $5 off every class!

Upcoming Class: Cooking Healthy on a Budget's Smoky Tempeh Chili on January 5th, 6-7:30! 

From Magdalena, Our Board Member

Your board is looking at 2017 as a new year with new board members. We are excited to have so many new perspectives joining us as we turn our attention toward the future of Common Ground once again.

Thinking about our fresh start to a new year, now that I am the second-longest serving board member (after our board president, Julie), I've gained a tremendous amount of respect for the work the board does to help the GM run the co-op successfully. But what I've also come to really appreciate is that our success relies on our community and hope that in the new year, our co-op can continue to be stronger together. I invite you to join us for coffee on the  Saturday before our board meetings, for special events that we will be planning to work on our shared vision of the future, and every day participation in our democracy just by visiting and shopping at Common Ground.

Thanks for reading!
Common Ground Food Cooperative | 217-352-4437 |  www.commonground.coop  | 
300 S. Broadway Avenue Suite #166, Urbana, IL 61801