Over the last two years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to organize an outreach program for the Coop. With a crew of dedicated member workers, the Coop has participated in numerous events all over the capital region, including the New York State Food, Wine and Restaurant Show at the Convention Center, where we won both Best Booth Display and Best New Product; and RPI's Earth Day Celebration, where we instructed a vegetarian cooking class, had a display about organic foods and genetic engineering (GE), and held an organic gardening workshop. At the Rensselaer Middle High School's Student Health Fair, kids learned why our apples aren't shiny like the others. And at the Troy Farmers' Market Kids' Tent, we are quite popular with the little ones, who announce upon our arrival: "The art ladies are here!" We have joined forces with other food coops in New York State and have formed the organization NYSAGE (New York State Against Genetic Engineering). NYSAGE is working on educating our communities about the hazards of GE, as well as pursuing legislation for labeling and a moratorium. I could go on and on… Our schedule is always full and most organizers become very excited when they hear that we will attend their function. It has been a fun and fulfilling experience for the "outreach crew" and myself thus far. We have a blast representing the Coop and letting people know what we're all about.
I have put up a calendar in the front of the store, under the staff pictures, with upcoming events that the Coop will be participating in. I have also posted directions and any additional information you may need if you want to come by and check out what we're up to.
I am always looking for members to work with outreach. So if you are interested, please contact me at jessica@hwfc.com or 482-2667 x120. "Reachin' Out" will be a monthly column in the Scoop to keep everyone up to date. Keep an eye out for it!
Here's what we're doing in March…
3/5 Guilderland YMCA, Health and Safety Fair, 9 am-1 pm
3/5 and 6 NY State Kids' Show, Empire State Plaza Convention Center, 10 am-4 pm
3/12 Troy Winter Farmers' Market, Community Table, 10 am-2 pm
3/17 St. Patrick's Day Celebration, Empire State Plaza Concourse, 10 am-2 pm
3/23 Screening of The Future of Food, a film by Deborah Koons Garcia dealing with the controversy over genetically modified foods. 7 pm at the Albany Free School. Sponsored by HWFC. There will also be a vegetarian potluck dinner before the screening, which will be followed by discussion and Q and A.
3/29 American Lung Association, Chili Cook-Off , Holiday Inn Turf (Wolf Rd., Colonie), 5 pm-8:30 pm
