Special sale on Organic Watermelon ! Only 50c per pound!
While supplies last. Come and get everything you need to make your weekend fabulous. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and eat watermelon!
Come Work with Us: We're Hiring!
Want to work for a caring community alongside passionate co-workers? We're hiring for two positions: Store Keeper and Produce Keeper.
Storekeepers work shifts on the retail floor where they are responsible for accurate and courteous cashiering, providing prompt and welcoming customer service, keeping the store fully stocked and taking care of how the store looks and feels.
Producekeepers stock and display fresh produce, while also offering prompt, courteous customer service to help meet department goals for sales, margin, and labor. Producekeepers also act as back-up cashiers as needed.
We're looking for people with excellent communication skills and the desire to work as part of our worker collective. Visit our Employment page for more details. Applications for these positions are due by the end of the day on Sunday, July 5th. Please feel free to share this with your friends!
VOTE! It's Election Time!
Election season is here!
People’s is proud to be a community owned and democratically controlled business. One of the ways we make this happen is by electing our Board of Directors in our annual summer election. Board Directors are Member-Owners just like you, and are elected to represent the voice of our community. The Board of Directors is responsible for the financial health of the co-op and making sure the Collective Management is running the store in the best way possible.
Here are the FOUR candidates running for THREE open seats on the Board of Directors.
Isaac Hart grew up on an organic farm, is passionate about nutrition, health, and wellness, and has 15 years of experience in business leadership, training, and facilitation.
"For a long time I've really appreciated what People's has to offer my family and I. I want to give back to the co-op and help support it so it will continue to be a thriving place for our next generation. I have skills that I think apply to this position and would like to put them to use toward work that I care about".
Mallory Cochrane is a worker-owner at Our Table Co-operative in Sherwood, OR where she manages the producers cooperative and direct to consumer sales. She recently completed a Masters degree in Food Systems and Society at Marylhurst University and is passionate about developing a cooperative economy and sustainable food system.
"I hope to learn from People's experience as an established and mature co-op that will help Our Table grow in a similar way. I also hope to be part of and facilitate a shift in consciousness around how we access food, grow food, make food, and the relationships we cultivate to get there."
Josh Monifi is a familiar face at People's, a Wednesday Farmers' Market HOO (Hands-On-Owner), and a former Board Member, Josh is excited to run for the Board again. "People's is a great community that I want to give back to. I want to help shape its future and offer my input towards large decisions that need to be made. I'd like to contribute even more to the co-op than just my weekly shopping budget."
Ronnette Steed is excited about building community and getting closer to her food system. "Throughout my life I have sought positions that allow me to work with others and build relationships. I have a passion for buildling and protecting local food systems...I enjoy coming together with others to envision future potential and establishing processes so that potential can be met."
Voting Is An Important Way To Have A Say In The Future Of Our Co-Op.
Here are some opportunities for you to get to know who's running for the Board:
- Meet the Candidates @ June Board of Directors Meeting - June 23, 6-8:30pm
- Meet the Candidates @ the Farmers' Market - July 1, 2-7pm
Farmers' Market Advisory Committee
This year we will also be electing a community member to represent the voice of the people for our first ever, Market Advisory Committee. The Market Advisory Committee (MAC) will serve the Farmers' Market and its patrons. It will consist of 3 Farmers' Market vendors, 2 Collective Managers and one community member.
Here are the TWO candidates running for ONE open seat on the MAC.
Timothy Bartling - "I love meeting the farmers and producers and would like to be active in my home market where I visit, shop, and socialize every week. Overall, I think the market really works! I don't buy from every vendor, but feel there is a good mix. I would like to see some changes in how the co-op relates to the shoppers, and the map sometimes feels a bit wonky to me in how stalls are set up."
Daniela Steiner - "By participating in the Farmers' Market, we are supporting our community - the land and water, the people and other creatures that make up the place where we live. At the same time, we are rescuing a little piece of our lives and of our local economy from corporate dominance. I am interested in working on finding more funding for the SNAP Matching program and switching from disposable to durable dishes and utensils for prepared food."
People's Cooperative Community Fund
Which community organization will receive $1000 from People's?
The PCCF Fund was started in 2007 through the Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation (TPCF). Donations and contributions from our Member-Owners, suppliers and the store's profits build this fund. TPCF loans that money to budding cooperatives and community organizations in need of resources.
The nominees are:
The Treehouse Nursery and Preschool
Farmer Brown of Mustard Seed Farm
EGGS-POSE! Part 2
As you may have noticed after reading Part 1 of the Eggs-pose, People’s carries more eggs than just the three farms that we featured. For the second part of the Eggs-pose, we feature our remaining egg vendors and finally, as a consumer, you can make a fully educated decision about which eggs to buy.
Container Gardening: A few tips for uncontained success
By Bliss Newton, Former Marketing and Membership Coordinator, Collective Manager
Portland is an urban environment, so many of us live in apartments or other spaces without space for large, in-earth garden beds. Many Portlanders rely instead on pots and containers to grow our edible gardens and ornamentals on stoops, balconies and decks. And if you’ve gone this route, you probably already know that container gardening can pose some challenges. Namely, these challenges have to do with container choice, water retention and fertility.
A Compost & Recycling Update
Vendor Profile: Sopie Kouame of Belle Aglaia
Belle Aglaia: Skin Care Products Safe Enough To Eat
Sopie Kouame, the owner and founder of Belle Aglaia, believes that nature has the power to fulfill all of our basic skin care needs. Originally from the Ivory Coast, she grew up making balms and salves from foraged plants. With experience in the cosmetic industry and a child with eczema, she was inspired to start making her own lotions and salves. Her organic, all-natural face cream and hand and body lotion showcase natural ingredients that are high in anti-oxidants, the key ingredient necessary in preventing and repairing skin damage. She uses the natural healing properties of citrus, herbs, and spices to create a light but luscious product that hydrates and nourishes your skin. She maintains that every ingredient used in her products is safe enough to eat.
Vendor Profile: Cider Riot
Cider Riot! is an urban cidery located in a detached garage off East Burnside Street in Portland's North Tabor neighborhood dedicated to the production of dry ciders. They use a variety of apples grown in Cascadia, including rare English and French cider variety apples, wild apples from Yamhill County, Oregon, and dessert apples from the Yakima and Hood River Valleys.
Vendor Profile: Ancestro Foods
Bringing Mesoamerican Food Traditions to People’s Food Co-op
By Ryan Gaughan, Raw Foods & Alcohol Buyer, Collective Manager
People’s Food Co-op plays many important roles in supporting the genuine local food economy. We pay a premium price to small farmers for their products, reflecting the real cost of labor and profit margin necessary to maintain their economic survival. Grocery items that are produced blocks away from the co-op share shelf space with leading national brands. And, importantly, we are willing to work with new producers to help them market their products at the co-op, serving as a stepping stone towards broader distribution and economic viability for their new businesses.
EGGS-POSE! Part 1
A Comparison Report on Three of our Egg Suppliers
Raising chickens for their eggs is no easy feat. The amount of time, energy, and resources that go into producing 1 dozen eggs is astounding – this truly is a food that we take for granted. In writing this article, I interviewed 3 different egg farmers (WAG, Phoenix and Vitality Farms) – and visited 2 (WAG and Vitality Farms). This article seeks to provide useful information about 3 of our egg vendors and about egg farming itself, so our customers can make informed decisions about which dozen eggs they want to buy.
