In 2017, Seward Co-op looks forward to providing the community with healthy and sustainably produced food. Concern for community is one of the seven principles on which cooperatives are founded, and co-ops have a strong commitment to support their neighborhoods. This integrity of purpose underlines the vital role Seward and other co-ops play in the quality of our lives.

Building Commonwealth in 2016

This fall, the Friendship store celebrated its first anniversary and the Seward Co-op Creamery Café reopened after summer renovations and a menu relaunch. The Friendship store continues to perform beyond our expectations and the renovated café provides family-friendly dishes, and an upbeat and inviting atmosphere. Since opening the Friendship store and Creamery Café, thousands of new households have become owners of the co-op.

At Seward, we strive to build stronger relationships among employees, vendors, customers and our broader community by creating spaces in which people can come together over food. We are constantly asking ourselves how we can be more welcoming to all at the co-op. In 2016, this required that we acknowledge the larger historical context of racism and discrimination in our society and take proactive steps, as the board of directors did in September by publicly stating our co-op’s support for Black Lives Matter.

We take pride in the impact we make with our three distinct business units. We are able to offer more products and services from small-scale, local, and cooperative producers. And, each Seward Co-op location allows community members to gather over food, connecting with old friends and new acquaintances.

Community Giving

In early 2016, we reached $1 million in donations to local nonprofits via our SEED round-up program! Seward Co-op has made it a priority to give back to the community. In the spirit of the cooperative principles, the co-op launched SEED in 2011, a fundraising program that provides customers an opportunity to round-up their bill for organizations that share Seward’s commitment to a healthy community.

In the spring, Seward Co-op and many Twin Cities co-ops, teamed up to participate in the MN FoodShare March Campaign. Together, we raised a grand total of 109,371.37 dollars/pounds for the campaign! (This total is comprised of $97,211.67 and 12,159.7 lbs. of food.)

From Thursday, Nov. 17–Wednesday, Nov. 23 Seward Co-op donated 1 percent of all P6 sales, a total of $4,522, to the Cooperative Development Fund, a charitable family of funds that advances economic development through co-ops. These funds will be directed to area farms, many of which Seward has purchased from for years, that experienced damaging rains and consequential farm devastation in the 2016 growing season.

Recognition from Government Officials

In August, we received a visit from U.S. Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew. Lew and his staff visited the Friendship store because part of the financing for the building came in the form of a New Markets Tax Credit. Lew helped create this tax credit in the 1990s during the Clinton administration. The credit is aimed to create jobs and improve lives of people in low-income communities.

Representative Keith Ellison also paid a visit to the Friendship store in January. The congressperson toured the store, met with staff, and discussed the co-op’s recycling program and diversity hiring goals.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the anniversary of the Friendship store and the annual meeting. The family-friendly event was held in the parking lot of the Friendship store in the same location as the ribbon cutting one year ago. We are thankful that the rain held off and a chili supper could be shared by community members. Seward Co-op owners and shoppers danced together as Friendship store Manager on Duty, Jerry Williams and his band, Sultry Soul performed. Check out some of the photos from the event on our Facebook page. As the Friendship store enters into its second year, we have a lot to celebrate.

• Store sales have been better than projected.
• As of October, 2,235 ownerships were sold at the Friendship store.
• The Friendship store employs 56% staff of color.
• 55% of Friendship store staff live within 1.5 miles of the store.
• 75% of Friendship store staff are full-time and eligible to receive benefits.
• The Friendship store pays a living wage of $12.82/hour to staff who have worked 2,000 hours.

Integral pieces of the annual meeting is the announcement of the board of directors election results and the release of the 2016 Scorecard, our annual report. Congratulations to Mehdi Kennar, Jill Krueger, Gregory Lee and Migdalia Loyola! Together with five others, these individuals are responsible for articulating the vision and goals for Seward Co-op that management pursues and achieves. The 2016 election featured a pool of highly qualified candidates. Thank you to all who ran and all who voted.

During the business portion of the meeting, the upcoming 2017 SEED recipients were also announced. For more than 40 years, Seward Co-op has been committed to giving back to our community. In 2011, we introduced SEED, a new way for customers to participate in this commitment. This simple yet powerful community giving program allows customers to “round-up” their grocery or cafe bill for recipient organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community. Congratulations to our 2017 SEED recipients!

While summer doesn’t technically start until June 20, many people consider Memorial Day to be the official start of summer — a time to fire up the grill and remember those who have passed. This year, the holiday falls on Monday, May 30, the stores will be open regular hours from 8 a.m.–10 p.m. and the Co-op Creamery Café will be open 8 a.m.–2 p.m. We’re hosting a grilling sale from May 16–May 29, offering a little something for everyone. So stop in, stock up and kick-off the summer!

Sale Items:

Thousand Hills beef hot dogs

Boca burgers

Rudi’s hot dog buns

Organic Valley sliced cheese

Santa Cruz lemonade

Natural Brew ginger ale and root beer

Grilling supplies and tools (Franklin location)

Alba sunscreen

All Terrain bug spray

For more than 40 years, Seward Co-op has been committed to giving back to our community. In 2011, we introduced SEED, a new way for customers to participate in this commitment. This simple yet powerful community giving program allows customers to “round-up” their grocery bill for recipient organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community.

SEED Recipients are selected once per year. Application information for 2017 will be posted at seward.coop in the spring of 2016.

2015-16 SEED Recipients

October 2015
WE WIN Institute, Inc.
WE WIN supports student learning and social development in urban youth through academic activities, civic and community engagement. Funding will support WE WIN youth gardens that teach young people about the importance of food origins, eating healthy, and exercise.

November 2015
Waite House Neighborhood Center
Waite House trains neighborhood teens in community culinary arts and food justice. Funds raised would support the community based portion of their training – in Southside Kitchen providing healthy, made-from-scratch, free meals daily to neighborhood youth.

December 2015 and June 2016
Isuroon Ethnic Food Shelf
Isuroon is dedicated to building Somali women’s self-sufficiency so that they can lead healthier, more productive lives in Minnesota, nationally and in Somalia. Funding will support the creation of an ethnic food shelf serving the Somali Community in South Minneapolis.

January 2016
Full Cycle Bike Shop
Full Cycle is a bike shop that helps put homeless youth on a path toward independence. SEED funding will create jobs for homeless youth using a fleet of bike trailers to pick up and deliver food donations to organizations serving homeless youth. Homeless youth are best able to build up their own stability when they have the opportunity to help others at the same time.

February and December 2016
Sabathani Community Center
Sabathani provides food, clothing and housing to 26,000 neighborhood residents each year in South Minneapolis. We feed the chronically poor, those on disability or chemical dependent individuals and families. Sabathani Community Center has been providing basic needs services for nearly fifty years.

March and September 2016
Brian Coyle Food Shelf
Brian Coyle Community Center’s Basic Needs program offers a choice model food shelf, healthy cultural cooking classes, free produce giveaways, monthly senior NAPS food program, and is working toward expanding its community garden on site. Funding will support the purchase of fresh produce, dairy, whole grains and culturally-specific foods for the food shelf.

April 2016
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
On May 1, 2016, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre’s 42nd annual MayDay celebration will build community vitality on an enormous scale. We will bring together 1200 volunteers to build and stage a parade and pageant welcoming spring and inspiring positive change for 50,000 attendees from every part of our community. Children, parents, youth and seniors are engaged for weeks in advance, building artmaking skills as they gain respect and develop friendships with each other.

May 2016
Mashkiikii Gitigan Urban Community Farm
Mashkiikii Gitigan (Ojibwe for medicine garden) addresses the food justice needs of people living in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis, many of whom face challenges in accessing fresh, healthy foods. SEED funding will support Mashkiikii Gitigan’s Karma Markets, weekly “pay what you can” farmer’s markets that provide community members with fresh fruits, vegetables, and traditional herbal medicines.

July 2016
Hope Community
SEED funds will support a Network of Community Gardens at Home Community, at the intersection of Franklin and Portland Avenues–about two miles west of Seward Co-op, in Philips Community. Hope is a community development organization that’s been around since 1977, doing both housing and community engagement in Philips. Gardens at Hope bring people together to learn about and grow healthy food, develop leadership and build a stronger, healthier community.

August 2016
The Hmong American Farmers Association
The Hmong American Farmers Association creates more economic opportunity for Hmong farmers. They make sure Hmong farmers earn more income through new markets like co-ops and schools, while bringing fresh, locally grown produced to thousands of people in the Twin Cities.

October 2016
Community Emergency Service, Inc.
Community Emegency Service has been feeding hungry people in our neighborhood for more than four decades, providing groceries and hot meals for 2,500 people monthly. SEED funds will help the organization provide holiday food for neighbors in need this season.

November 2016
Dream of Wild Health
Dream of Wild Health promotes health in the urban Native community by expanding knowledge of and access to healthy indigenous foods and medicines.. DWH’s programs focus on increasing knowledge of healthy foods, nutrition, cooking, disease prevention, traditional foods, organic farming and community advocacy.

SUNDAY, NOV. 10
Maple Tofu Hash
Butternut Squash – Caramelized Onion Frittata
Strata Milano with Bacon
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy
Breakfast Quesadillas

MONDAY, NOV. 11
Chicken Mole Enchilada
Pineapple Chicken
Refried Black Beans
Ancho Beets and Sweet Potatoes
Rice with Black-Eyed Peas

TUESDAY, NOV. 12
Rosemary Garlic Chicken
Meat Lasagna
Tuscan Sofrito with Yams and Sage
Mustard Roast Squash
Balsamic Beets

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13
Chinese BBQ chicken
Kung Pao Chicken
Shitake Mushroom Fried Rice
Black Pepper Brussels Sprouts & Tofu
Sweet Potato Cakes

THURSDAY, NOV. 14
BBQ Chicken
Baked Beans
Creole Yams
Ratatouille
Smoked Turkey-Braised Collard Greens

FRIDAY, NOV. 15
Coconut Curried Roast Chicken
Chicken Tikka Masala
Curried Butternut Squash
Saag Chana Masala
Rice Pilaf with Peas

SATURDAY, NOV. 16
Breakfast Quesadilla
Denver Ham Frittata
Mediterranean Frittata
Apple Ginger Crisp
Biscuits & Sausage Gravy