The Sexual Violence Center, a nonprofit rape crisis center in Minneapolis, provides free support services to individuals impacted by sexual violence in Hennepin, Scott and Carver counties. The center is one of four Community Choice SEED recipients, which our owners and shoppers voted to select.

To make a donation to the Sexual Violence Center (SVC), round up at the register at all Seward Co-op locations throughout April. The center will use the SEED grant funds to help build a gender-neutral bathroom at its office.

About Seward Co-op’s SEED Grant Program
For more than 45 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 Seward Co-op Creamery Café bill for recipient organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community. As part of the staff-led selection process for 2019, owners and shoppers were invited to contribute further by voting for Community Choice SEED recipients. Learn more about becoming a SEED grant recipient here.

About Sexual Violence Center
The center’s mission is to eradicate sexual violence and abuse by:

•Challenging the systems and individuals that promote privilege, oppression and domination
•Educating those that will join us as advocates and catalysts for change
•Supporting those who have been victimized, empowering them to not only survive but thrive, finding power and movement in our collective voices

Since 1985, the Sexual Violence Center has been serving youth and adult victim/survivors of sexual violence 12 years of age and older. The center works in Hennepin, Carver and Scott counties, with services coordinated out of its office in Minneapolis. The center will never turn anyone away from service if they live outside of these counties, but it can often refer people to a local agency that has connections with more specific resources to help.

All of the center’s services are provided by sexual assault advocates. The role of an advocate is to provide information, offer options and support victims and survivors in their decisions. Services include:

•24-hour crisis support telephone line staffed by trained advocates
•Individual, in-person counseling giving intensive, directed support to victims and survivors
•Support groups for victims and survivors, as well as friends and family of victims
•Crisis support in hospitals
•Legal advocacies through which the center advocates that victim/survivors have the resources they need to file restraining orders, navigate the criminal justice system and get connected to legal representation

Where is SVC located?
In northeast Minneapolis (2021 East Hennepin Ave., suite 418 in the Hennepin Square Building)

What will donations to SVC be used for?
Funds raised by the community allow SVC to keep services free and support its ability to
• Print materials to spread the word about services
• Purchase art supplies for support groups
• Serve food to volunteers at its 40-hour advocacy training
• Make services more accessible to victim/survivors of all genders and abilities

Does SVC need volunteers?
Yes! SVC has a peer-based advocacy model. The majority of services are provided by volunteers who’ve gone through SVC’s 40-hour training to become certified sexual assault advocates under Minnesota state statute. The next training cycle starts May 7. Contact SVC for more information.

Learn more about Sexual Violence Center at sexualviolencecenter.org.

Host Defense is recalling MycoBotanicals Blood Sugar products due to undeclared wheat.

Seward Co-op has removed all affected product from our shelves. The product was only available at the Franklin store.

The recall includes:

Host Defense
MycoBotanicals Blood Sugar
60 capsules
UPC: 633422704746

Lot #100217 Shipped 10/18/17-1/16/19
Lot #101718 Shipper 12/14/18-2/26/19

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op, you will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desks. Seward Co-op will return the item to the shelf as soon as non-recalled product becomes available.

Celebrate with Seward-made! Seward Co-op’s bakery, production kitchen, and sausage makers are crafting seasonal items perfect for the spring holiday season.

Peterson Craftsman Meats pork and beef star in our white polish sausage with salt, marjoram, garlic, peppercorn, cayenne, and hog casing.

The sausage is a mainstay of Polish Easter and can be served with beet horseradish (wika), pan-fried potatoes, or—most commonly—with the sour ryemeal soup known as urek.

Head to the Meat counter to pick up Seward-made sausage, reserve a ham, or preorder specialty cuts. To place an order over the phone, call us at 612-338-2465 (Franklin) or 612-230-5595 (Friendship).

Seward Co-op stores will be open regular hours Sunday, April 21, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Hop over to Seward Co-op Creamery Café for brunch or lunch 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Seeds are in, and Seward Co-op is diving into spring! Starting your garden from seed and then watching it mature from seedling to fruiting plant can be rewarding, economical and fun.

Considering Minnesota’s relatively short growing season, it can be beneficial to start seeds indoors in spring to give plants a head start before transplanting them into your garden. Each plant has its own unique growing requirements and therefore its own timeline. Refer to Seward Co-op’s Seed Guide as a resource for when to start seeds indoors and transplant outdoors.

Browsing Seward Co-op’s seed racks, surrounded by fresh-cut flowers and an abundance of fragrant citrus, can make the experience of picking out the seeds for your garden inviting—many of the potential options look so delicious and interesting!

However, before you get whisked away by the idea of it all, learn more about Seward Co-op’s seed offerings to determine which brand aligns more with your values and is best for the vision of what you hope to accomplish with your garden—High Mowing Organic, Seed Savers Exchange (a local Community Foods producer), or a combination of the two. Is your primary concern the health of your family, or is it more broad to include environmental biodiversity or healthy habitats for pollinators?

Now, the fun part—make a list of all the crops you want to grow and plot them out to create a feasible plan for your space. We recommend marking a calendar with the dates to start and transplant different crops, using the chart provided on our Seed Guide. Please note some root crops, such as carrots, beets and radishes do not tolerate transplanting. For more home gardening information and resources, please visit the University of Minnesota Extension website.

Seward Co-op’s production kitchen is cranking out salads, entrees, dips, sausages and desserts for spring. Here are some highlights of what you’ll find:

•Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
•Flourless Chocolate Cake Slice (Made Without Gluten)
•Thai Peanut Tofu Wrap (Vegan)
•Carne Molida Burrito

Sausage

Jerk Chicken Sausage—Get ready for some real spice. Our sausage makers bring in ingredients from local Community Foods producers Kadejan and The Beez Kneez for this brand-new recipe. Familiar with the Seward-made Hot Link? This Jerk Chicken Sausage is even hotter, thanks to habanero and cayenne peppers.
Launch date: March 1

Persian Lamb Meatballs—Another new and totally delicious product, this Seward-made meatball is defined by the spice blend in it. Our sausage makers use spices found in Iranian cuisine, such as coriander, cinnamon and cardamom. Rose petals and star anise bring a sweet, fragrant and slightly spicy hint. Enjoy with tahdig (Iranian crispy rice) or baba ganoush—or at the center of a Persian stew.
Launch date: March 1

Lamb Umbrian Sausage—This sausage brings together two Italian sausages: Lucanica from the southern region of Basilicata and Luganego from the northern region of Lombardy. We use lamb and pork from Peterson Craftsman Meats that are soaked in red and white wine infused with garlic and bay leaf. The spices are earthy and sharp, complementing the pecorino romano and pine nuts.
Launch date: March 1

Shepherd’s Pie—Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this Irish favorite packed with lamb from Peterson Craftsman Meats, a local Community Foods producer in Osceola, Wisconsin. Our pie is hearty and topped with mashed potatoes. Simply bake and enjoy!
Launch date: March 9

Soup for You, Seward Co-op’s March SEED grant recipient, provides free, healthy, organic meals to all members of our community. Round up at the registers at all Seward Co-op locations throughout March to support their work serving our neighbors.

The nonprofit café is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., at Bethany Lutheran Church, 2511 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, right down the street from Seward Co-op Creamery Café and the Franklin store. All are welcome to come and share a meal. Enjoy live music on Tuesdays. Donations are accepted but not required.

Soup for You Café started just over four years ago and has served nearly 70,000 bowls of soup that are nutritious, freshly prepared, globally inspired, locally sourced, vegan and vegetarian.

Follow Soup for You on Facebook.

Minnesota FoodShare
When you round up for Soup for You this month, you’re also supporting Seward Co-op’s contribution to the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign.

The largest grassroots food and fund drive in the state, the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign brings together various community organizations, businesses, and faith communities to help stock nearly 300 food shelves statewide.

In 2018, over $8.1 million dollars and 5.5 million pounds of food were raised by Minnesota food shelves and Minnesota FoodShare.

This small-business, big-ideas competition helps bring together, support, and celebrate the entrepreneurs in our community. This competition is proudly brought to you by the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association and is for both small business owners who are growing and emerging. Compete for cash prizes and business incentives in a supportive, community environment. Seward Co-op is proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Q: Why Powderhorn Shark Tank?
A: To create a community-focused space to support home-grown businesses and ideas to succeed and thrive. Unlike many traditional business competitions, Jurors rank the proposals based on more than profitability; applications are evaluated on how deeply they address a societal need and how rooted the business is in the community.

Q: Who is an entrepreneur? Who is eligible?
A: Any Minneapolis resident with an idea to sell is eligible to apply to Shark Tank. Many applicants are first-time entrepreneurs, and most have never participated in a business competition before. All competitors must be over the age of 16 at the time of the competition

Q: Who wins Shark Tank?
A: We have prizes for start-ups and established businesses. Winners were from a range of industries – food, drinks, repair, salon, craft – but they were all ranked highly for their presentations and proven need in the community. Here are the winners from last year’s 2018 Shark Tank Competition:

Start Up Winners:
rabbit Grub (fb @rabbitgrub)—bike-powered vegan food
Good Barrel Kombucha (ig @goodbarrelkombucha)—Minneapolis kombucha in Minnesota barrels

Emerging Winners:
Support Local Hustle (ig @picklewitch)—Black, Indigenous, People of Color collective
Jaxonmade (ig @jaxonmade)—home of handcrafted design, custom upholstery and furniture repair

Established Winners:
Curl Power (ig @curlpowersalon)—presents Curl Camp! Curl education, cleanse, and style session for parents of curly kids
Hamburguesas el Gordo (@hamburguesas_el_gordo)—Authentic Mexican food in the Twin Cities

Q: Where do I go for further information?
A: All information about applying for Shark Tank and attending the event can be found at https://www.ppna.org/powderhornsharktank

Application Deadline: Feb. 28, 2019 | Powderhorn Shark Tank Event: May 18, 2019

Watermelon Water Recall

A recall of Watermelon Water has been initiated by World Waters, LLC due to the potential presence of soft plastic that may be loosely floating in the finished product. While they are unaware of any adverse events associated with this product to date, the presence of the plastic could potentially be a choking hazard. This is a voluntary recall made with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration. Affected product was on the shelves at both Seward Co-op stores at the time of the recall.

Seward Co-op has removed all affected product from shelves. The recall includes:

Watermelon Water
UPC: 852921005004
$4.49

Affected product has a lot code and expiration date of:

AW00719 3/9/2019
AW01419 3/16/2019
AW00219 3/4/2019
AW00719 3/9/2019
AW00319 3/5/2019
AW00919 3/11/2019

If you purchased this product at Seward Co-op between Nov. 8, 2018, and Feb. 8, 2019, you will be fully refunded at either our Franklin or Friendship store Customer Service desks. For questions and additional information, email customercare@wtrmlnwtr.com, or call (719) 284-9699.

The money raised through Seward Co-op’s SEED roundup program in February will go to the Dreamland Co-Café, a project of the Cultural Wellness Center.

The Dreamland Co-Café project will create a blend of Culinary Heritage, self-love, and business incubation for African American food entrepreneurs in a cooperative and supportive environment that will allow us to reconnect, rediscover and reinvent the culinary traditions of our past.

The Cultural Wellness Center is located at 2025 Portland Ave. S. in Minneapolis. The Cultural Wellness Center promotes health and healing through exploration of an individual’s culture.

Part of the Cultural Wellness Center’s philosophy is, “Everyone has culture and no one culture has the authority to impose a universal truth or reality. We create a space and a process for people to privately study their own culture, hold internal dialogues, practice ritual, and ceremony—as well as to come together with people from other cultures to learn from each other and to celebrate, work, and learn together as a unified community. As we move into the future, successful and mutually beneficial interfacing of different cultures will be critical to creating sustainable health and wellness in community.”

Round up at the register at all Seward Co-op locations throughout February and support the Cultural Wellness Center’s Dreamland Co-Café project!

Meet our local hot-sauce makers at our Hot Sauce Tasting on Saturday, March 16, 2-5 p.m., at Seward Co-op’s Franklin store.

Spice up your stash with sales on select products.

Featuring:

•Lucky’s Honey Mustard & Hot Sauce

•Hellraising Hot Sauce

•Cry Baby Craig’s

•Nuclear Nectar