Feb 10 Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market cancelled due to snow emergency

Due to the snow emergency, many of our vendors are still without power and will not be able to make it to the market tomorrow, so we will have to cancel!  We will reschedule Kickass Cupcakes and GaBrilla Ballard for later in the season.

However–we are very excited about the big seafood event at the market next Sunday, February 17! This will be a big day–please spread the word!

Sundays 12-4 pm at the Codman Square Great Hall
@ the Market Sunday February 17

CELEBRATE THE FRUITS OF OUR OCEAN

¡Celebrar los frutos de nuestro mar!
Selebre Fwi ki nan lanmè nou an
Celebrar os frutos do nosso mar
Kỷ niệm Quả biển của chúng tôi

Discover the variety of fresh local seafood available at the farmers’ markets, see local chefs in action as they cook their favorite seafood recipes, sample delicious dishes prepared right before your eyes. The Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market will feature Chef Karen Henry Garrett of Dot 2 Dot Café and Chef Ananda Pokhrel of Shanti Taste of India. Our guest chefs will prepare seafood dishes based on the local catch of the day and fresh ingredients from vendors of the market. Tastings will be available for pre-registered participants. (You can register right at the market) Filet demos by Red’s Best and children’s activities will also take place at the market.

This event is presented by Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness in partnership with Northeast Marine Atlantic Alliance (NAMA) and Health Care Without Harm. Project supported by Boston Children’s Hospital.

Let us know if you plan to attend. Click HERE to join us on Facebook!

Also at the market on Feb 17:
The Food Trucks have returned!
Welcome Mei Mei Street Kitchen

This Boston-based food truck serves creative Chinese-American cuisine made from locally sourced, sustainable ingredients. They pride themselves on serving humanely raised meat, produce from small farms, and some of the most creatively delicious street food out there.

Superbowl Sunday at the Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market

At the Winter Farmers Market Sunday February 3:
Superbowl Sunday and Member Appreciation Day! 

Get ready for the Superbowl at the Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market! Many vendors will have Superbowl Specials!

• Dorchester Community Food Co-op Member Appreciation Day: bring your Dorchester Community Food Co-op member card to the market and get a $2 coupon and a chance to win a gift certificate to one of Dorchester’s Best Restaurants! (limit one coupon per household) Not a member yet? Join at the market and receive your coupon and raffle ticket.
• Looking for treats for your Superbowl Party? Check out the grape leaves, hummus and other mid-east treats from Samira’s Homemade! Wow your guests with the pepper jelly cheese torte from Stir It Up Cuisine. Or get some sustainably raised sausages from Stillman’s or Lilac Hedge or delicious goat cheese from Hickory Nut Farm. All local, all delicious 
• Shopping lists and recipes to help you stretch your dollars
• New Dorchester Community Food Co-op T-SHIRTS! ($2 off for Co-op Members)
• Visit the Co-op table and find out more about the new Food Co-op. Join the Co-op at the Market!
• Raffle: win a basket of food from the market!
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SAVE THE DATE: February 17:  CELEBRATE THE FRUITS OF OUR OCEAN

Click HERE for more information on the Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market

Co-op achieves end of year goal of 200 members

The Dorchester Community Food Co-op is excited to announce that we met our goal of 200 members by the beginning of 2013!

We currently have 209 household member-owners, and are setting our next target of 300 members by the close of the Winter Farmers’ Market season on March 24.  We know we can do it! It is easier than ever to join–see the “Join Now” logo on each page of the website to join online. You can also come to the co-op table at the Winter Farmers’ Market and pay for your equity share by credit card, check or cash. Of course, you can always mail your payment in as well. See the Join Now page to download a membership brochure and find out more information.

The Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market Kickoff was a huge success!

More than 550 attended the spectacular opening of the second season of the Winter Farmers’ Market at the Great Hall in Codman Square. We now have 11 food vendors—-a mix of returning and new vendors.  The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band wowed market shoppers and passersby with their rousing renditions, and Sierra Rothberg used her considerable artistic talents to decorate the faces of children at the Ashmont Nursery School table. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped set up and staff the market, and to Christine Rose for providing complimentary massages! For information about our vendors and upcoming market events, Click Here.

Co-op Featured in Boston Globe Op Ed
Read the terrific Op Ed about the Dorchester Community Food Co-op in the Boston Globe. (Saturday, Dec 22). The print headline was: “Seeds for a Dorchester Co-op”

What’s Next?
By the end of February we will have completed our feasibility study. This will allow us to enter into a more advanced stage of planning for the new co-op. In the meantime, we are planning a new push to increase our membership. If you are interested in hosting a house party, or would like someone to come speak to your church group or other organization, please contact Outreach and Membership Organizer Lynn Murray: klynnmurray@gmail.com

Volunteers Needed
The Dorchester Community Food Coop needs volunteers for outreach, planning and preparing for events, and at the Winter Farmers’ Market. To volunteer for general co-op work, please contact Lynn Murray: klynnmurray@gmail.com

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The development of the Dorchester Community Food Co-op is made possible by the generous support of the Boston Impact Initiative, Trefler Foundation, Food Coop Initiative, Cooperative Fund of New England, Green Dorchester, Boston Public Health Commission, Mayor Menino’s Office of Food Initiatives, and residents, businesses and organizations throughout Dorchester and beyond.

Happy Holidays from the Dorchester Community Food Co-op!

Only 2 more members needed to meet year end goal!
We are eager to meet our membership goal of 200 household members by the beginning of 2013. We are really close–if you haven’t joined yet now would be a great time! We just added an on-line payment option for signing up for a member equity share. The $100 fee can be paid in full or in installments. To pay on line, visit the Coop Website

The Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market Kickoff is on January 6! The market will run for 12 weeks on Sunday afternoons from 12-4pm at the Codman Square Great Hall (6 Norfolk St.)
For information about vendors and special events click HERE.

Great turnout for Co-op Holiday Party/Annual Meeting
More than 60 Food Co-op members and supporters gathered at Restaurante Cesaria on Bowdoin Street to share delicious Cape Verdean food and celebrate the accomplishments of the Food Coop organizing this past year. Highlights include:

• Completion of two successful pilot projects: the first Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market and the summer “Fresh Fridays” series
• Raised more than $50,000 in grants and corporate donations to support feasibility work, pilot projects and capacity building
• Beginning professional Market &Site Analysis and Financial Feasibility Studies this month
• Working with Dorchester Bay EDC on development plans
• Continue to attend neighborhood meetings and house parties across Dorchester
• Incorporated as a community owned and worker owned Cooperative Corporation
• Co-op receives Mayor Menino’s 2012 Green Sustainable Food Leadership Award
• Recognition of our work in the US Conference of Mayor’s Hunger and Homelessness Report
• Co-op hires part time staff to coordinate project management, outreach and member organizing and pilot project development

Co-op Featured in Boston Globe Op Ed
Read the terrific Op Ed about the Dorchester Community Food Co-op in the Boston Globe. (Saturday, Dec 22). The print headline was: “Seeds for a Dorchester Co-op” which I like a lot better!

What’s Next?
By the end of February we will have completed our feasibility study. This will allow us to enter into a more advanced stage of planning for the new co-op. In the meantime, we are planning a new push to increase our membership. If you are interested in hosting a house party, or would like someone to come speak to your church group or other organization, please contact Outreach and Membership Organizer Lynn Murray: klynnmurray@gmail.com

Volunteers Needed
The Dorchester Community Food Coop needs volunteers for outreach, planning and preparing for events, and at the Winter Farmers’ Market. To volunteer for general co-op work, please contact Project Manager Jenny Silverman: silverman.jen@gmail.com

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The development of the Dorchester Community Food Co-op is made possible by the generous support of the Boston Impact Initiative, Trefler Foundation, Food Coop Initiative, Cooperative Fund of New England, Green Dorchester, Boston Public Health Commission, Mayor Menino’s Office of Food Initiatives, and residents, businesses and organizations throughout Dorchester and beyond.

Potluck Dinner & Planning Meeting

You are invited to attend the next
Dorchester Community Food Co-op

 Potluck Dinner & Planning Meeting

DATE: Sunday, November 18th

5:30-7:30 pm
LOCATION: First Parish Church in Dorchester

10 Parish St., Meeting House Hill

Bring a healthy dish to share

 Bring a friend to learn about the co-op

We’ll cover these agenda items & more:

Membership Drive:

We are on track to have 200 household members-owners by the end of the year.

Come learn how you can help with the drive, and join the co-op if you aren’t yet a member

Meet your neighbors: gather in small groups to create neighborhood organizing teams!

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Update on our accomplishments so far:

We have raised the funds for our feasibility and market studies and are choosing our consultants
Learn about out fundraising accomplishments, partnerships, and site developments

Next Steps & Projects

We are planning Year 2 of the Winter Farmers’ Market in Codman Square.

Winter Farmers Market Grand Opening: Sunday January 6!

We will talk about ideas for other innovative projects as we plan for the retail store.

Save the date!

Our first Annual Meeting and HOLIDAY PARTY will be on Sunday Evening December 16
Board Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting

 

Volunteer opportunities: we will build the co-op together!

Questions? Call 617-272-5917

Vendors Sought for January-March 2013 market

The Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market is seeking vendors for the second year of our winter farmers’ market. The market will run from January 6th – March 24th on Sundays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the Great Hall in Codman Square (6 Norfolk Street, Dorchester, MA 02124). We are looking for vendors who can commit to coming every Sunday, as well as guest vendors for select dates.

The Vendor Application is due by October 12th and can be returned to:

Dorchester Community Food Coop
ATTN Jennie Msall
PO Box 240231
Boston MA, 02124

Please share this information and application with any food producers you know who might be interested.

If you have any questions, contact Jennie Msall at jennie.msall@gmail.com.

Dot Comm Coop on the Move!

URBAN FOOD INITIATIVE ON THE MOVE:

DORCHESTER COMMUNITY FOOD CO-OP RECEIVES SEED GRANT TO ‘GROW’ COMMUNITY STORE

(BOSTON, MA—September 11, 2012) Efforts to sow change in Dorchester have not gone unnoticed. The Dorchester Community Food Co-op (DCFC) is proud to announce its receipt of a $10,000 grant from the Food Co-op Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to helping communities make their co-op vision into reality. In addition to seed capital, the grant package includes comprehensive technical assistance and mentoring. The DCFC is one of only ten recipients nationwide.

“We’re honored to be recognized for our collective work—it’s neighbors and residents who’ve brought us this far,” says Jenny Silverman of the DCFC, “The co-op will bring what this neighborhood is calling for: economic opportunity, healthy affordable food access, and education around healthy food choices.”

“The work we are doing goes beyond the goal of building a single store in a single neighborhood,” says Jhana Senxian of the Sustainability Guild. “The goal is to create a worker and community owned food hub that serves the broader community of Dorchester – and beyond. We are creating a truly collaborative social enterprise that actively engages and brings value to residents, organizations, and local businesses alike.”

“This is a game-changer,” says Molly Shaw, nutritionist at Upham’s Corner Health Center. “Residents of Dorchester often lack access to healthy food. Working across the cultural spectrum of our community, and with small businesses and exiting community efforts, the co-op will change the nutritional landscape of Boston and especially Dorchester.”

Prior to opening, the Dorchester Community Food Co-op has launched several pilot projects to build community, increase access to produce and engage local families in education and the arts. In early 2012, the co-op held a Winter Farmers’ Market in Codman Square—the only healthy winter food market in the city of Boston to accept EBT/SNAP as well as “Boston Bounty Bucks,” which doubles the value of SNAP purchases up to a value of $20. For this and other efforts, the co-op was named a Sustainable Food Leader by the City of Boston in April 2012.

This summer, the co-op ran a Fresh Fridays café series in the Bowdoin / Geneva / Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood of Dorchester. This pay-what-you-can “Global Fusion of Taste of Sound” was housed in the historic First Parish Church. Both café and market featured a wide, multicultural range of musicians, workshops and demonstrations ranging from composting to herb preservation to raised bed gardening, and opportunities for children to play and learn about healthy food.

“My family joined the co-op because it means a stronger, healthier community in which we can raise our new child,” says Samantha Tan.

“Count on a vibrant, thriving tomorrow,” says Joel Wool of GreenDorchester. “We’re seeding an environment of health, happiness and community power.”

About the Dorchester Community Food Cooperative

The Dorchester Community Food Co-op is an initiative to build a community & worker-owned cooperative market and urban food hub that provides economic opportunity and healthy affordable food. The Co-op will be a community asset, providing space for education and cultural activities as well as job training, and will be a dynamic center for healthy eating and sustainable living that celebrates the rich diversity of Dorchester. The “Food Co-op” will offer farm-fresh produce, bulk grains and spices, and a variety of healthy food and green household products. For more information, visit http://dotcommcoop.wordpress.com/.