09-08-27 p 01-12 8/26/09 5:13 PM Page 1 OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume DD, Number 18 August 27, 2009 Coop Swappers Summer School, Will Work for Credit Summer Garden By Gayle Forman bout two years ago, the South Bronx Food A Coop (SBFC) was just getting on its feet and founder Zena Nelson realized she was going to need some accounting help. So she turned to Park Slope Food Coop General Coordinator Joe Holtz, who put her in touch with CPA Peter Rich, a PSFC member. Rich quickly became the SBFC’s accountant, doing everything from helping set up its tax accounts and its corporation to doing its tax BY HAZEL HANKIN PHOTO returns and strategizing Mirem Villamil’s daughter, Carmen Lopez, in the garden. about general finance mat- ters, like advising on how By Larissa Phillips and food but can supplement much it could write off when it science, history and math renovated a spot and opened orget state-of-the-art lessons while also providing a up a storefront. “There’s a lot science labs or shiny therapeutic benefit. of accounting nuances that F new playground equip- we don’t know and we don’t ment. The latest hot learning Many Challenges want to know,” says Nelson. BY ANN ROSEN PHOTO tool in public schools is the Still, the challenges are “Peter understands account- Phyllis Gadsden contributes to the South Bronx Food Coop. school garden. Inspired at abundant, particularly for city ing law and got us through a least in part by Alice Waters’ schools that are short on lot of loopholes. Were it just among all coops: cooperation tion at the ready, and for local Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, space and funds, and also us, we would’ve been totally among cooperatives,” Wein- coops he can provide more CA, these gardens not only up crap’s creek.” stat explains. “We do whatever than just advice: he has a teach children about nutrition CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 we can to help cooperatives. membership in the thousands Inter-coop Shift Swaps We have an abundance of with a wealth and variety of For his work, Rich, who is a member labor, and we can expertise. partner in a Manhattan CPA share that.” In Chick Foxgrover’s case, it Next General Meeting on September 29 firm, charged no fee. Instead, The practice began when was web expertise that he was The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on his work fulfills his PSFC work the now-defunct East New only too happy to exploit. the last Tuesday of each month.* The next General Meeting will credit. He is one of the approx- York Food Coop was forming Four years ago, Foxgrover was be on Tuesday, September 29, 7:00 p.m. at the Congregation imately 50 Coop members who and its founders asked Holtz working on the Maintenance Beth Elohim Temple House (Garfield Temple), 274 Garfield Pl. complete their work obligation for help. It has become com- Committee when he was The agenda will be available as a flyer in the entryway of the at another coop, according to mon practice for newly form- approached about setting up Coop on Wednesday, September 2. For more information about Ellen Weinstat, the member- ing coops—from around the the website for the Green the GM and about Coop governance, please see the center of ship coordinator in charge of city, country and world—to Workers Cooperatives in the this issue. inter-coop shift swaps. reach out to the PSFC for help. * Exceptions for November and December will be posted. “There’s a basic philosophy Holtz has a packet of informa- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 IN THIS ISSUE Thu, Sep 3 • Food Class: Malaysia 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sep 4 • Film Night: Quest for Honor 7:00 p.m. Safe Food Committee Report . 3 Coop Puzzle . 3 Sat, Sep 12 • Food Drive to Benefit CHIPS Soup Kitchen Coop Hours, Coffeehouse . 6 Event Sun, Sep 13 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Coop Calendar, Workslot Needs Fri, Sep 18 • The Good Coffeehouse: Tyler Blanton and the Governance Information, Mission Statement. 7 Highlights Patrizia Ferrara & Danny Grissett Duo 8:00 p.m. Letters to the Editor . 8-9 Community Calendar . 11 Look for additional information about these and other events in this issue. Classified Ads . 11-12 09-08-27 p 01-12 8/26/09 5:13 PM Page 2 2 August 27, 2009 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Coop Swappers But that work credit is going Will Work for Credit to good use because in a year’s time they, along with CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the rest of the volunteers, South Bronx, an organization Coop, the workslot incentive have managed to create a aimed at recycling building is incredibly helpful. Haines, business plan, define their M materials and creating green who bikes 20 minutes from membership, get member B construction jobs. He’s been her Fort Greene home to Park investments rolling and S at it ever since, logging over Slope, says her neighbor- amass a mailing list of nearly 250 hours—more than 90 hood is “desperate for good, 1,000 potential members. shifts. But for Foxgrover, reasonably priced fresh The helping hand of the doing this kind of work is not food.” She notes that a casual workslot swap, says Weinstat, O about an even exchange of blog posting musing about a is not indefinite. “At what p hours. “There is a larger pur- local food coop a year and a point does it become harmful ly pose to it, knowing that half ago brought 40 people to to the new coop?” Weinstat re you’re helping to accomplish a meeting that has in turn led asks. She says that she and U something,” he says. “You to the groundwork for Greene Holtz have discussed the sh have to go in with a more Hill. “But the hardest part potential problem of PSFC o open-ended attitude, but it’s about a new coop is getting workers receiving credit for ev very gratifying.” people to commit,” says working at other food coops si For some Coop members, Haines. “If there’s a valid but shopping here and deny- al the extracurricular coop activ- work credit involved, it makes ing the new coops potential ex ities are aimed at accom- it easier.” sales. But at this point, when o plishing something a bit the new coops are mostly in th more personal, a bit closer A Labor of Love planning stages, such dilem- th to home. In the past two years Although how much easi- mas are far off and theoretical. cu or so, says Weinstat, a num- er, is debatable. For many So, for now, the PSFC will m ber of PSFC members have people, working at a start-up continue to assist other L PHOTO BY ANN ROSEN PHOTO begun the process of starting coop is more a labor of love Chick Foxgrover helped set up the website for the Green coops in need by offering up food coops in their own than a convenient shift closer Workers Cooperatives. our greatest asset: our mem- m Brooklyn neighborhoods, to home. At Greene Hill, you bers. The Coop puts ads in er including two up-and-comers must be a PSFC member for committing more time to been actively involved in the the Gazette and sends letters u in Bedford-Stuyvesant (Kal- one year and in good stand- their alternative shifts, even Bay Ridge Food Coop since to members in neighbor- abash and Grass Roots), the ing to do a swap. Other coops though there is seldom a its inception last June and hoods where new coops are th Greene Hill Food Coop in the have looser requirements. squad leader with a sign-in has now given up logging his opening, soliciting help or te Fort Greene-Clinton Hill area, But there are no reciprocal book. hours because he’s banked just alerting them to the new D the Bushwick Food Coop and shopping privileges. Only In each case, there is one so many. “I’m probably coop. Some members might ag the Bay Ridge Food Coop. PSFC members can shop at person within each coop to putting in 20 hours a week. swap shifts for credit, or for For Diane Haines, a PSFC the PSFC. And though this is log hours and when a mem- I’m ridiculously overboard,” different reasons. member and an active mem- not an official policy, many ber works two and three quar- he admits. “And I only A few years ago, PSFC ber of Greene Hill Food coop swingers often wind up ter hours, be it in a day, a stopped doing my regular member Phyllis Gadsden week or a month, he or she is shift as a shopping squad happened to meet Zena credited a shift. leader two months ago.” Nelson, who told her about PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP David Marangio, an on- About 20 people at the Bay the coop she was helping again off-again PSFC member Ridge Food Coop are getting start in the South Bronx and Product Return Policy since the early 1990s, has PSFC work credit, he says. mentioned that she needed bodies. Gadsden spent the The Coop does not “exchange” items. You must return item and repurchase next year volunteering at the what you need. Returns of eligible items will be handled at the Second South Bronx Food Coop, Floor Service Desk within 30 days of purchase only when accompanied by Hearing Officer Committee the PAID IN FULL receipt.