SPRING GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Sunday, May 31 Morris Arboretum (all-day free admission for Co-op members with Weavers Way ID) 4-8:30 p.m. Eat and Greet ✔ The BOARD OF DIRECTORS (there will be cake!) ✔ The PROPOSED BYLAWS REVISIONS • President’s welcome/GM’s report Candidates’ statements INSIDE: Page 16 • Member-driven discussion groups Vote online at www.weaversway.coop • Elec tion results or by paper ballot (available on Page 17 or in the stores) • O pen mic and WW members’ Through May 31 homebrew tasting Last-chance voting until 5:15 p.m. at the Spring General Membership Meeting Info: www.weaversway.coop/SpringGMM-2015 Info: www.weaversway.coop/Election-2015 The Shuttle April 2015 Vol. 43 No. 4 Community-Owned Food Markets Open to Everyone Board Corner Vote Now for Your New Bylaws This is the third in a series of Shut- es. Many of those changes were made in tle articles to inform you about Weav- time for the Jan. 22 open meeting. There ers Way’s proposed new bylaws. (See again we gained valuable and specific also September, “Why Change the By- feedback for the proposal. laws?” and December, “What Are the Changes?”). All stories, plus addition- Concurrently, the proposed bylaws al information and links to copies of the were posted on the Weavers Way website current and proposed bylaws, are also and members gave and received feedback posted on the Weavers Way website at online. Some members also contacted me www.weaversway.coop/bylaws. directly. The final proposal has been re- by Lisa Hogan, Weavers Way viewed and approved by David Kraut, Board of Directors our legal counsel, as well as by Michael Ellie Seif photo Healy and his associates at Cooperative N THE SPRING ELECTION, APRIL 1 TO Development Services (info: www.cdsus. They Tried It, They Liked It May 31, you are asked to vote for or I coop), who drafted the bylaws template Co-op member Gayle Davidson shares samples in Chestnut Hill before the judging against the proposed new Weavers Way we worked with. As our consultant, Mi- to choose Philadelphia’s best vegan cheesesteak. The results are in: Page 26. Bylaws. The Board has voted unanimous- chael helped to make sure that the lines ly to accept them; now it’s the members’ of responsibility are clear. turn to vote. Membership Corner Some frequently asked questions We believe that the new bylaws are (FAQs) and responses are presented here. better for the Co-op and its member-own- ers. They will simplify and clarify our Why did you decide to rewrite the Senior Discount Tuesdays! Weavers Way Bylaws? work, reducing debate over interpretation. by Kirsten Bernal, Weavers Way Membership Manager Issues of meetings, voting, Board officers Several suggestions for bylaws chang- and equity are clear for all to understand. es were pending before the Board. In re- OST. FOOD ACCESS. PRODUCT SELECTION. THESE ARE TOPICS THAT WE HAVE Redundant sections have been omitted. viewing the current bylaws, we realized Cbeen exploring at the Co-op, and we have been focusing on two strategies. The vote culminates four months of they had been amended piecemeal many The first was Food For All, our discount program for low-income members that member nput and feedback. In January, times over the years, creating a complex, launched in January. As of March 1, we had 24 participants and had provided $932.71 the Bylaw Revision Committee held two convoluted and redundant document. Our in discounts. As I write this, total participants has increased to 28. member meetings to get input on the draft goal was to simplify governing proce- Our second strategy will launch this May. Senior Discount Days are coming! Be- of the revised bylaws and share our think- ginning Tuesday, May 5, all members 65 or older will be eligible to receive 10 percent ing. On Jan. 12, a focus group yielded dures with a clear document that prepares useful feedback and proposals for chang- (Continued on Page 30) (Continued on Page 9) INSIDE Viva! Cuba’s Weavers Way Community Programs . .4-5 Cooperative Revolution General Manager’s Corner . 8 Health and Wellness Committee . 11 Suggestions . 24 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED REQUESTED SERVICE CHANGE Co-op Specials . 25 Weavers Way Calendar . 27 www.weaversway.coop www.weaversway.coop Holiday Menu . 32 559 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119 PA Philadelphia, Lane, Carpenter 559 BOARD CANDIDATES STATEMENTS Weavers Way Cooperative Association Cooperative Way Weavers Pages 6-7 Pages16-17 2 THE SHUTTLE April 2015 What’s in Store at Weavers Way Editor’s Note New on the Shelves by Mary Sweeten, Editor, Weavers Way Shuttle Fish Sprinkles May Help HERE WAS A LOT OF EX- Tcitement here at WW HQ in February when Pope Francis said this: Ailing Kitty Back to Health “Cooperatives must continue to be the mo- by Karen Plourde, Weavers Way Chestnut Hill Grocery Staff tor that uplifts and develops the weakest parts Think Ethiopian of our local communities and civil society. NYONE WHO’S HAD SICK PETS KNOWS HOW Good feelings alone can’t do this. We need to by Neal Fordham, Weavers Way Coffee Buyer hard it can be to get them interested in food. prioritize the establishment of new cooperative A Don’t despair, though: the Pet Store Across the Way enterprises, along with further developing ex- THIOPIA IS GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE isting ones.” * Ebirthplace of coffee. One coffee creation story in Mt. Airy has brought in a product that may help (9th century) goes like this: An Ethiopian goat herd- you and Kitty over that hurdle. Francis is always going on about pover- er goes out to greet his goats one morning, and finds ty, workplace fairness and society, and co-ops Cat-Man-Doo Sprinkles are crushed dried bo- them all dancing upon their hind feet. They had been nito flakes. The idea is that the concentration of pure are a big deal in Italy, so in that sense his re- munching on the ripe red fruit of a coffee tree. marks, to about 7,000 members of the Con- fish,dusted on their regular food, will spark their ap- federazione Cooperative Italiane, were a no- I became the coffee buyer for the Mt. Airy Weav- petite and thus move them along the road to recov- brainer. Italy has more co-ops per capita than ers Way late last year, and since then have been study- ery. But who says you can’t sprinkle some on your any other country in the world — according ing — and doubtless drinking too much — coffee. To healthy feline’s food? After all, he or she probably kept your lap to one source, they account for 7 percent of become familiar with our bulk coffee offerings (which warm sometime over the winter. number more than 30!), I began brewing each one for GDP. They also have deep roots in Catholic For the chicken tenders among us, Pet Buyer Anton Goldschnei- two successive days. worker movements. der now stocks the Little Giant electric water-heater base for its gal- So to be clear, the pope wasn’t necessar- One morning I poured not-quite boiling water vanized metal poultry water fount. The weather’s getting warmer, ily talking about funky little food co-ops. How- over my morning grounds and up came aromas of but there are still some cool nights ahead. Take care of your girls by ever, whether worker-owned, consumer-owned fruits, spices and even chocolate. The amazing coffee taking the chill off their water. (like Weavers Way), producer-owned, even I then drank was an Equal Exchange Ethiopian. Never “hybrid,” whether doing banking or providing have I been more surprised by, or enjoyed a coffee so Elsewhere at the Co-op social services or selling non-GMO beans, co- much. During my coffee survey, I had detected subtle Next Door: Say hello to body care prod- differences among most of the coffees, but the Ethio- ops all have this in common: One member, one ucts from Andalou Naturals and Acure. pian was simply unforgettable. vote. Nobody can amass multiple shares and Both lines boast natural, free trade and decide where the money goes. After this discovery, I made a point of bringing in organic ingredients. ND carries sham- So when Pope Francis says, “Money at more Ethiopian coffees. Most small roasters produce poo, body wash and three kinds of body the service of life can be managed in the right an Ethiopian coffee because they are already familiar lotion from Acure and three kinds of An- way by cooperatives, on condition that it is a with its amazing characteristics. At Weavers Way, we dalou body lotion and Kukui Cocoa body real cooperative where capital does not have offer more than one Ethiopian because small differ- butter. I’ve used both the citrus verbe- command over men but men over capital,” ences in the roasting process can produce very differ- na and lavender thyme body lotion, and this is what he’s talking about. ent coffees. they’re a great pick-me-up after a shower. There’s lots of fascinating stuff online Besides the Equal Exchange Sidamo Ethiopi- Chestnut Hill Grocery: It seems there’s always about Italian cooperatives — fascinating even an coffee in our bulk bin, we offer these pre-bagged something new and exciting in the front drink case if you’re not a co-op geek — some of it by beans from local roasters: — for instance, Cocoa Metro Belgian chocolate re- way of St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia. Backyard Beans: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Oromia and duced fat milk.