got the
spirit
VETERAN FARMER WHOLE FARM PLANNING
December 2013 3 beginning in
JANUARY
SERIES
2014
quality of life, land productivity and health and business profitability.
As part of our ongoing commitment to grow our local community of farmers, we provide farm and ranch skills trainings for area veterans through the Veteran Farmer Project. Thanks to a grant from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture we are pleased to announce our early 2014 series of classes.
COME FOR ONE SESSION OR THE WHOLE SERIES: • Identifying Key Values and Resources for Success • Creating a Whole Farm Goal • Value-based Decision-Making • Whole Farm Financial Planning • Easy and Effective Enterprise Analysis
Learn the basics of developing a whole farm goal and how to make on-farm decisions more effectively (including a special focus on financial decisions) in this Whole Farm Planning Series. This series will focus on helping you manage all your resources more effectively—human, natural and financial. Whether you are considering starting to farm or are already in the business, this series will help you ask the right questions and make critical decisions to move you forward. These tools have been used by farmers and ranchers around the world to improve
Facilitated by Ann Adams, Holistic ManagementInternational (HMI), Director of Community Services and a whole farm planning educator for 15 years, Ann has a small homestead with goats and chickens in the Manzano Mountains. This series is open to all veterans and active duty personnel, and room permitting, the larger community. Classes are free for veterans and their families and will be held at 3:30pm on Thursdays on January 16 and 30 and February 6, 20 and 27. For more information and to register contact robins@lamontanita.coop or call her at 505-217-2027 or toll free at 877-775-267, or visit www.lamontanita.coop.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
in the spirit of
When we cooperate and pool our resources we can do lots of good in our communities.
GIVING A
s a community-owned organization it is part of our mission to support the community that supports the Co-op. The Co-op continually looks for ways to help local organizations raise the funds they need to continue their work. Each year the Co-op gives tens of thousands of dollars in food donations to support fundraising efforts, free publicity in our newsletter and other help to many worthy non-profit organizations and schools. Bag Credit Donations: Thanks to your environmental awareness and the many of you who bring your reusable shopping bags and donate your dime bag credit, between January 2013 and October 2013 (the last month we had numbers for at the time of this writing), together we raised $20,744.85 for worthy non-profit organizations around our state. Thanks for bringing your bags and donating your dime. All the organizations are most grateful for these donations.
CO-OP SCRIP: With our Co-op Scrip we have supported a number of schools in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area. The “Co-op Scrip” program helps organizations raise money. Participating organizations make one dollar on every ten, their supporters get to eat local and organic Co-op food and the Co-op has made a 10% donation to organizations doing good things in our community. Through this program the Co-op has donated tens of thousands of dollars over the years to a variety of schools and other non-profits. Ongoing Community Support: All year long hundreds of organizations come to the Co-op for help and support in their fundraising and educational efforts.
SUPPORTING
COMMUNITY
ALL YEAR
LONG CO-OP’S GOT THE GIVING SPIRIT
BY SARAH WILKENSON, PEACEPAL FOUNDER
AND
DIRECTOR
Project PeacePal is a New Mexico-based peace through education nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to become peace building leaders. Because we believe that sustainable peace is only possible in a world where humans experience connection and joy in helping one other, we create person-to-person connections between youth globally through correspondence and service-learning initiatives. By participating in our program, youth acquire essential life skills such as intercultural understanding and communication, enhanced literacy, critical thinking, confidence, and conflict management. These skills prepare them to have a better understanding of our common humanity and become more effective and peaceful leaders. Based in school classrooms, since 2007 over 10,000 students in over 20 countries across the word have participated in our program. Over 5,000 of these students have been in US schools, and the majority of these have been in New Mexico. PeacePal has two components to our program. The first component is our international pen pal letter exchange,
In many instances, participants express a desire to be of service to each other. This desire is the catalyst for the second component of our program—student led service projects which target a local need or a need impacting friends across the world. Our annual Youth Service Summit brings together a diverse group of students to meet, discuss, learn about community organizing, and implement service projects as a way to make a real impact. This year, Youth Service Summit students are focusing their efforts on bullying awareness in the Albuquerque community. The vision of PeacePal is a world led by young leaders empowered with peace building skills. These young leaders will have the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate local and global challenges with increased intercultural appreciation and respect, and less interpersonal conflict, violence and war. In light of the recent violent tragedies in the US and across the world, Project PeacePal is committed to transforming sorrow and fear into action and service. Project PeacePal is honored to work with committed teachers, parents, and community leaders who are asking our youth to reflect on their lives, to be of service to one another, and to learn about life outside of our narrow perspectives. Now is the time to change the violent trends in our culture. Now is the time to build peace. For more information or to make a donation go to www.peacepal.org or call 505-255-2042.
BAG CREDIT DONATION
CO-OP PROGRAM
DONATE your BAG CREDIT !
ORGANIZATION
BAG CREDIT ORGANIZATION
of the month:
In December your Donate the Dime organization is PeacePal, building the next generation of leaders for peace through the joy of connection and mutual understanding. In October your Bag Credit donations totaling $2,221.40 went to Companion Animal Rescue and Medical Assistance (CARMA) of Corrales. THANKS to all who donated!
WESTSIDE 3601 Old Airport Ave. NW 505-503-2550
Alamed a Blvd. Coors Blvd.
PEACE
COOP
BUILDING YOUTH LEADERS FOR
Old A irport Ave.
PEACE PAL
which teaches students about different world views and ways of life, and is the foundation for connection. At the developmental stage of middle and high school, young people are very curious about the world and respond eagerly to the opportunity to connect with someone across the globe. At the same time they are developing and refining important literacy skills.
Old Airport Ave. Co-op Values Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and the links between food, health, environment and community issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Co-op.