Weavers Way Co-op belongs to its members and so we are guided by the will of the members, right? Sounds pretty easy, other than the fact that we have nearly 5,300 active member households to accommodate. But not so fast, it’s not just the members who have to be pleased. There are numerous other guidelines that must be met by our once-tiny community store.
Weavers Way is part of the International Cooperative Alliance. This organization is guided by the seven Rochdale Principles by which cooperatives put their values into practice. (You can find them on the website at www.weaversway.coop/rochdale.)
We adhere to these principles enthusiastically as they draw together 268 international and national cooperatives from 93 countries, representing a billion people worldwide.
In our own co-op we have a Mission Statement. Have you read it? It is five paragraphs that lead us as an association. (Find it at www.weaversway.coop/mission.) We are owned by members, cooperative, committed to each other, committed to the community and committed to the environment. Never mind that competing proposals can all comply with the Mission.
Next we have the Ends. Adopted by the Weavers Way Board, the Ends are seven goals that lead us throughout the year. They are themes that we have identified as important to our Co-op’s success. Our management provides a detailed report on our success in meeting our values through our work. This year’s Ends Report was over 20 pages, a colorful document full of photos, graphs and charts, detailing Co-op progress. (You can review the Ends, and the 2013 Ends Report, in the Online Member Center, members.weaversway.coop, under Key Co-op Documents).
In addition, we have a Board Policy Manual that directs the Board governance process. At Board meetings each month we measure ourselves against 19 directives. We monitor governing methods, evaluate our General Manager, our financial condition, as well as relations with staff and members. (The Board Policy Manual is also available in the Online Member Center.)
Along with Board Policy are the Bylaws of the Co-op (also available in the Online Member Center). The Bylaws are specific to seven areas: Membership, Member Meetings, Election of the Board, Committees, Finance, Dissolution and Amendments. This spring I made what I thought was a simple suggestion that we address several amendments to the Bylaws that have been on hold. No surprise, as we have a hard-working Board, we have turned this small project into a review of all the Bylaws.
Through a series of summer meetings and with the use of the Fresh Start Bylaws Template, we have taken our 10-page document down to five pages. (The template is provided by the Cooperative Development Services Consulting Co-op to help co-ops arrive at a document that is easily understood by all members and therefore more useful.) When this draft is final we will bring it to the Spring 2015 General Membership Meeting for a vote.
When you see all the ways we are held accountable, you may understand why the opportunity to simplify one set of standards within our control is so appealing.
You will be hearing more about the proposed Bylaws in the fall when we will ask for members’ input and suggestions. Please stay tuned.
'Hands-on' Programs at Stenton Family Manor Win Funder's Praise
Weavers Way Community Programs, based in Mt. Airy, has received a $15,000 grant from theGreen Tree Community Health Foundation in support of its Hope Garden at Stenton Family Manor. The grant was announced by Susan Hansen, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Foundation, on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
WWCP Executive Director Jill Fink said the funds would be used to expand the farm and nutrition education programs WWCP provides at Stenton, one of the city's largest emergency housing facilities for families.
“WWCP believes that to create transformative change for families and communities, we need to work with all family members. We’ve seen the excitement children have when harvesting turnips and tasting them for the first time, but if parents aren’t equally as enthusiastic — or don’t know how to prepare turnips — we haven’t fully done our jobs," Fink said.
"Green Tree’s support will enable WWCP to expand programming to work with all family members, empowering them with the skills and knowledge to make healthy choices and even grow their own food."
Said Erin Doyle-O’Connor, Green Tree trustee and chair of the Grants Committee, “As a dietitian, there are a few key factors I look for when evaluating nutrition education programs. Programs that are hands-on, teaching cooking and smart shopping skills, and those that involve the whole family seem to have the best potential for long-term impact. WWCP’s work at Stenton Family Manor fits this model beautifully, which is why we were so enthusiastic to fund their program.”
WWCP established the Hope Garden in 2009 to provide children living at Stenton with a safe place to be outdoors, to cultivate curiosity and inquisitiveness about growing fruits and vegetables, and to make it fun and exciting to prepare healthy meals and try new things. WWCP donates over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the kitchen at Stenton every year.
The curriculum for the WWCP Parent Program includes basic nutrition and cooking and how to budget limit resources for healthy eating. There will also be scheduled time for families to take part in activities together – from gardening to cooking – to encourage family time and build relationships around food and mealtimes. Parents who take part in the program receive a graduation certificate and a kitchen starter kit, including a crock pot, cook book, spice rack, chef’s knife, measuring cups/spoons and olive oil. WWCP's goal is to help cultivate good eating habits, but also ensure that families have all that they need when they transition to a new home.
The Green Tree Community Health Foundation is a not-for-profit public charity that identifies areas of vulnerability and provides funding to organizations in Northwest Philadelphia and eastern Montgomery County. Green Tree seeks to have a positive impact on current and emerging health issues and risks, empowering residents to access health services, and value, embrace and maintain their health.
Weavers Way Community Programs was founded in 2007 as the nonprofit arm of Weavers Way Cooperative Association. It is financially independent of the Co-op and governed by a separate board. WWCP’s mission is to empower children, youth, and familie to become healthy, strong, and informed through experiential activities centered on urban agriculture, nutrition and the cooperative economy. For more about WWCP’s farm and nutrition education programs, visitwww.weaversway.coop/wwcp.
'Hands-on' Programs at Stenton Family Manor Win Funder's Praise
Weavers Way Community Programs, based in Mt. Airy, has received a $15,000 grant from theGreen Tree Community Health Foundation in support of its Hope Garden at Stenton Family Manor. The grant was announced by Susan Hansen, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Foundation, on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
WWCP Executive Director Jill Fink said the funds would be used to expand the farm and nutrition education programs WWCP provides at Stenton, one of the city's largest emergency housing facilities for families.
“WWCP believes that to create transformative change for families and communities, we need to work with all family members. We’ve seen the excitement children have when harvesting turnips and tasting them for the first time, but if parents aren’t equally as enthusiastic — or don’t know how to prepare turnips — we haven’t fully done our jobs," Fink said.
"Green Tree’s support will enable WWCP to expand programming to work with all family members, empowering them with the skills and knowledge to make healthy choices and even grow their own food."
Said Erin Doyle-O’Connor, Green Tree trustee and chair of the Grants Committee, “As a dietitian, there are a few key factors I look for when evaluating nutrition education programs. Programs that are hands-on, teaching cooking and smart shopping skills, and those that involve the whole family seem to have the best potential for long-term impact. WWCP’s work at Stenton Family Manor fits this model beautifully, which is why we were so enthusiastic to fund their program.”
WWCP established the Hope Garden in 2009 to provide children living at Stenton with a safe place to be outdoors, to cultivate curiosity and inquisitiveness about growing fruits and vegetables, and to make it fun and exciting to prepare healthy meals and try new things. WWCP donates over 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the kitchen at Stenton every year.
The curriculum for the WWCP Parent Program includes basic nutrition and cooking and how to budget limit resources for healthy eating. There will also be scheduled time for families to take part in activities together – from gardening to cooking – to encourage family time and build relationships around food and mealtimes. Parents who take part in the program receive a graduation certificate and a kitchen starter kit, including a crock pot, cook book, spice rack, chef’s knife, measuring cups/spoons and olive oil. WWCP's goal is to help cultivate good eating habits, but also ensure that families have all that they need when they transition to a new home.
The Green Tree Community Health Foundation is a not-for-profit public charity that identifies areas of vulnerability and provides funding to organizations in Northwest Philadelphia and eastern Montgomery County. Green Tree seeks to have a positive impact on current and emerging health issues and risks, empowering residents to access health services, and value, embrace and maintain their health.
Weavers Way Community Programs was founded in 2007 as the nonprofit arm of Weavers Way Cooperative Association. It is financially independent of the Co-op and governed by a separate board. WWCP’s mission is to empower children, youth, and familie to become healthy, strong, and informed through experiential activities centered on urban agriculture, nutrition and the cooperative economy. For more about WWCP’s farm and nutrition education programs, visitwww.weaversway.coop/wwcp.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 10, 2015 —The challenge is on to name the 2015 Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philadelphia.
Brainchild of “V for Vegan” blogger Vance Lehmkuhl, the second annual contest, sponsored by the Daily News, culminates Friday, March 20, at Weavers Way Chestnut Hill, with a blind tasting by celebrity judges of the three most popular qualifying sandwiches.
Any restaurant’s meatless sandwich may be nominated but only those that are 100 percent vegan qualify for the finals. (Hint: “Just a little bit of cheese” doesn’t count.)
In addition to naming the overall 2015 winner, organizers will award “Best Newcomer” to the top venue competing for the first time this year, while the top vote-getter across all categories will win “People’s Choice.”
The judging tops off a Weavers Way Chestnut Hill celebration of the Great American Meatout, with sampling and info from vendors of vegetarian and vegan products, an all-vegan hot bar and our own vegan cheesesteaks for sale at the sandwich station.
With Zagat raters ranking Vedge No. 1 restaurant in Philadelphia in their 2014 rankings, and with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey going vegan and Beyonce launching a vegan meal-delivery service, interest in this cuisine is clearly on the rise. And in a city where the wit-witout divide shows no sign of ever narrowing, is adding no-meat, no-cheese to the cheesesteak options really all that farfetched?
From a couple venues a decade ago to a couple dozen in 2014, the vegan cheeseteak is showing up in crunchy vegan cafes and mainstream bars and pizzerias alike. Improvements in vegan meat and cheese alternatives – fillings range from soy to seitan to mushrooms, with store-bought or homemade vegan soft cheese – make these tasty sandwiches appealing to vegans and nonvegans alike.
In 2014 the Daily News sought not only to recognize quality but to determine how many restaurants offered a vegan cheesesteak. In the inaugural contest, 23 venues were nominated; in the final tasting, a unanimous judges panel hailedBlackbird Pizzeria (www.blackbirdpizzeria.com) as best.
Blackbird is back this year, but who knows what tofu-king topplers are ready to be crowned?
About Weavers Way: Founded in 1973 as a neighborhood food buying club, Weavers Way has grown to encompass four stores in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill and two urban farms. Cooperatively owned by 5,400 member families, “the Co-op” emphasizes products that are healthy, sustainable and local, and supports fair prices, fair trade and fair treatment of workers. At Weavers Way, anyone can join and everyone can shop. For more information, visit www.weaversway.coop.
PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 10, 2015 —The challenge is on to name the 2015 Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philadelphia.
Brainchild of “V for Vegan” blogger Vance Lehmkuhl, the second annual contest, sponsored by the Daily News, culminates Friday, March 20, at Weavers Way Chestnut Hill, with a blind tasting by celebrity judges of the three most popular qualifying sandwiches.
Any restaurant’s meatless sandwich may be nominated but only those that are 100 percent vegan qualify for the finals. (Hint: “Just a little bit of cheese” doesn’t count.)
In addition to naming the overall 2015 winner, organizers will award “Best Newcomer” to the top venue competing for the first time this year, while the top vote-getter across all categories will win “People’s Choice.”
The judging tops off a Weavers Way Chestnut Hill celebration of the Great American Meatout, with sampling and info from vendors of vegetarian and vegan products, an all-vegan hot bar and our own vegan cheesesteaks for sale at the sandwich station.
With Zagat raters ranking Vedge No. 1 restaurant in Philadelphia in their 2014 rankings, and with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey going vegan and Beyonce launching a vegan meal-delivery service, interest in this cuisine is clearly on the rise. And in a city where the wit-witout divide shows no sign of ever narrowing, is adding no-meat, no-cheese to the cheesesteak options really all that farfetched?
From a couple venues a decade ago to a couple dozen in 2014, the vegan cheeseteak is showing up in crunchy vegan cafes and mainstream bars and pizzerias alike. Improvements in vegan meat and cheese alternatives – fillings range from soy to seitan to mushrooms, with store-bought or homemade vegan soft cheese – make these tasty sandwiches appealing to vegans and nonvegans alike.
In 2014 the Daily News sought not only to recognize quality but to determine how many restaurants offered a vegan cheesesteak. In the inaugural contest, 23 venues were nominated; in the final tasting, a unanimous judges panel hailedBlackbird Pizzeria (www.blackbirdpizzeria.com) as best.
Blackbird is back this year, but who knows what tofu-king topplers are ready to be crowned?
About Weavers Way: Founded in 1973 as a neighborhood food buying club, Weavers Way has grown to encompass four stores in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill and two urban farms. Cooperatively owned by 5,400 member families, “the Co-op” emphasizes products that are healthy, sustainable and local, and supports fair prices, fair trade and fair treatment of workers. At Weavers Way, anyone can join and everyone can shop. For more information, visit www.weaversway.coop.
