by Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
As we close out 2021, these things remain true: the global coronavirus pandemic continues, and our community remains generous. This holiday season we have had quite a few opportunities to support a variety of causes: local food security, children’s literacy, warm clothing for local people and Afghan refugees, and more. We’re also starting our Community Reinvestment Fund grant cycle a month earlier this year so that we can give to organizations at the beginning of spring when it’s time to get projects started, and we’re still working our way through the evolution of COVID-19 protocols we have in place to keep employees and shoppers safe in our spaces. Read on to learn more!
Holiday Fund Drive for Double Dollars and Partner Food Pantries Enters Month 2
We’re half-way through our two month matching campaign to support the Double Double Dollars Fund and our five partner food pantries: Goodman Community Center Fritz Food Pantry, Lussier Community Education Center, Middleton Outreach Ministry, The River Food Pantry, and Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center. There are two simple ways to participate: Donate to Double Dollars using the $1, $5, $10, or $25 scan cards at the cash registers; or reuse bags for packing your groceries at checkout. Whenever you reuse a bag, we tally 10¢ that we would have spent on a paper bag and instead contribute all those saved dimes to the Double Dollars Fund. When you support Double Dollars this November and December, we will match up to $10,000 to provide gift cards for our local food pantries to use to purchase fresh foods that are not as easy to get in the winter months. At the time of writing, the November part of the campaign was off to a great start, with $4,206.50 for Double Dollars, and $4,206.50 for our food pantries thus far.
Double Dollars is a nutrition incentive program to help those using FoodShare/QUEST purchase fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, and legumes; and seeds and seedlings for growing edible plants. The Double Dollars season runs October to May at the Co-op, and June to November at participating farmers’ markets. The Double Dollars Fund, with your cash donations and bag reuse combined, has provided over $300K to the program since April 2017.
The Double Dollars match benefiting our food pantry partners is made possible through abandoned and donated Owner equity. When Owners leave the Co-op, their equity invested belongs to them and they are given the option to have their equity refunded or to donate it to use for charitable purposes such as this match and the Community Reinvestment Fund grants.
You support local food pantries whenever you support Double Dollars. When people can purchase groceries instead of relying on pantries, pantries can then focus on those who need their resources most. Please consider contributing to the Double Dollars Fund whenever you shop the Co-op by scanning donation cards or bringing in bags to reuse. It makes a difference, and right now the difference is double!
For more information about Double Dollars, please visit www.willystreet.coop/double-dollars.
Madison Reading Project Book Drive At East and North Through 12/15
Willy East and Willy North are current donation sites for the Madison Reading Project’s community book collection drive. Through December 15 the two stores are collecting new and like-new children’s books for ages birth to 18. The books will provide thousands of kids with reading materials to enjoy over the winter school break and support Madison Reading Project’s annual giving partnerships with Empty Stocking Club, Reach Dane, and Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Madison Reading Project requests either hardcover or paperback fiction or nonfiction books written within the last decade that are free from harmful stereotypes. They also ask that the books are free from religious or religious holiday themes. Like-new condition means no rips, tears, damage, mold, dust, discoloration, odors, stickers/labels, handwritten messages, or stamps. More information about the Madison Reading Project and how to support the drive or make a cash donation can be found at their website: www.madisonreadingproject.com/communitybookdrive.
Big Bundle Up Campaign At West Through 12/17
At Willy West until December 17, we are hosting the Middleton Tourism Commission’s Sixth Annual Big Bundle Up Campaign. They are collecting new or gently used winter items (coats, scarves, hats, mittens, etc.) that will be given to the Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) for distribution. The Middleton Tourism Commission’s sponsorship of the drive is in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, who has teamed up with tourism entities statewide for the last 11 years to bring warm clothing to those in need. MOM’s wish list this year includes jackets and/or coats for teens and adults sizes six (6) through adult medium, snow pants in all sizes, and winter boots for children. Information about the 2021 drive can be found at visitmiddleton.com/big-bundle-up-2021-launch.
Thank You For Supporting Open Doors for Refugees
In mid-November Willy East was asked to act as a drop-off location for Open Doors for Refugees’ (ODFR) winter clothing collection drive. The new clothing collected from customers at East and employees across sites November 11-28 was part of a larger benefit supporting the more than 9,000 Afghan refugees hosted at Fort McCoy. ODFR is an all-volunteer, Madison based organization helping refugees make a home in the Madison area. If you were not able to participate in this short-notice clothing drive or wish to contribute more, there are other ways that you can support both Afghan refugees and ODFR listed on their website. Please visit opendoorsforrefugees.org/afghan-refugee-crisis for more information about giving and volunteer opportunities. Thanks to all of you who participated!
Community Reinvestment Fund Now Seeking Nonprofit and Cooperative Applications
Applications for the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) grant are now open, and we will be accepting applications from local 501(c)3 nonprofits and cooperatives through January 31. Some Owners and organizations may notice that the application cycle is a month earlier than in years past. Thanks to feedback and evaluation of past funding cycles, the Co-op moved the application process earlier so that organizations relying on funding for projects tied to the growing season will receive their funding earlier in spring.
The CRF seeks to fund projects benefiting Dane County with priority given to projects benefiting the Madison and Middleton metropolitan areas, organizations with limited access to funding, and projects that have not been funded by the grant program previously. Grants provide for innovative, hands-on, educational projects that impact a large group of people, reach out to underserved populations, create jobs or develop skills, foster social engagement, and offer opportunities for diversifying partnerships, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism. Grants are competitive, and this year the Co-op’s Board of Directors has allocated $35,000 from abandoned Owner equity to award. For more information and to download the application, visit www.willystreet.coop/crf.
COVID-19 Vaccine and Face Covering Update
At press time, Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) had just released Emergency Face Covering Order 5 to remain in effect through 12:01am, January 3, 2022. According to PHMDC “the number of people testing positive for COVID in Dane County has nearly doubled between October 23 and November 19, to an average of 163 people testing positive per day—about half of whom are not vaccinated. Dane County remains in CDC’s highest level of community transmission.” When community transmission is considered high or substantial (meaning there are more than 50 cases reported per 100,000 people per week or the percent of positive tests is 8% or higher) the CDC recommends all people ages 2+, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings over the mouth and nose inside public spaces. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation with this requirement for the protection of our essential workers and community. As we may have unvaccinated people in our presence at the Co-op, everyone must continue to wear face coverings at the Co-op for now.
On November 4, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released their emergency temporary standard mandating private employers with workforces of our size require COVID-19 vaccination or a weekly negative test prior to coming to work. While the standard was still facing legal challenges when we went to press, the Co-op began bargaining discussions with our employees’ union and preparing for compliance with the Federal rule. Anonymous polling of our workforce currently shows vaccination rates trending significantly higher than county-wide.
Have a Safe, Wonderful New Year
2021 was different than 2020; 2022 will bring different challenges and gifts. The pandemic continues to have its ups and downs, we continue to learn more as the science evolves, and what we do to support one another continues to evolve too. Take care of yourselves and each other now and into the New Year. We see you, we appreciate your ongoing concern for your community, and we know it’s not always easy. Here’s to continued cooperation in 2022.