November Newsletter

In this month's newsletter:

• Sponsor a Co-op Family
• Impacts of SNAP Funding Cuts
• Ways to Save at the Co-op
• A Word from the Board of Directors
• Mumbai Chaat In-person Cooking Class 
• Fall Still Life Art Class 
• Cranksgiving
• Turkey Preorders
• Grab n' Go Thanksgiving 
• Thanksgiving Hours 
• Board Book Club 
• Art Market & Gallery Reception
• November Field Day Campaign 
• Message from Chef Sean Sherman
• Fall Owner Drive
• November Owner Deals
• Round Up For Good
• Recipe Features
• New Products

Sponsor a Co-op Family Initiative

As many of you know, SNAP funding will be completely frozen starting in November. In response, Common Ground is launching a Sponsor a Co-op Family Initiative to support our Food For All Owners during this challenging time. While we’re unable to fund this program on our own, we’re eager to bring our community together to help our most vulnerable neighbors. We’re currently gauging Owner interest in contributing donations in $25 increments, which will go directly to Food For All members in need. All donations, small or large, are welcome. For any contributions over $2,500, please email us directly. It is our hope to be able to meet the demand for all our Food For All Owners facing food insecurity.

Recipients will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis and will receive support in the form of Radish Rewards. Our goal is to raise funds throughout November—or as long as funding allows—to help ease the financial burden that so many are facing. The Co-op is the center of a vibrant, inclusive community, and it’s in moments like these that our cooperation truly shines. If you’re able to support our Sponsor a Co-op Family Initiative, please consider making a donation below.

Are you a Food For All Family in need? Apply for assistance below.

Impacts of SNAP Funding Cuts

by Sarah Buckman

There have been some devastating hits to nationwide food security in the last couple of weeks with the news that SNAP funding and other government assisted programs will be inaccessible on or after November 1st. SNAP serves 41 million people across the country, for whom any disruption or reduction in benefits can create immediate hardship, directly affecting their ability to access food and other essentials. For Champaign County, we know that more than 23,000 individuals are designated as food insecure and unable to access enough food due to the lack of money or other resources.

SNAP funding helps supplement food budgets for many of our shoppers, staff, and community members. Many soup kitchens and foodbanks are already operating at capacity and will likely face increased demand if benefits are delayed or reduced. 

This pause is a frightening reality for our shoppers as well as a financial hardship for our food co-ops, independent grocery stores, and our local and regional family farms that benefit from SNAP shoppers.

Ways to Save at the Co-op

Cooking Classes

Every month, we host both In-Person and Virtual Cooking Classes featuring local recipes and cultural cuisines!

Mumbai Chaat In-person Cooking Class

Saturday, November 8th, 12 pm - 2pm

Learn how to make popular Mumbai street food or chaat in our next cooking class with Sirisha Bhandaru. Chaat is an umbrella term referring to a variety of street foods from India that are spicy, tangy, sweet, warm, cold, crunchy and crisp all in the same bite. Chaat is one of the most popular snacks that varies by region. In this class, attendees will explore the foundations of chaat from fillings, chutneys, and toppings and will assemble many of their own to enjoy.

The menu includes:

• Bhel Puri: Onions, potatoes, tomatoes, puffed rice, tangy sweet and spicy chutneys, crispy and crunchy elements
• Paani Puri: Spherical puffed crisp filled with spiced potatoes or spiced white peas and a tangy flavorful water. An explosion of flavor!
• Sev Puri: a flat crisp cracker topped with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, chutneys, and crispy sev

• Dahi Puri: Spherical puffed crisp filled with creamy yogurt, sev, potatoes, and flavorful chutneys

Registration is $40 and includes a cooking kit. Co-op Owners can use promo code: OWNER for $5 off their registration. The meal kit includes preportioned ingredients and recipe cards.

Fall Still Life Art Class

Thursday, November 13th, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm 

Explore the moods and textures of autumn in the Fall Still Life Workshop, led by local artist and instructor Vivian Krishnan. Participants will learn fundamentals of drawing from observation, watercolor painting, and mixed media techniques by studying a still life vignette featuring the season's harvest. 

This course is open to all levels of students, including those new to watercolor. We will begin with ink and watercolors, incorporating more mediums along the way! 

*Students should wear clothes that can get a little messy and are encouraged to bring any art supplies they've been meaning to try out.

Registration is $40. Co-op Owners can use promo code: OWNER for $5 off their registration. 

Punch Needle Rug Ornament Art Class

Monday, December 15th, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm 

Learn the art of punch needle and make your own food-themed rug ornament from start to finish in this class led by Brittany Heyen of High in Fiber Rugs. Keep the tools and enough materials to make more at home with your new skill!

Participants will choose their ornament pattern from various food-themed options including egg, carrot, avocado, corn, eggplant, strawberry, banana, peach, and kiwi.

Registration is $35. Co-op Owners can use promo code: OWNER for $5 off their registration. 

Upcoming Events & Announcements 

Cranksgiving, Turkey Preorders, Art Gallery Reception, Board Book Club, Field Day Campaign, and more!

Cranksgiving

Saturday, November 1st, 10 am - 12 pm 

On Saturday, November 1st, from 10 am - 12 pm the Bike Project (TBP) of Urbana-Champaign will kick off its annual Food Drive. During this time, members of the organization will be on the front porch of Common Ground collecting food donations. 

A little bit more about Cranksgiving:

"This is a community event that TBP has been putting on since 2007. There will be prizes for the fastest time in the Alley Cat Race, and for most non-perishable items donated to the Wesley Food Pantry. It’s a fun event for all, to help build our community of cyclists and most importantly make sure that everyone has something to eat this Thanksgiving"

Turkey Preorders

Choose local this holiday season

Get a jump start on your holidays by pre-ordering your local, pasture-raised turkey from Triple S Farms. Select your preferred turkey size, receive special holiday coupons, and be entered into a raffle to win a free turkey!

Local turkeys are available in a range of sizes but are in limited quantities this year, so place your order early!

Triple S Farm local frozen turkey sizes

Small frozen turkeys (10 - 13.9 lbs): $8.95/lb

Medium frozen turkeys (14 - 17.9 lbs): $7.95/lb

Large frozen turkeys (18+ lbs): $6.95/lb (SOLD OUT)

A $25 deposit is required for pre-orders. Preorders are not honored until an online payment has been made. The deposit will be deducted at the registers at the time of pick up on either Friday, November 21st from 4-6pm or Sunday, November 23rd from 12-2pm.

Grab n' Go Thanksgiving 

Friday, November 21st - Wednesday, November 26th

Join us for this year's Grab n' Go Thanksgiving! Our kitchen and bakery have created a full menu to supplement your special holiday meal. Our Grab n' Go case will be transformed with delicious dishes made from scratch. Grab entrees, essential side dishes, seasonal pies, and more! 

Thanksgiving Hours

Board Book Club

The Serviceberry

Tuesday, November 18th, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Join our Board of Directors for their monthly book club! Stop by the Flatlander Classroom every 3rd Tuesday of the month for a discussion.

November's book is The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Word from the Board

by Andrew Muller

This Month the Board would like to highlight a product that the Common Ground recently carried in the produce section: The Pawpaw! 

The Pawpaw is a fascinating tree native to the United States. It’s the only local member of a large, mainly-tropical plant family (Annonaceae), and produces the largest edible fruit native to North America.

Art Market & Gallery Reception

The Artists of Marm

Wedneday, November 19th, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Join us for a pop-up art market and art gallery reception for The Artists of Marm, a group of seven local artists. From fabric art, mixed media, to Zentangle, acrylic, and watercolor, this group unites through their shared love of art and their commitment to grow and share their art.

The Artists of Marm Art Market will be located in the Co-op Mall Hallway while their group art installation is displayed nearby in the Flatlander Art Gallery. The artists featured include Tina Johnson, Leslie Barr, Jeannie Vansickle, Lorraine Graham, Kelly Warner, Ann Pimblott, and Kathy Micek.

Field Day Campaign

Save on Field Day Items & Support Native Foodways!

This November, get ready for gatherings with friends and family with big savings on all Field Day products! Stock up on staples like rice, pasta, beans and olive oil. Save on tons of spices and herbs, as well as baking essentials including sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips. Find the food you want for holiday meals like gravy, pumpkin puree, and stuffing mix. During this promotion, Food Co-ops across the country are making a collective donation to North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). Food Co-ops will donate $0.05 for every Field Day product sold. NATIFS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing Indigenous food systems and promoting cultural preservation within Native American communities.

By addressing economic disparities, food insecurity and the loss of Indigenous food knowledge, NATIFS aims to restore health, wealth and cultural identity to Indigenous populations. The organization's commitment to promoting Indigenous foodways education, facilitating food access, and revitalizing ancestral knowledge underscores its mission to create positive social impact and support underserved communities.

Message from Chef Sherman

Hear from Chef Sherman about how Co-ops are supporting Native Food Systems

Last year, Co-ops donated more than $140,000 to NATIFS! Help us reach a greater total this year by stocking up on Field Day products in November.

Owner News

 Fall Owner Drive & November Owner Deals

Owner Drive

Thank you for  your support!

We have officially ended our owner drive. We set a goal of 175 New Owners at the beginning of September, and we nearly reached it. Since September we have welcomed 150 new owners into the Co-op! Thank you for the new and continued support of Common Ground. We appreciate each and every one of you. 

November Owner Deals

Dozens of sales every month for Owners

Owner Deals are bigger and better than ever! We have a brand new set of owner-exclusive deals for November. Dozens of amazing products will be on sale for owners for the entire month of November.

Community News

Round Up For Good Update

Take a look at the incredible impact we made together to raise funds to support some of local community projects right here in Champaign-Urbana!

October's Round Up For Good Grant

More than $5,400 raised for Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this amazing total!

Mission: "JCRJ's mission is to educate our community about the Reproductive Justice (RJ) framework: 1) the right to have children, 2) the right to not have children, 3) the right to nurture the children we have in a safe and healthy environment. UCRJ lifts up work being done locally on these issues, on campus and in the community, and creates opportunities for community members to act to ensure reproductive justice for all."

Project Proposal: "UCRJ will use Round Up For Good Grant monies to support the UCRJ Birth Equity fund.

A primary principle of the Reproductive Justice framework emphasizes the right to raise children in environments free from harm, making Birth Justice a necessary and urgent corollary to the reproductive justice vision. In Illinois, Black birthing people are three times more likely to die from pregnancy or birth-related complications than their white counterparts. Birth justice activists therefore advocate for the creation of more support systems for pregnant and birthing families, including birth doulas and community midwives.

The UCRJ Birth Equity Fund will provide direct financial grants towards doula and homebirth midwife services for expecting pregnant people of color in Champaign County. By supporting wrap-around guidance and support throughout the pregnancy and birthing process, the fund will improve care for pregnant and birthing people and help reduce BIPOC perinatal mortality in our community.

UCRJ is a volunteer-led, grassroots organization that has accomplished a great deal since it was founded in early 2023. During its second UCRJ Week (April 2024), it engaged 45 organizations and reached over 650 participants. UCRJ is guided by research and practitioners from many partner organizations, including BIPOC for Better Birth, Planned Parenthood, Uniting Pride, Elevated Access, Cunningham Township, CU Public Health Dept., and the U of I School of Social Work. It engages in actions that directly help people, such as the distribution of "Plan B" contraceptives and creating abortion after-care packages for local abortion clinics. We would be honored to utilize funds from the Round Up For Good program to further reproductive justice in our community."

November's Round Up For Good Grant

Proceeds Benefit Common Ground's Food For All Program

Mission: "Common Ground's mission is broken up into 4 Ends that guide our organization.

• End 1: The Co-op is the center of an inclusive, vibrant community. 
• End 2: The cooperative movement is strengthened. 
• End 3: The Co-op serves as an educational resource on food issues.
• End 4: The local food movement is equitable, robust, and environmentally sound." 

Project Proposal: "Food For All is our food accessibility program. One aspect of our fourth end is to ensure that healthy and affordable food is accessible to all people. Food For All was created to do just this, and through grant donations and fundraising, we have been able to keep this program going. A Food For All grant will cover full owner equity, giving members all of the same benefits that owners receive. They also get a 10% discount on our entire produce section as well as on all Co+op Basics products. All of the funds raised through Round Up For Good will go directly towards providing our customers with that 10% discount."

Recipe Features

We've been cooking up some tasty recipes for your enjoyment!

New Products

Take a look at all the new items across departments!

Thanks for Reading!

Enjoy the coupon below on your next shopping trip.