The Latest - Archive

HPC Board Meeting

Event: 
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Meetings are held upstairs from the co-op, across the
hall from the dance studio

The Great Zucchini Contest -- last day of weigh-in

Event: 
Mon, 08/04/2008 (All day)

This is the last day to weigh your zucchinis! There are three categories of participants: Zucchini Maestro, Squash Novice, and Cucurbit Kids.

Judging and prizes: You may bring your zucchini to the co-op for weighing any time between July 28 and August 4. Winners will be announced at the end of the weigh-in period. All entrants will be provided with a photo of you and your zucchini to show off to your friends. Prizes for each category are gift certificates to Hampden Park Co-op.

The Giant Zucchini Contest is co-sponsored by Wisconsin Growers, the Aamot family of Turtle Creek Farm, and Hampden Park Co-op.

Board Meeting

Event: 
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm

First on the agenda, a warm welcome to newly-elected board members Huong Nguyen and A. K. Vincent, who are replacing outgoing members Gregg Richardson and Sarah Matala. Kathy Vaughan will join them as this year’s staff representative, replacing Matt Hass. Current board member Marcia Hanson was elected for another term. Continuing board members include Jay Dregni, Karen Gill-Gerbig, Nicolet Lyon, Roseanne Rivers, and Lisa Scribner.

2010 Hampden Park Co-op Board

Posted Mon, 12/07/2009 - 10:51pm

On December 17 at 6:30 p.m. the 2010 HPC board will meet to plan for the coming year. They will welcome newly-elected board members Huong Nguyen and A. K. Vincent, who are replacing outgoing members Gregg Richardson and Sarah Matala. Kathy Vaughan will join them as this year’s staff representative, replacing Matt Hass. Current board member Marcia Hanson was elected for another term. Continuing board members include Jay Dregni, Karen Gill-Gerbig, Nicolet Lyon, Roseanne Rivers, and Lisa Scribner.

Volunteer for a Hampden Park Co-op Board Committee

Much of the board’s work is done by five committees: Membership, Personnel, Physical Plant, Finance, and Board Development. The committees are chaired by board members, and are open to any interested HPC members. If you would like to be on one of the board committees, contact board chair Lisa Scribner at mailto:board@hampdenparkcoop.com.

Looking for former Hampden Park Co-op board members

Posted Mon, 12/07/2009 - 12:53pm

Do you have a forgotten file or box full of documents from your board days? We'd sure like to have it! We're trying to assemble a complete set of documents pertaining to the HPC board. Contact Membership Coordinator Naomi Jackson at naomi@hampdenparkcoop.com.

Building Trust is the Wave of the Future

Posted Sun, 12/06/2009 - 8:13pm

—by Judith Sims

Did you know that Cedar Summit Farms has yet to turn a profit? That Whole Foods refused to buy produce from Minnesota and Wisconsin producers following the destructive floods of 2007? (Okay, so they followed it up with some kind of conciliatory gesture.) That hunger in the suburbs is now double that of hunger in the cities?

These are the kinds of details that make “Mapping the Minnesota Food Industry” memorable. It’s a study that offers a window on how Minnesota’s food industry works (and doesn’t work).

Focus Groups: Making Your Voices Heard

Posted Wed, 12/02/2009 - 12:23am

—by Melissa Williams

The building purchase and expansion have successfully completed their initial phase, and the board wants to ensure that they’re hearing the voices of the membership on matters related to the future of the co-op. The membership committee took up this challenge and decided to set up focus groups comprised of shareholders. These groups have been small — no more than 15 — and have met for about 60–90 minutes. Our first two groups met on October 24th and 26th and were comprised of some of our most frequent shoppers. We asked five questions:

Say "Cheese"!

Posted Tue, 12/01/2009 - 6:00am
Featured resource: 
Classic Cheese Fondue

—by Anne Holzman

Hampden Park Co-op’s cheese manager, Linda Andersen, is looking forward to a special kind of holiday cheer this year.

“The thing about this year that’s going to be nice is, we have more room to display cheese,” Andersen said. By the end of October, she had put in orders for some holiday favorites and was ready to entice customers to try something new.

“The crowd here, they like some fancy stuff, but mainly cheddar,” she said. She likes to encourage adventure, but she tries to keep the regulars happy too. “I’m also listening to what people want,” she said.

One common request is goat cheese, for people who can’t digest cow’s milk. The expanded space has offered her the opportunity to “give them more variety.”

Head to the Kitchen: It’s Time for Meditation

Posted Tue, 12/01/2009 - 6:00am

—by Jill Cadwell

It’s another busy day chock full of… everything! The alarm clock rings too early, the kids need to be brought places, the job will require full attention and energy for the eight-hour workday. It’s exactly the kind of day that should come with a built-in getaway. And it can—if you think of your kitchen as your meditation room. Making dinner (instead of having to make dinner) or baking a batch of cookies after the kids have gone to bed can be your re-centering time, your fulfilling “om” in an otherwise hectic day.

Voluntary Simplicity

Posted Tue, 12/01/2009 - 6:00am

—by Chris Dart

Last spring six members of Hampden Park Co-op participated in a self-study course on Voluntary Simplicity. The course uses a workbook of the same name published by the Northwest Earth Institute that includes numerous essays from luminaries, philosophers, and scholars examining the choice of intentionally simplifying one’s life.