Forgotten Harvest

Support Forgotten Harvest as they continue their work to provide food assistance and fight hunger. They have a lot to celebrate in 2014 including starting Forgotten Harvest Farms last year where they grew more than 850,000 pounds of fresh produce. Additionally, they have won Charity Navigator's 4 Star ranking for the seventh year in a row. This honor is earned and only 2% of the organizations they rate, hold the 4 Star ranking.

This "trucking company with a soul," is based in Oak Park Michigan and is a National Partner of Feeding America.

Feeding America is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity based in Chicago with a network of over 200 food banks in the United States. In addition to partnering with Feeding America, Forgotten Harvest holds the distinction of being chosen as Crain's Detroit Business's Best Managed Non Profit in 2007.

http://bit.ly/1mNyPTs

You can check out Forgotten Harvest's support of Jessica Hauser and Coach Khali of the Downtown youth Boxing Gym, "100% of the kids have graduated from high school and 96% have gone on to college",on the Forgotten Harvest You Tube page!

http://www.youtube.com/forgottenharvest

http://downtownyouthboxing.org/

The Forgotten Harvest Rescue Team is able to accommodate groups of up to 40 people and includes a variety of different ways to participate which includes and may not be limited to the following:

Warehouse Crew

Farm Team

DIY Fundraising

Data Entry Volunteers

The Volunteer Waiver and Checklist can be viewed at the link below:

http://www.forgottenharvest.org/volunteer/page.aspx?p=78

Forgotten harvest has 455 food donors, a donor base of about 100,000 people and a group of 16,000 volunteers.

Last year alone they rescued over 45.5 million pounds of prepared and perishable food and are now sponsoring the 22nd Annual comedy night featuring Tim Allen. (See below)

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Orchestra Hall

3711 Woodward Ave.

Detroit, MI 48226

To order by phone please call 313.576.5111

Questions & Concerns:

Rebecca Gade Sawicki at 248.864.7527

Only tickets valued over $55 will receive tax deductible benefit.

Sponsorship packages-Marc Berke at 248.967.1500 ext. 161

http://www.forgottenharvest.org/page.aspx?p=7

http://feedingamerica.org/

Atlanta Marathon

I decided to celebrate my thirtieth year by running a marathon and I have my eye on the Atlanta Marathon this October as it is within days of my birthday.

Yesterday I came across an article that both reminded me of this goal and brought home the importance of giving myself enough time to train.

I went out today for a jog and did about 2.2 miles (according to an online mapping program). I don't have a pedometer so for now, I can give my best guess.

Back when I was first getting into running consistently, my jogging route was about 7-8 miles.

This morning was a little chilly. I remember now that I would sometimes run with a nose mask when it was cold.

I'll be doing a review for a company that makes toe socks so look out for that soon!

Sending my encouragement to anyone who is taking on any type of endurance athletic event.

Dream Beyond Measure

AKS

The Fifty Co-Op Outtakes: The SITS Girls Badge

While visiting Oneika the Traveller I noticed that she is part of a community called The SITS Girls (see links below). Eventually I decided that I wanted to join the SITS community and made a first attempt at putting a badge on my page.

I say attempt because it took up until just a few days ago when I figured I would take another look at how to put up a badge. I finally noticed an HTML tab on my blog ( I think I may have been in the dashboard/back end section) and that brought up a page of what I'm guessing would makes sense if  I had an IT background. I ended up arbitrarily picking a spot in which to paste the link for the badge and that didn't work. I picked another spot which ended up working. Not only that, the badge ended up where it is now, in the upper left hand corner of my blog.

Glad, I got that sorted out. Visit the site to fact check me- I believe that SITS is made up of at least 40,000 bloggers.

http://www.oneika-the-traveller.com/

http://www.thesitsgirls.com/

Pooka Pure and Simple

I am always interested to learn about for profit businesses that incorporate social responsibility into their business structure. After speaking with Dawn Fitch, of the New Jersey based health and beauty business Pooka Pure and Simple, I came away with a sense of her commitment to inspire other business owners; not just in words but in action as well. Ms. Fitch is a graphic artist by trade and is an example of how multi faceted so many entrepreneurs are in their backgrounds and personal interests.

Q

 When/how did healthy living become a priority?

A

Actually it sort of started a little before the business started. I'd say in about 2000 I had gotten sick just going to so many doctors and they didnt know what was wrong...

Doctors kept telling me i was fine.

Really just being sick and not feeling well. I had to take a new look at what I was eating. Seven years ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I decided to forgo traditional treatment and instead focused on food, yoga and exercise

It gets easier every year because I really see the difference when I don't eat well.

Q

What was the inspiration for the Pooka Passion contest?

A

We've been in business for over 14 years. The thing people ask most is, 'How did you start?'.  'How can I start my own business?'.  'How did your sustain your business?'.  'How did you make the choice to walk away from corporate America?'.

We thought people would be coming to is with a lot of product questions.  I do a lot of speaking on entrepreneurship, if you have a passion, you can do it. All you need is just someone to believe in you.

We really wanted to help people get started. What we hope to do is to maybe have a Pooka Passion Club.People can get inspiration from each other

That was really important for us as a business for people to know that we support their passion and their dreams.

Q

How did you come to find out about the Indie Beauty Network?

A

It's funny, when I wanted to start making the products I read 'Making Aromatherapy Creams and Lotions' by Donna Maria Coles Johnson. When I really started making the products and getting into the business I needed a trade industry

http://www.donnamaria.com/

I had an old e-mail from her. I went back and looked at all the work she had done. She has been such an inspiration. I've gone on her Indie Business Cruise four years in a row

I even get produt liability insurance through her network. When your trying to get started you need that support. We've been members for about 10 years. The resources are amazing. If there isn't one, (a trade organization for your business needs) start one.

Q

Are there any ongoing activities of the Black Wealth Initiative as included on your blog?

A

That was an event put on by local fraternities and sororities. They do it once a year, it's a dialogue about cretaing wealth and keeping wealth. I do a lot of speaking in that area, starting your own business, employing other people...

I also started another business with a friend.....Beauty That Cares   

beautythatcares.com

'Beauty that cares was created by LaShonda Tyree,  Creator and Founder of The Handmade Soap coach and Dawn Fitch, Creator and Founder of Pooka Pure & Simple.  Sharing a love of creating natural products, they began to collaborate to teach workshops where others could learn about the empowerment of creating your own products and the benefits of natural ingredients.  The workshops were geared towards young girls, but they soon found out that women of all ages enjoyed the experience.

A big part of  LaShonda and Dawns business models incorporate, “giving back” so after each workshop they would ask participants to pick one item to donate and then a basket of the handmade items were sent to various womens shelters.  They incorporated into each workshop this practice of “learn it, make it, share it” , a circle of beauty! That’s when Beauty that Cares was born!'

We believe in civic responsibility and encouraging youth to start  their own businesses.

beautythatcares.com

http://www.pookapureandsimple.com/contact/

Wholevine Products

Whole Vine products are created by California based SonomaCeuticals. Cheers to the founders for maintaining 100% ownership of their company. This company is profitable with a purpose as it was founded,  "to become a sustainable wellspring of funding," for philanthropic organizations.

"The products' wine country sources ingredients are from 100% certified sustainably grown grapes and vines with natural nutrition and purity, and a traceable provenance of some of coastal California’s top vineyards."

Here are some bullet points regarding the products they have available to customers. Whole Vine customers can shop at shop.wholevine.com or they can visit the store :

707.547.4731

http://www.wholevine.com

Gluten-free cookies
Gluten-free flours
Culinary Oil
Artisan Wheat Crackers
Vine Grown Colors
Natural Cosmetics-Coming Soon

My favorite product was the Award Winning Oatmeal California Currant gluten free cookies. You can read more about the Sonoma County Harvest Fair's Double Gold award for gluten free desserts.

http://bit.ly/1elArB8

Through Whole Vine I learned about a Grape Seed Flour and Grape Skin Flour. According to the Whole Vine website, these Gluten Free products are farmed by Jackson Family Wines and offer various nutrients such as calcium, dietary fiber and essential amino acids and proteins.

Whole Vine has Cook's Tips available to provide information about how you can use Grape Skin and Grape Seed Flour.

* Grape skin flour helps to stabilize egg whites
* Make flavored salts and rubs
* Use to emulsify salad dressings
* Make juicier, more flavorful burgers and meatloves
* Grape seed flour keeps baked goods fresher longer
* Use grape seed and grape skin flour when making marshmallows.

"The grape seed and skin flours are rich in potassium,calcium, and magnesium, with a good amount or iron,copper, and zinc as well. Moreover, these grape flours provide optimal ratios of minerals, being high in potassium but low in sodium, while also having an excellent balance of both calcium and magnesium."

"Notably, the raw materials we harvest were the ones typically cast aside until now. We conceive of a time when everything in the vineyard is harvested for its highest best use, something we call Optimum Harvesting."

Whole Vine Theatre offers several videos for anyone interested in multimedia resources.

http://bit.ly/1jSxJHc

                                                        http://www.wholevine.com

Jovial Foods

Based in Connecticut, Jovial Foods got its' start in 2010 and has gone on to be mentioned on the Dr Oz show.

A variety of products are available including Brown Rice Pasta, as well as Whole Grain Einkorn Pasta and a selection of Gluten Free Cookies.

Gluten Free products have been on the market for some time now and Jovial foods is another company, fairly new to me, that offers these products.

http://bit.ly/KfmE46

Here is some interesting information about gluten free diets from the Jovial website:

"Gluten-free diets have also been used in conjunction with the treatment of other medical conditions, such as Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Others report not having any particular medical condition but feeling better when limiting wheat consumption."

I tried the Crispy Cocoa Cookies which are a vegan product made using Einkorn. The Jovial website gives some useful information about how the product is now made using Fair Trade certified ingredients, " which ensures that small farmers get just compensation and helps developing communities improve their quality of life." *Allergen information can be found on the Jovial website.

There is a feature on the Jovial Website that allows you to see a close up of the nutritional information should you wish to review it while shopping on their site.

If you are interesting in eating healthier and are new to cooking with products such as Einkorn Flour, or Einkorn Wheat Berries, you can view recipes on the Jovial website.

http://www.jovialfoods.com/recipes/

The recipes include such dishes as the Einkorn and Yogurt Breakfast Bowl, Gluten Free Whole Grain Pumpkin Quick Bread, Gluten Free Classic Lasagna, Einkorn Birthday Cake and Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie with Einkorn Crust. From a quick scan through it looks as though there are over fifty recipes for all types of food.

Jovial has been featured in several major news publications such as The LA Times, The NY Times and the Wall Street Journal.

You can request that your favorite store carry Jovial products and/or contact Jovial directly at 877-642-0644 from 8:30am to 4:30pm EST M-F.

The Jovial blog can be found at http://jovialfoods.com/blog/.

Enjoy.

5C

Amy's Kitchen

Most people who have food sensitivities are probably already aware of Amy's Kitchen, a frozen food company with a variety of vegetarian options.

One unique product you may not yet be aware of is the rice crust pizza. I'm not 100% certain about  the retailer from whom I purchased this item. It may have been whole foods. For those in the mid west, I think Sprouts may carry Amy's Kitchen products.

http://bit.ly/IPOT8z

If you are wondering where you can find Amy's Kitchen in your area, the Amy's Kitchen website has a Store Locator feature on their website.

http://bit.ly/IZWpgI

The FAQ's section on their website addresses a variety of points that consumers may want to review including information about everything from the 2012 completion of a transition to the use of cans that use no BPA in the formulation of their liners to their 2003 Kosher certification.Additionally, for those who are interested in vegetarian cooking, you can find a listing of vegetarian cookbooks.

I wanted to include more information about what makes Amy's Kitchen unique and through searching around on their website found that they have a periodic newsletter. The Fall 2013 newsletter includes a write up suggesting that customers save their POP proof of purchase tabs in order to trade for Amy's Kitchen products.

Currently, their website has a coupon available for download for .50 c off of any Amy's Dessert Item.
http://bit.ly/19t9wBJ

Amy's Kitchen has taken customer feedback about having lost weight eating Amy's and turned it into Amy's Diet Plan. You can find out about who they worked with in putting the diet together as well as some exercise tips.

http://bit.ly/1jbDOiC

I'm always interested to read about success stories so if you have also started a business and would be interested in sharing you story, I can be reached at thefiftycoop@gmail.com.

http://www.amys.com/

5C