We are so grateful for the abundant support from our community that has allowed us to grow and thrive over the last five years. In an expression of our gratitude, and in alignment with the seventh cooperative principle: concern for community, we choose to give back to organizations that share our vision and values.

Every day we offer fresh brewed coffee to customers at the requested donation price of $1.00 per cup. The proceeds from the coffee sales cover the small cost of the coffee supplies, which is provided at a discount thanks to Griffin Creek Coffee, and the remaining bulk of the funds are donated.

We are thankful and proud to announce that this year we were able to increase our total giving from this fund by 53% and donate to three additional organizations. In 2016, we were able to give a total of $2,300 to the ten following organizations:

• Our Family Farms Coalition is an advocate for family farms and traditional seed crops. They work to strengthen local communities by supporting collaboration, legislation and education to create GE-free agricultural zones in the United States and around the world.

• Orchard Hill Elementary School: Kyle Carson’s 5th Grade Class at Orchard Hill incorporated regular nutrition education lessons in 2016. The co-op was able to provide a donation to help with food purchases, and the class invited us for a hands-on demonstration on how to make easy, healthy snacks! If you are a school teacher in the Rogue Valley looking for hands-on assistance with nutrition education in your classroom, email us at outreach@medfordfood.coop.

• 2016 Up & Coming Grants to Start-up Food Co-ops: The Up and Coming Food Co-op Conference is focused on helping communities start their own food co-ops. This event also offers resources and workshops for co-ops in the first years of operation, with the aim of helping them achieve success. Held each year since 2010, Up and Coming is coordinated by the Indiana Cooperative Development Center and it's partner Food Co-op Initiative.

• Women in Sustainable Agriculture Conference Scholarship: The national Women in Sustainable Agriculture Conference was held in Portland in November. OSU Small Farms Extension helped coordinate scholarship funds so that local farmers could attend.

• Redemption Ridge exists to provide healing and restoration to female victims of commercial domestic sex trafficking in a safe and loving family environment in order to give them hope and a future. Their vision is to offer a successful path to freedom for female victims of sexual exploitation. They are dedicated to seeing young survivors emerge with their God-given rights of dignity, hope and purpose through a holistic, trauma informed approach.

• CASA of Jackson County: Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, provides a powerful voice for abused and neglected children. In an overburdened system, children risk slipping through the cracks and suffering from further abuse. CASA volunteers have the power to prevent this tragic reality. These dedicated, highly-trained community members serve as fact finders for the judge by researching the background of each assigned case. They speak for the child in the courtroom, representing the child’s best interests, and work to move the child as quickly and effectively as possible through the system and into a safe, permanent home.

• Family Nurturing Center’s Farm & Food Program provides experiences where families learn to grow, prepare, and preserve healthy food. Their goal is to use these experiences to help parents build protective factors such as nurturing parenting skills, strong employment skills, increased food security, positive social supports and connection to their community, and increased health and wellness for their whole family. They have served over 400 parents and children since their program began with a Dads Play group in 2011, helping families to change their lives through a positive, joyful experience, learning traditional family based skills.

• Cooperative Development Foundation’s Howard Bowers Fund: The purpose of the Bowers Fund is to strengthen the food co-op community and it does this by giving grants for the training and education of food co-op staff, managers, and board members.

• ACCESS – Jackson County Food Banks: ACCESS provides food to 24 emergency food pantries located throughout Jackson County. These pantries provide a variety of fresh and shelf-stable groceries to low-income families and individuals. Each food box contains a 3-5 day supply of food.

• Rogue Valley Pollinator Project came together to promote the health of pollinators in our communities and beyond. They are assessing the risks to pollinators, developing solutions to limit those risks, and advocating for policies and practices that will protect our diverse pollinators.

As the co-op continues to grow, our community contributions will grow, too. Thank you for helping us give back. We look forward to making an even bigger impact in 2017!