UPDATES: 
Archives of the Olympia Food Co-op Blog of 2010 – 2015- Archives of Thurston County Talks 2011-2018
ARTS WALK AT OUR DOWNTOWN SPACE
Four artists will be showing at our downtown classroom space for fall Arts Walk. Please join us Friday 10/7 from 6pm-10pm and Saturday 10/8 from 12pm-6pm at 610 Columbia St SW.
Cyanotype prints by Gary Wessels-Galbreath, Oil paintings by Karin F. Kraft, Photography by Daniel Bernstein and Wearable art by Kaia Selene Ivry (made from co-op packing materials)
We’ll be offering an excellent complimentary selection of our wines and cheeses too.
NATIONAL DISABILITY INDEPENDENCE DAY
July 26th is National Disability Independence Day. On July 26th, 1990 the Americans
with Disabilities Act was signed into law. With the 33rd anniversary of this day coming up, the
Olympia Food Coop wants to highlight some key ways that we try to make our stores more
accessible.
The most recent addition with our goal of increasing accessibility is our Curbside
shopping program. This allows members to place orders online at www.olympiafood.coop and
have next-day pickup at the Coop’s eastside location at 3111 Pacific Avenue SE. This program
has no fees at this time because we want to minimize barriers as much as possible so our store
can “make good food accessible to more people.” For any questions regarding our Curbside
program; email: curbside@olympiafood.coop.
Another way our stores aim to support accessibility is by offering discount memberships.
We offer free memberships for seniors and those with disabilities. We also have a Cooperative
Access Program (CAP) for anyone whose financial condition may prevent them from shopping
at the coop. This membership is free and provides a 10% discount for all purchases except
alcohol.
In addition to these programs, both of our stores (921 Rogers St SW and 3111 Pacific
Ave SE) have automatic sliding entrance doors and support the use of personal service animals.
We appreciate the hard work of all those who contribute to disability rights movements by living
their authentic lives and everyone who strives to make a more inclusive and just society.
Post by staff members Awren Schwartz and Kaia McCracken
COVID UPDATE
Masks are optional for everyone in both our stores as of Monday April 11, 2022.
We ask that shoppers stay home if experiencing symptoms and offer online shopping with curbside pick up to all members. This service is currently free. More info We also ask that all workers stay home if experiencing any symptoms. We have a generous sick leave policy which allows them to do so without missing wages.
Currently the CDC lists Thurston County transmission levels as high and the Health Department recommends masks in public spaces. We have disposable masks and hand sanitizer available at the entrance of both stores.
We will continue to follow WA Labor and Industries (L & I) guidance.
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 29 – July 12, 2022
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 29 – July 12
Hummingbird’s Creamy Almond Butter…17.39/lb
Olympia Coffee’s San Fermin…13.09/lb
Hummingbird’s Raw Sunflower Seeds…3.39/lb
Hummingbird’s Pumpkin Seeds…9.89/lb
Coconut Date Rolls…4.69/lb
Prunes…6.19/lb
Flame Raisins…2.49/lb
Small Red Chili Beans…2.89/lb
Adzuki Beans…3.69/lb
Garbanzo Beans…2.29/lb
Small White Navy Beans…3.19/lb
Kidney Beans…2.99/lb
Green Lentils…2.89/lb
Brown Flax Seeds…3.09/lb
Golden Flax Seeds…3.19/lb
Black Chia Seeds…4.69/lb
Quick Oats…1.59/lb
Pearled Barley…1.79/lb
Millet…1.59/lb
*All items are organic unless indicated with an asterisk
WE’RE TURNING 45! SHARE YOUR CO-OP STORIES & WIN!
WE’RE TURNING 45! SHARE YOUR CO-OP STORIES & WIN!
Sharing our memories with you during our 45th Anniversary! Share your Co-op memories with us and enter our raffle for a $45 Co-op gift card! Send thoughts, stories, memorabilia to outreach@olympiafood.coop by August 1st 2022 to win!
Join us at Heritage Park on Saturday September 10th from 2-5pm for the drawing and to celebrate our anniversary with music food and fun! We will be paying special tribute to our Working Members at this event so bring your appreciation for all they do!
WANT TO WORK FOR OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP?
WANT TO WORK FOR OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP?
The Co-op anticipates that we will soon be hiring for collective management positions. We encourage anyone who is interested to take a look at the employment section of our website to see what we have to offer.
Applications are available on our website and in our stores at the Customer Service desk.
For best consideration, please submit your application by June 30th at 9pm.
For best consideration, please submit your application by June 30th at 9pm.
If you have further questions, please email hiring@olympiafood.coop
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 15 – 28, 2022
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 15 – 28, 2022
Roasted Salted Pistachios…8.19/lb
Olympia Coffee’s Morning Sun…12.95/lb
Hummingbird’s Sunflower Seed Butter…16.89/lb
Hummingbird’s Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts…13.99/lb Hummingbird’s Chocolate Covered Ginger…11.89/lb Hummingbird’s Roasted Hazelnuts…15.49/lb
Hummingbird’s Raw Hazelnuts…12.69/lb
Dry Roasted No Salt Peanuts…3.49/lb
Flame Raisins…2.29/lb
Medjool Dates…6.19/lb
Black Mission Figs…6.49/lb
Turkish Apricots…5.49/lb
Red Lentils…2.49/lb
French Green Lentils…2.89/lb
Garbanzo Beans…2.09/lb
Raw Buckwheat Groats…3.59/lb
Quick Oats…1.59/lb
Millet…1.69/lb
ROUND UP at the REGISTER for COMMUNITY PRINT!
ROUND UP at the REGISTER for COMMUNITY PRINT!
Community Print is now a recipient of the Co-op Round Up at the Register program! Community Print is looking for a new home after their buildings were damaged in the recent fire downtown. They are a member-run, community-supported letterpress studio, which has been operating in Downtown Olympia for over 20 years. They work with mostly reclaimed materials, from donated type to paper that was slated for the dumpster, making beautiful and tangible things in an antiquated fashion.
Community Print relies on funds collected through memberships, fundraisers, and workshops to maintain an accessible and affordable resource for independent letterpress printers of all experience levels. So remember to ask your Co-op Cashier to Round Up for Community Print from now until January 2023!
OLYMPIA PRIDE 2022
Olympia Pride 2022 is June 4th
From 11am to 6:30 pm at Port Plaza
From 11am to 6:30 pm at Port Plaza
The Olympia Food Co-op is thrilled to be sponsoring Olympia Pride again this year! Come join us at Port Plaza on June 4th to celebrate! We will be tabling and enjoying the entertainers and festivities. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket, say hello and check out our new Pride logo ware!
More info at:
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 1 – 14, 2022
BULK SPECIALS JUNE 1 – 14, 2022
Olympia Coffee’s Morning Sun…12.95/lb
Hummingbird’s Sunflower Seed Butter…16.89/lb
Hummingbird’s Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts…13.99/lb
Hummingbird’s Chocolate Covered Ginger…11.89/lb
Hummingbird’s Roasted Hazelnuts…15.49/lb
Hummingbird’s Raw Hazelnuts…12.69/lb
Roasted Salted Pistachios…8.19/lb
Brazil Nuts…13.99/lb
Short Grain Brown Rice…1.69/lb
Long Grain Brown Rice…1.89/lb
Arborio Rice…3.19/lb
Brown Basmati Rice…2.19/lb
White Basmati Rice…2.49/lb
Sweet Brown Rice…1.89/lb
White Jasmine Rice…2.49/lb
Flame Raisins…2.29/lb
Thompson Raisins…2.79/lb
Date Coconut Rolls…4.99/lb
Medjool Dates…6.19/lb
French Green Lentils…2.89/lb
Garbanzo Beans…2.09/lb
Raw Buckwheat Groats…3.59/lb
Quick Oats…1.59/lb
Black Chia Seeds…4.69/lb
*All items are organic unless indicated with an asterisk
SERVICE ANIMALS AT THE CO-OP
SERVICE ANIMALS AT THE CO-OP
We welcome service animals and their owners into our stores. We are creating an inclusive culture that encourages and accommodates shoppers with disabilities to participate fully in this community business.
We have created the following policy to help us provide a welcoming atmosphere and safe shopping experience for our members.
What is a service animal according to Washington state law?
· Dogs (can be any size) and miniature horses
· A service animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.
If a shopper is in the store with a dog or miniature horse, we assume it is a service animal trained specifically to support their person with whatever disability(s) they have. Staff agree to one designated person working to engage with the person with the animal, if necessary.
* Emotional Support Animals are not considered service animals by the ADA or Washington State Law.
WANT TO WORK FOR OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP?
WANT TO WORK FOR OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP?
The Co-op anticipates that we will soon be hiring for collective management positions. We encourage anyone who is interested to take a look at the employment section of our website to see what we have to offer.
Applications are available on our website and in our stores at the Customer Service desk.
For best consideration, please submit your application by June 30th at 9pm.
For best consideration, please submit your application by June 30th at 9pm.
If you have further questions, please email hiring@olympiafood.coop
WE’RE TURNING 45! Share Your Co-op Memories for a Chance to Win!
WE’RE TURNING 45! Share Your Co-op Memories for a Chance to Win!
Sharing our memories with you during our 45th Anniversary! Share your Co-op memories with us and enter our raffle for a $45 Co-op gift card! Send thoughts, stories, memorabilia to outreach@olympiafood.coop by August 1st 2022 to win!
Join us at Heritage Park on Saturday September 10th from 2-5pm for the drawing and to celebrate our anniversary with music food and fun! We will be paying special tribute to our Working Members at this event so bring your appreciation for all they do!
Bulk Specials – May 18-31
Bulk Specials May 18-31
Our Deli uses jade rice in many delicious dishes. It’s on sale soon in our Bulk department along with many other wonderful foods!
Olympia Coffee’s Big Truck…13.99/lb
Hummingbird’s Sprouted Salted Almonds…17.39/lb
Hummingbird’s Sprouted Salted Walnuts…12.09/lb
Hummingbird’s Sprouted Salted Pecans…18.09/lb
Thompson Raisins…2.99/lb
Coconut Date Rolls…4.79/lb
Cannellini Beans…3.19/lb
Adzuki Beans…3.89/lb
Red Lentils…2.09/lb
Green Lentils…2.49/lb
Jade Pearl Rice…3.99/lb
Yellow Popcorn…1.79/lb
White Popcorn…1.79/lb
Multicolor Popcorn…1.79/lb
Gluten Free Oats…2.49/lb
Steel Cut Oats…1.69/lb
Brown Flax Seeds…2.29lb
Crystalized Ginger…6.99/lb
*All items are organic
Ride your bike to the Co-op! Bicycle Community Challenge
Ride your bike to the Co-op! Bicycle Community Challenge in May 2022
Ride your bike on in to either Co-op in May and you’re eligible for a free treat and a ride card!
After five rides, you’re entered into our raffle for a $100 Co-op gift certificate! Log your rides here for more fabulous fun and prizes! If you haven’t already joined a team, join ours!
Intercity Transit Bicycle Community Challenge During May!
Intercity Transit’s Bicycle Community Challenge is here again!
Biking is fun, good for you and good for the environment. Ride your bike to the Co-op throughout May, and receive a free treat! Ask for a Cycle to the Co-op Ride Card, which you’ll have punched for every ride. When you log five rides, you can enter a raffle to win a $100 Co-op gift certificate!
Join the Olympia Food Co-ops team here to log your rides. Intercity Transit also gives participants great coupons and other prizes! For more contest info visit Intercity Transit’s website.
Bulk Specials April 20 – May 3
Bulk Specials April 20 – May 3, 2022
Stores Closed on May 1st for International Workers’ Day
Stores Closed on May 1st for International Workers’ Day
As a show of solidarity with workers everywhere, Olympia Food Co-op will be closing our doors on May 1st for International Workers’ Day. It is important for us as fellow workers to look back on the past 12 months to remember and celebrate the struggles workers around the world have waged this year for better living conditions.
From October 5th, 2021 to December 21st, 2021, members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) held a 77-day strike against Kellogg’s plants in Battle Creek, MI., Lancaster, PA., Omaha, NE., and Memphis TN. They won by approving a new contract with Kellogg’s that makes gains and does not include any concessions.
In Buffalo, New York, workers at the Starbucks locations pushed for unionization, with one store winning the vote and succeeding. This was the first Starbucks location in the country to succeed in unionizing. As of April 20th, 2022, a total of 16 stores voted in favor of unionizing around the county, with locations in Washington, Arizona, Virginia, and elsewhere.
In the month of October, nearly 100,000 workers form varying industries including health care, automotive, and entertainment held strikes for safer working conditions, higher wages, and better benefits.
We invite you to learn more about the working class roots of this holiday of remembrance. What started as a three-day general strike in support of the eight-hour workday on May 1st, 1886, eventually led to the police opening fire on the striking workers on May 3rd. The firing and resulting death of up to eight workers led to another rally on May 4th. A bomb was thrown in this rally, and eight anarchists were eventually imprisoned in retribution. The protesters were tried and convicted for murder although the prosecution conceded that none of the eight threw the bomb. It became apparent that the anarchists were incarcerated for their ideas and for being militant labor organizers. Two received life in prison, one received 15 years behind bars, four were executed, and one killed himself in the days leading up to his execution.
While this day reminds us of the continuous struggles working class people and families face around the world against capitalism, it also reminds us these struggles intersect with the ongoing fight for the liberation of people oppressed based on race, sex, gender identity, ability, age, immigration status, sexual preference, ethnicity and religion. May learning and remembering our collective labor history propel us into taking action to create a world where everybody is treated respectfully and equitably in society.
Below are resources we would like to share for this May Day.
https://sbworkersunited.org/
Have a happy May Day!
Masks Are Optional In Our Stores As of April 11, 2022
Masks Are Optional In Our Stores As of April 11, 2022
We will continue to follow WA Labor and Industries (L&I) Guidance: Masks are now optional when shopping inside our stores. We ask that everyone be respectful of one another’s choices. However, the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency and a recognized workplace hazard and we will continue to follow all safety measures required by state and local health authorities.
Community Sustaining Fund Spring Grant Cycle Opens April 1st
Community Sustaining Fund Spring Grant Cycle Opens April 1st
The Community Sustaining Fund’s (CSF) semiannual (Fall and Spring) grant funding aims to create a more democratic, equitable, nonviolent and ecologically sound society. CSF tends to award funds for start-up costs of projects that might otherwise go unfunded, but with the expectation that these projects will become self sustaining. Grant funds are derived primarily from the Round Up at the Register Program* at the Olympia Food Co-op.
*Ask your Cashier to add a prompt on your account reminding you to “Round Up!” for CSF!
April 1—The Spring Grant Cycle opens for applications
May 16—The Spring Grant Cycle application closes
Information and the application form can be found online from Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County at oly-wa.us
Co-op Extending Mask Requirement Until April 11th
Co-op Extending Mask Requirement Until April 11th
As Washington State plans to lift the mask mandate on March 12, the Co-op Staff has been pondering and debating about how to respond as a business operating our public spaces. We conducted a survey of the membership concerning the Co-op’s mask requirement. We received more than 1100 responses and over 800 comments! The results were almost evenly divided, with a slight majority in favor of following the state’s lead.
The Co-op is a private business, and as such, we’re allowed to continue to require masks in our stores. So after much discussion and thorough review of survey results, CDC mask guidelines, the Governor’s proclamation, and Thurston County Health Department statistics, we’ve decided to extend the Co-op’s mask requirement for an additional month, until April 11th.
As a natural foods grocery store, a high proportion of our shoppers are particularly vulnerable and sensitive. While Thurston County Covid infection rates are on the decline, Pierce County rates are still high. We’ve decided to support the most vulnerable in our community by taking a little extra time in transitioning to taking off our masks in the stores.
We will continually be reviewing community and national data around Covid risks. If infection and hospital rates continue falling in our region, we’ll end the mask requirement at the Co-op beginning April 11th. If numbers start climbing again, like they did last summer when the mandate was briefly lifted, we will respond accordingly. In the meantime, our online ordering for curbside pickup will remain available for all members.
This was not an easy decision to make. Staff has been extremely challenged when enforcing mask wearing for shoppers and this may become even more difficult without the state-wide mandate in place. We ask for your continued patience, support, and understanding as we slowly and cautiously move toward ending all pandemic restrictions.
Run for the board! Now accepting applications
Sign-up For a Box During CSA Week Feb. 20 – 26th, 2022!
Sign-up for a Box During CSA Week Feb 20 – 26th, 2022!
The Community Farm Land Trust invites you to order a Community Supported Agriculture box during CSA week, February 20-26.
Bulk Specials February 2nd – February 15th
Bulk Specials February 2nd – February 15th, 2022
End of the Season Garden Store SALE!
End of Season SALE at our West side Garden Center!
December 11-19th, 2022
Saturday & Sunday 11-5 only
Plant & Pottery 40% off ALL outdoor plants
10% All House Plants
10% off Large Outdoor Pots and Planters. Seeds, Seed Garlic, and Fall Bulbs on sale East and West now through December 31st.
50% off ALL 2021 Seeds Packets
50% off Seed Garlic
20% off Fall Bulbs Continue reading