Your co-op community, October 2015

This article was originally published in October 2015

Farm-to-School bagged apples

An apple a day makes good things happen. Now beginning its third year, our Farm-to-School partnership with Washington state apple growers and the Organically Grown Company provided more than $46,000 to Seattle Tilth in 2014. Proceeds from bagged Fuji apples in specially marked Farm-to-School bags supported educational activities for K-12 students and their teachers, including field trips to Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands and Garden Educator workshops that show teachers how to create classroom gardens. Look for the bagged apples in PCC stores soon!


Meadowbrook Harvest Festival

Friday, October 2, 6 to 8 p.m.
Meadowbrook Community Center
10517 35th Ave. NE, Seattle

Join us for cider-pressing, kids activities, workshops and refreshments. The PCC TasteMobile also will be there for a Kid Picks taste test.


Accelerate the Pace race

Saturday, October 10, 6:30 p.m.
Marymoor Park, Redmond

The Ben Towne Foundation Eastside Chapter is proud to present the second annual Accelerate the Pace 5K/10K race and kids fun run! Proceeds will be invested in groundbreaking research accomplished at the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research through Ben Towne Foundation. Stop by the PCC TasteMobile for some healthy snacks.

To personally fundraise for this race (individual, family, team), please visit Ben Towne Foundation’s fundraising site.

All donations from the personal fundraising page will go toward our fundraising goal and will support childhood cancer research. Thank you!


10th Annual Futurewise Feast with Friends

Tuesday, October 13, 6 p.m.
Palace Ballroom, 2100 Fifth Ave., Seattle

Feast with Friends is Futurewise’s signature benefit that brings Washington wineries, farms and local top chefs together to celebrate Washington’s rich agricultural bounty.

Top Northwest chefs and restaurants partner with local farms and food artisans to create delectable tastings from fresh, seasonal ingredients — paired with Washington wines. PCC Chef Lynne Vea will deliver an amazing meal.

To learn more about Futurewise and reserve your seat for the dinner, visit futurewise.org/feastwithfriends.


Food Bank packaging parties

Help package bulk foods into family-sized portions. Join us on:

Monday, October 12, 7 p.m. West Seattle Food Bank

Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 p.m. Redmond Hopelink Food Bank

Thursday, October 15, 7 p.m. Chicken Soup Brigade Food Bank

Wednesday, October 21, 7 p.m. Greenwood Food Bank

Pre-registration is not required, but please contact the food banks directly if your group has more than five people. To learn more visit pccmarkets.com/foodbank.


PCC pumpkin decorating party

Saturday, October 24

  • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Edmonds, West Seattle, Redmond, Issaquah, Greenlake Village and Columbia City PCCs
  • 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Greenlake Aurora PCC

No tricks here, just treats. Kids 12 and younger: decorate your very own pumpkin to take home. We’ll provide the pumpkins, craft materials and a healthy snack to get the creative juices flowing.


Woodland Park Zoo Pumpkin Bash

Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pumpkins for the animals, trick-or-treating and more are in store for little goblins and ghosts at Woodland Park Zoo’s family-friendly Pumpkin Bash. Discover a repertoire of animal behavior as hippos, bears, elephants, monkeys and other animals crunch, smash or stomp on pumpkins! PCC will be there Saturday to hand out hot cider.


Purple Stride 5K

Sunday, November 1, 8 a.m. to noon
Magnuson Park – Hangar 30
7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

Join in this 5K run or walk that supports the efforts of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. You can find us inside Hangar 30 in the Kid’s Area, where we’ll be making custom soup mix with kiddos 12 and younger. To learn more about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and to register for the run visit pancan.org.


Community grant winner

PCC is excited to announce that our third Community Grant of 2015 has been awarded to John Rogers Elementary in northeast Seattle. The school offers an ecology-based program for kindergarten students that focuses on honeybees. Students learn about basic insect anatomy, pollination, why it’s important to help bees and how to help bees.

Our grant extends this educational program for another two years. Each child receives “Busy, Buzzy Bee” — a scientifically accurate book about honeybees they can read with their families. Grant money will help purchase books and also go toward fresh fruits and vegetables for the kids to sample, as well as plants for the school garden.


PCC Cooks

Counter the cooler fall weather by cooking up some warmth in a PCC kitchen. Embark on a Latin Affair as we take you on a culinary tour of Latin America, tasting classic dishes from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Cuba. With Everyday Indian: Paneer, Chutney and Curry, you’ll learn to prepare three key building blocks of Indian cuisine — and warm up in no time! Plus, autumn is the perfect season to embrace the bread-making tradition, just in time for some holiday preparation. Yeasted Whole Wheat Bread will make you feel cozy, as you work hands-on learning shaping techniques from rolls to braided bread.

Our new To Your Health classes this quarter feature professional instructors and a range of nutrition-oriented classes. Good Mood Foods is guaranteed to cheer you, as we discuss the impact of diet on improving mood; and Immune Boosting Kitchen will give you the tools you need to eat well and feel well. Find the full class schedule online at PccCooks.com.

Also in this issue

News bites, October 2015

GE Golden Rice paper retracted; Farmworker ruling; Eat spicy, live longer?; and more

Vitamin D essential for whole body

It has long been known vitamin D is essential for building strong bones, but recent studies reveal it plays a critical role throughout our bodies, affecting everything from movement and weight to mental health and cognition.

Big Food is spending millions to lobby for less transparency

A handful of companies are spending heavily to keep information off your food labels, from GMO labeling and pesticides to the source of the meat you buy.