Your co-op community, May 2017

This article was originally published in May 2017

Food bank packaging work parties

Help our partnering food banks by donating your time to pack our bulk foods into family-sized portions. Join us:

  • Wednesday, May 3 at 7 p.m., FamilyWorks Food Bank
  • Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m., Rainier Valley Food Bank
  • Monday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m., Kirkland Hopelink Food Bank
  • Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m., North Helpline Food Bank
  • Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m., Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank
  • Monday, May 22 at 7 p.m., Westgate Chapel Food Bank
  • Monday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m., Jewish Family Services

Please note we cannot accommodate groups larger than five people. For more information, including addresses and future dates, visit pccmarkets.com/foodbank.


Blood drives

Friday, May 5

  • Fremont PCC, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • View Ridge PCC, 3 to 6 p.m.

Bloodworks Northwest will be visiting two store locations this month.

Your donation can save up to three lives! Walk-ins welcome, remember to bring your ID. Learn more about donating at bloodworksnw.org.


Mother’s Day craft event

Saturday, May 13, 9 a.m. to noon Bothell PCC 22621 Bothell Everett Hwy

Bring your kids in to plant a flower and make a card for mom! Healthy treats will be served.


Kirkland Mother’s Day Half Marathon and 5K

Sunday, May 14 Juanita Beach Park 9703 NE Juanita Dr., Kirkland

PCC is the official “fruit sponsor” of this beloved Mother’s Day activity. The Kirkland PCC staff will be there with fresh fruit for race participants. Registration and packet pickup begin at 6 a.m. For more info click here.


BF Day Elementary – 125th Anniversary

Saturday, May 20, noon to 5 p.m.

BF Day Elementary school in Fremont is Seattle Public School’s longest continually operating elementary school. It’s celebrating its 125th anniversary on Saturday, May 20 with a free public carnival to celebrate the school’s rich history.

Staff from PCC Fremont will be there doing a Kid Picks taste test, free for kids 12 and younger.


Edmonds Health and Fitness Expo

Saturday, May 20, 9 a.m. to noon Edmonds School District Stadium 7600 212th St. SW
Free!

Community partners are coming together to promote health and fitness. Try the obstacle course, bike rodeo and the family gardening booth. Don’t forget to stop by the PCC booth and sample a healthy snack. Organized by Edmonds Parks & Recreation, Move 60!, Edmonds School District and Swedish Edmonds. For more information click here.


Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes race

Sunday, May 21, 8 a.m. Husky Stadium 3800 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle

Come together to raise funds benefiting JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research to change the future for the millions of people with this disease. This 35th annual event consists of an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 3-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run and the Diaper Derby for toddlers. View Ridge PCC is the official fruit sponsor — runners, stop by to refuel after your run. We’ll be there rain or shine! Learn more and register at JDRF.org; day-of registration opens at 6:45 a.m.


Edible City: A Delicious Journey

Museum of History & Industry

Special offer for PCC customers: Look for the coupon for $2 off one adult admission to MOHAI’s Edible City exhibit at the bottom of your receipt tape during the month of May.

Use receipt as the coupon. Expires May 31, 2017.

Kids 14 and younger are free. Installation runs through September 10, 2017. For more information, visit mohai.org/ediblecity.


Community Conversation: Addressing Hunger

Tuesday, May 23, 7 p.m.
Free!

Washington state is the 23rd hungriest state in the nation. One in six Washington households were food insecure at some point during 2013. Join moderator Enrique Cerna in this community conversation on food security in the region. Details and registration at MOHAI.org/calendar.

And the winner is…


PCC’s Community Grant winner is Alleycat Acres!

Alleycat Acres focuses on transforming underutilized urban space into neighborhood-run farms. The organization is devoted to the idea that farming connects us to our surroundings and that urban food systems are key in creating healthy communities. Past projects include an edible walking trail on Seattle City Light’s Duwamish Valley transmission corridor and a series of “farmsteads” in parking strips across the Central District.

PCC’s $2,000 Community Grant will be used for the Village Community Garden — garden space that Alleycat Acres has cultivated near the intersection of Jackson and 23rd in the Central District.

Since 2015, the project has transformed the parking strip, spanning one city block, into a thriving community farm, engaging both building residents and the broader neighborhood. By the end of 2016, the project reached 20 percent completion. The goals for 2017 are to develop education programming, secure garden space, purchase plants, and partly fund a tool shed including children’s tools. All food grown goes to those who tend the garden (250–300 people). All extra produce is donated to the Cherry Street Food Bank. Congratulations!


May customer service star

Leah Thomson, grocery coordinator at Kirkland, is always friendly, professional and very well respected.


PCC Cooks

Make it a bright spring with new ideas and classes suited to the season from PCC Cooks. This May, we’ll encourage you to begin a Spring Green Fling, with delicious greens-based recipes to boost your immune system and increase energy; and inspire spontaneity with Cooking by Numbers, where we’ll discuss underlying ratios and temperature control. Plus, explore the flavors of Southeastern Turkey with Anatolian Spring, and spice things up with demystified Thai Home Cooking.

Celebrate Mom by treating her to a class! Mother’s Day Tea offers a perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy an afternoon tea paired with miniature delights from scones to sandwiches to tarts, and Brunch and Bubbles serves up a delectable pairing of tasty brunch dishes and champagne. Find the perfect spring class at PccCooks.com.

Also in this issue

More accolades for the Mediterranean Diet

There benefits of a plant-based, high-fat Mediterranean Diet go well beyond nutrition — they extend to our planet and cultural heritage as well.

Letters to the editor, May 2017

Seed industry consolidation, Kimchi and health, Homemade kefir, and more

News bites, May 2017

UN: Pesticides won't feed the world, Organics protect kids' brains, Monsanto ghostwrote Roundup paper?, and more