Locally owned - Where EVERYONE can shop!
Store Hours: 8am-9pm, Monday - Sunday
Owner Fest 2023
Co-op's Annual Owner Meeting happening Saturday, April 29th!
What’s Owner Fest, you ask? It is the Co-op's Annual Meeting where we provide a year-in-review, a financial update, answer questions from attendees, and announce the winners of the Board Election. Don't let the word "meeting" throw you off - it isn't all business! We have a lot of fun too. Owner Fest is a great way to connect with Co-op staff, our board members, listen to live local music while drinking and eating some great food!
About the Night
Social 5:00 PM
Be Happy Social Hour with live local music!
Meeting 6:00 pm
Meeting (Last call for voting. Ballots close at 6:30 pm)
Dinner 7:00 pm
Catered dinner from the Co-op and 17th Street
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Tickets are necessary to attend the dinner and cost only $5 per person. A ticket includes a dish of your choice, non-alcoholic drinks, and two drink tickets for either beer or wine. There will be a cash bar. (Ticket sales will be available in-store and online April 15 - April 27)
Pre-event registration participation will be used to calculate the quantity of food needed. Owners are asked to preregister whenever possible. However, tickets will also be sold at the door for $10 each.
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Those in attendance will be entered into a raffle for Co-op gift cards. Board candidates will also be in attendance, so the event will provide a great opportunity to meet prospective candidates as well as other Co-op owners, too. Owners will also have one last chance to vote for the board of director candidates if they haven't had the opportunity to vote ahead of time. At 6:29 p.m., the polls will close and the meeting portion of Owner Fest will begin with reports from General Manager Francis Murphy and from our board members. Owners will also have the opportunity to direct any questions to the board about Co-op matters.
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Dinner will start promptly after the meeting. Owners can choose either:
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17th Street - Pulled Pork, baked beans, and potato salad, with 2 drink tickets
Or
Co-op (Vegan) -
Cajun Okra Casserole: A New Orleans inspired rice casserole with onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, okra, and sweet corn.
Creole Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Oven roasted brussels sprouts and red onions drizzled with spicy honey mustard.
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Location: 17th Street Warehouse - 217 N 17th St, Murphysboro, IL 62966
Meet The Candidates
Erika Peterson
BOARD NOMINATED INCUMBENT
I have served on the board as Treasurer for the past three years. When I decided to run at the end of 2019, I certainly never imagined that I would be helping support the Co-op through the world’s worst pandemic in a century! It’s been a very interesting time to learn about the grocery business, to say the least.
The past three years have made the importance of local food systems clearer than ever. Sustainable local food production benefits consumers, the environment, and the economy. The pandemic has also made our basic interdependence clearer than ever; our individual choices ripple outward and affect the wellbeing of our entire community.
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It’s great that as Co-op owners, we have a voice in this business and we can make sure that the Co-op conducts its operations in ways that promote our mission and values.
Donna Margolis
BOARD NOMINATED
I am extremely passionate about the Co-op’s mission to Cultivate Community. Many people, post-Covid, still have not returned to their community activities, which has no doubt impacted their mental health. The Co-op has always been a vital partner in the community and prior to Covid, offered many unique events in the community room. Additionally, as the age-in-place model has become more popular, it is crucial to provide not only locally sourced/nutritionally dense foods but also provide a resource where people can find caring and exceptionally knowledgeable staff!
After retiring from Southern Illinois University, I opened a home healthcare company serving all of our local communities. Once it was operational, I pursued in earnest, my other love -- yoga; earning my teacher training credentials at White Lotus (Santa Barbara, California) in 2018, and began teaching yoga weekly at Yoga One o One.
In February 2023, I began pursuing a Masters in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine at Maharishi University. My passion is to guide/assist individuals in becoming holistically healthy through an integrated/balanced approach to wellness that is in alignment with my personal philosophy and yoga instruction.
I have both graduate/undergraduate degrees in accounting, and held numerous leadership positions while at SIU: Assistant Dean (COB); Director of Graduate Programs; Director of Placement and teaching positions: School of Accountancy and online MBA. Prior to SIU, I garnered accounting and business experience at Price Waterhouse (St. Louis); Ernst & Young (San Francisco); and was CFO of Inc. 500 company – United Science Industries.
Allegra Frazier
BOARD NOMINATED
I’m the Director of Program Quality and Impact at the Boys & Girls Clubs. I’m also Carbondale homeowner who does my
best to either grow my own produce or purchase locally. I’m from Tucson, Arizona, so I’m very interested in scarcity management and creating a space where quality food and environmental stability meet in a way that is universally accessible.
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In addition to dedicating my career to the ever growing potential of Southern Illinois, I have a professional background in ad copy, human resources, business management, and art design.
Thanks very much for your consideration.
Jessica Allee
BOARD NOMINATED
As a resident of Carbondale for over 12 years I am most excited to assist with the Co-op’s continued goal of modeling a cooperatively owned business and also to further its environmental sustainability goals. It’s important that the Co-op not only maintain but grow in its labor and environmental commitments as it continues to serve its owners and patrons.
I have served others primarily with a focus in mutual-aid. Over 7 years ago I cofounded the Carbondale Tool Library, a free resource, which is still helping regional residents. Shortly after, I co-founded the Carbondale Seed Library, which is housed at the public library. Both projects involve non-hierarchical organizing and collaboration with the goal of mutual benefi t to local communities. Additionally, I was an early activist in Southern Illinois Against Fracturing the Environment and more recently Southern Illinois Reproductive Justice Network. Also, I manage numerous social media pages in order to help groups such as Little Egypt Death Talks, Crab Orchard Lake Sailing Association, and Carterville, Cambria and Crainville Buy Nothing Group.