Another Reason to be a Proud Member: Patronage Donations

By Allison Weinhagen, Director of Member Services

A little slice of history to put this article into perspective: You’ll remember that City Market declared a Patronage Dividend for fiscal year 2012 of $1,287,056 based on net income from sales to its members. The City Market Board of Directors then voted to return 50% of this dividend (or $643,469) to Members in the form of a Patronage Refund. On November 9, 2012, the Co-op mailed over 7,680 checks to its Members, with an average check of $84.

As in prior years, Members had options to cash or donate their Patronage Refunds. Through donations, shared resources and Member Worker volunteers, City Market partners with local non-profits to enhance our local food system and meet the needs of our community’s most food insecure families. To these ends, City Market facilitated donations of members’ Patronage Refund checks this year to Hunger Free Vermont and the Intervale Center. Members needed to cash or donate their Patronage Refund checks by February 9, 2013, and they donated their Patronage by the thousands.

Now that we’re caught up, we’re excited to share with you what you, as Members, donated through your Patronage Refunds! On behalf of City Market, I recently had the pleasure of delivering a check for almost $3,000 to Hunger Free Vermont, an education and advocacy organization with the mission to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Marissa Parisi, Hunger Free Vermont’s Executive Director shared, “City Market’s Global Ends focus, in part, on working to end childhood hunger in our community. With 27,000 Vermont children living in food insecure households, Hunger Free Vermont is grateful to have an ongoing partnership with City Market and their Members to help address these hunger issues statewide.”

In addition, on March 9, City Market’s Board Members held their annual retreat at the Intervale Center. This was a perfect opportunity for them to present Travis Marcotte, Executive Director of the Intervale Center, with a check for almost $30,000 in Member donations.As you probably know, the Intervale Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that strengthens community food systems in Burlington and beyond. Over the past 25 years, they have transformed 350 acres in the Intervale, providing residents with delicious food and extensive open space for recreation and exercise, as well as preserving native wetlands and wildlife corridors in the heart of Burlington, Vermont. The Center’s regional and national work includes farm business planning, protecting Vermont’s waterways by planting native trees and shrubs, and developing innovative food distribution models like the Intervale Food Hub. Travis shared his appreciation of our Members with the Board. "We’re deeply appreciative of this incredible support from City Market Members! With these funds, the Intervale Center will continue to steward the one and only Intervale and further strengthen our community food system. This donation will allow us to help more farmers build their businesses; explore opportunities to enhance food production in the Intervale; and inspire other communities seeking to build a food system that takes care of farmers, eaters and our planet."

We’ve often called the Patronage Refund program our own local economic stimulus package. The money recirculates back into the local economy in so many productive ways: right back to our Members to choose what to do with the funds and back into amazing non-profits in our community working to end hunger and strengthen our local food system. I echo the appreciation for our Members; you are Co-op ambassadors in our community as we all work toward shared goals. For all of your many strengths and talents and for your contributions to our community, we’re grateful.