Ready to skip the fast food guilt trip for a healthier option? The North Pinellas YMCA is teaming up with the Suncoast Co-op. Now, you can get delivery of fresh, locally grown, chemical-free food to the YMCA every Saturday.
Haven’t heard of the Suncoast Co-op before? It’s a group of nearly 50 local growers who use sustainable garden practices right here in Tampa Bay, share their workload with “permablitzes,” and provide fresh food for our community. The co-op has an online market where everyone (not just members) can shop, and then pick up their orders at Saturday Market, at the Habitat ReStore in New Port Richey. Convenient for people living in that area; but not so much for others. Starting Saturday, for a small delivery charge, East Lake residents can pick up orders at the North Pinellas YMCA.
Just a few of the benefits of buying locally grown food:
1) no toxic chemicals or pesticides are used by the growers;
2) produce is harvested just one day before delivery; it doesn’t get any fresher unless you grow it yourself.
3) your dollars stay in your community creating more jobs for local growers.
One more thing: the prices are often better than you can find elsewhere. (I recently was in an “organic market” and saw that a head of cauliflower was $9! really?!?)
If residents spend just 10% of their grocery budget on locally grown foods, we can cut down on carbon emissions transporting food cross-country, and help grow our local economy.
Ready to give it a go? It’s simple. Every Sunday, the online market is “restocked” at www.Suncoastcoop.com. Product availability changes with the seasons, so there is always something new. The earlier you shop, the better the selection, as some items will sell out before the market closes on Thursday at noon. Hundreds of items are available each week, including seasonal fruits, veggies and herbs, but also baked goods, gluten-free food, dairy items, home-made jams, and more. Looking for local honey to help with allergies? Organic coffee beans? You can find them through the co op. Have you heard about the benefits of Moringa? http://www.naturalnews.com/037735_moringa_superfood_health_benefits.html (the fresher, the better, and it’s grown right here!). Shop for unique hand-made gifts, scented candles, soaps, etc. You can even find everything you need to start your own garden (including the labor!).
Most items are only available through the online market, but “extras” are sold at the Saturday market in the ReStore (behind the fence, you have to go inside the store to find it). You never have to buy items you can’t use, there are no preset minimums. And no money is exchanged until you pick up your order, now at one of three locations: the Habitat ReStore Saturday market, or for a small fee, the Tarpon Springs “Simply Fresh” market, and the N. Pinellas YMCA on Village Center Drive, right next to the new Y garden, where seedlings are sprouting, and before you know it we’ll be harvesting food there too. If you live in East Lake and would prefer home delivery, that is also available.
Help Wanted: The co-op is a volunteer-run organization, always looking for people who want to grow food organically, no matter how large or small the property, you can learn to grow enough for yourself or become a grower for the co op and earn some extra money. If you’d like to know more, please stop by one of these locations, or visit www.suncoastcoop.com.
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