Your co-op community, February 2016

Drink great wine, save wild salmon

Saturday, February 6, 3 to 5 p.m.
Columbia City PCC

Join us to meet and talk with Jacques White, Executive Director of Long Live the Kings (LLTK), and Kay Simon and Clay Mackey of Chinook Wines. Learn about the exciting work LLTK is doing to restore wild salmon and steelhead in Pacific NW waters, and taste Chinook’s delicious Long Live the Kings white and red blends.

Mister Rogers’ Sweater Drive

Now through Sunday, February 7

Help neighbors in need stay warm this winter by donating your new or gently worn sweaters, coats and cold-weather gear to KCTS 9’s annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive. All donated items go to Wellspring Family Services, Queen Anne Helpline and Northwest Center, serving Seattle and King County. Look for collection bins at any PCC store or drop your items off at KCTS 9’s Seattle Center Studio.

Give mason bees as gifts

Our food supply depends on bees for pollination, but bees are in peril. Be part of the solution by renting mason bees! They’re native, non-stinging pollinators that live in nesting blocks you can hang in your yard or garden. You need a sunny spot to hang the kit, spring blooming flowers and mud for the cell walls in the nest. Order from Rent Mason Bees at rentmasonbees.com.

Be Mine, Valentine

Saturday, February 13

Greenlake Aurora PCC – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Columbia City, Edmonds, Issaquah, Greenlake Village, Redmond, West Seattle PCCs – 9 a.m. to noon

Join us for a morning of fun as kids create special valentine cards and crafts for their friends and family. PCC will supply materials as well as treats! Children 12 and younger, free.

Kindiependent kids rock series

Mount Baker Community Club
2811 Mt. Rainier Dr. S., Seattle
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Rock out with the kids at a Kindiependent concert! Kindiependent is “Seattle’s independent kids and family music scene” and features some of the best, local children’s entertainment groups.

• Saturday, February 13 — Brian Vogan & His Good Buddies
• Saturday, February 27 — The Not-Its!

More information at kindiependent.com, tickets at brownpapertickets.com.

A day at the zoo

Woodland Park Zoo
Friday, February 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Join PCC at the zoo! We’ll be there with the TasteMobile doing a Kid Picks taste test. Come visit us next to the penguin exhibit.

Reusable bag donation

For every bag you reuse at the register, PCC will donate 5 cents, equally shared by PCC Farmland Trust and the PCC Food Bank Program, unless you ask to keep the nickel. In 2015 your bag donations raised $33,094.59 for the purchase of bulk food for the food banks.

Food bank packaging work parties

Volunteer at one of our partnering food banks by packaging bulk foods into family-sized portions.

Monday, February 8, 7 p.m. – West Seattle Food Bank

Wednesday, February 10, 6:30 p.m. – Redmond Hopelink Food Bank

Wednesday, February 17, 7 p.m. – North Greenwood Food Bank (new location)

Thursday, February 18, 7 p.m. – Chicken Soup Brigade Food Bank

For more information, including addresses and future dates, visit pccmarkets.com/foodbank.

Thank you for helping the hungry

Since 1988, PCC has used cash donations from shoppers to purchase nutritious bulk food at wholesale prices to feed the hungry in neighborhoods served by PCC. Volunteers from the community repackage the bulk food, making the program a great example of neighbor helping neighbor.

The PCC Food Bank Program had another successful year in 2015. The program raised $133,001.19, which supported 12 local food banks by purchasing 109,805 pounds of bulk food. More than 950 volunteers pitched in to help repackage the food.

Food drives

PCC collects contributions for our 12 local food banks three times a year. In 2015 these food drives collected $75,483.78. During these food drives customers can make a donation by visiting their local PCC, finding the colorful displays near the registers, choosing a donation amount, and having the cashier ring it up. $1 can purchase 21 servings of rolled oats and $5 can purchase 60 servings of brown rice!

PCC Cooks

We at PCC Cooks think savoring a meal with your loved ones is a perfect pursuit every day of the year, but since it’s the month of love, why not treat yourself and the important folks in your life to a special culinary endeavor? Join our team of chefs as they share their favorite techniques and well-loved recipes with you in demonstration or hands-on classes.

Some delectable options this month include Dinner for Six, geared toward maximizing fun and efficiency in dinner parties for a few close friends; Flatbreads of the World, where you’ll warm up as you knead a diverse array of international breads; and Italian Winter Soups, which will have you embracing the cold weather with a bowl of steaming goodness. Cultured and Fermented: Coconuts, Nuts and Seeds and Cooking By Numbers offer options for adventurous cooks. Teens will love exploring the hidden forces behind food in The Science of Baking. Visit PccCooks.com or give us a call at (206) 545-7112 to join us in the kitchen.