By: Kristin Evenrud, Front End and HR Manager
As 2020 draws near, I cannot help but reflect back over the past year and recognize how generous our customers have been during our Round Up at the Register quarterly campaigns. We raised over $7,000 in 2019 with most of the donations made up of pocket change. You might be wondering how many register trips it takes to make over $7,000 and the answer is over 14,000 transactions! Some of our customers shop several times a day and choose to round up on every shop.
Here is a list of our 2019 Round Up at the Register recipients:
Q1 – Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity – $1,645.26 – plus matching funds of $250 from Decorah Bank & Trust and the Oneota Co-op (total $2,145.26)
Q2 – Neighbors Helping Neighbors – $1,400.67
Q3 – Humane Society of Northeast Iowa – $2,000.79
Q4 – Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging – $1,700.05
Non-profit organizations are welcome to apply to be considered as a recipient for the Co-op Round Up at the Register campaigns at any time throughout the year. The application is located at www.oneotacoop.com/about-us/community. Our leadership team chooses the recipient for each quarter taking into account the Co-op’s mission and Ends. We are planning four quarterly round up campaigns for 2020 and look forward to helping our community give back.
Shopping the Co-op Helps Your Community
Unlike most corporately-owned businesses that make decisions primarily to maximize profits; co-ops make decisions to maximize services to their owners and their community.
The Oneota Community Food Co-op contributes thousands of dollars annually to local organizations in the form of sponsorship, gift baskets, and donations. Co-op shoppers give back thousands of additional dollars to local non-profit organizations through spare change donated in our “Round Up at the Register” campaigns held throughout the year. Thank you for shopping the Co-op and strengthening your community.
Below is a list of the organizations that the Co-op has contributed to in some manner:
• Downtown Decorah Betterment Association
• The Cornucopia Institute (An Environmental Non Profit Group Protecting Your Food Rights)
• Winneshiek Co. Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Winneshiek County Development
• Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce
• Farm to School program
• Iowa Environmental Council
• St Ben’s Mardi Gras
• Winneshiek County Cattlemen’s Assn.
• Nordic Fest
• Banquet of Blessings
• Boy Scouts
• Wisconsin Public Television
• Northeast Iowa Artist Studio Tour
• Northeast Iowa Peace & Justice Center Inc.
• Decorah Viking Athletic Booster Club
• Decorah Music Boosters
• National Alliance on Mental Illness of Northeast Iowa
• Habitat for Humanity
• MOSES- Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service
• Thunder Road
• PVMA-Food for Change
• Decorah High School Homecoming
• HSNEI-Humane Society for Northeast Iowa
• Luther Women’s Soccer
• Oneota Valley Community Orchestra
• Food Coop Initiative
• Decorah Human Powered Trails
• Winneshiek County Neighbors Helping Neighbors
• Kid’s Lunch Club
• ArtHaus
• Decorah Pride
• Decorah Walking School Bus
• Decorah Community Food Pantry
• Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging
