February's recipient: Friends of the Mississippi River
Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) engages citizens to protect, restore and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities region. Founded in 1993, FMR now has more than 1,400 members, 17 active board members, and nine full-time and seven part-time staff. Friends of the Mississippi River focuses on:
- Land Conservation
FMR works with public and private landowners to protect, restore and manage important natural areas along the river and its key tributaries.
- Watershed Protection
Working with citizens and local governments, FMR draws attention to the health of local rivers, lakes and wetlands and brings citizen opinion to bear on decisions that improve water quality.
- River Corridor Stewardship
FMR engages citizens in a variety of educational, recreational, and volunteer stewardship activities that support their desire and give them the understanding to advocate on behalf of the river's public values at city hall or the state capitol.
So far in February, 20,268 customers have donated $8,801 to Friends of the Mississippi River.
Throughout our 40-year history, Seward Co-op has been committed to giving back to our community. In 2011, we introduced a new way for customers to deliver on this committment. The SEED is an opportunity to make charitable donations on an ongoing basis, during your transactions at the register. 
SEED is focused on organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community and/or support our P6 initiative — products that are local, cooperatively-owned/non-profit, and small farmer/producer. Through the SEED donation program, customers can donate to a different recipient every month. Choose to either "round up" your total purchase amount or specify an amount you'd like to add to your grocery bill.
Each year, interested organizations can submit an application to be included on the rotating monthly schedule of recipients. One month each quarter will be reserved for a food shelf. Seward Co-op may preempt the schedule for special circumstances such as disaster relief.
Past SEED Recipients
January: CommonBond
(totals: 23,578 customers donated $10,260)
December: Brian Coyle Food Shelf
(totals: 25,447 customers donated $12,011)
November: Open Arms of Minnesota
(totals: 22,951 customers donated $10,282)
October: Women's Environmental Institute (WEI)
(totals: 20,503 customers donated $9,110)
September: Brian Coyle Food Shelf
(totals: 21,143 customers donated $9,461)
August: Minnesota Food Association
(totals: 14,617 customers donated $6,300)
July: Seward Cooperative Community Fund (SCF)
(totals: 20,293 customers donated $8,682)
June: Brian Coyle Food Shelf (totals: 26,279 customers donated $12,271)
May: Midtown Greenway Coalition (totals: 14,891 customers donated $6,731)
April: Land Stewardship Project (totals: 18,199 customers donated $8,318)
Recipients are selected based upon how well their mission and goals align with Seward Co-op's Ends and P6 criteria. The SEED program does not subsidize partisan organizations or organizations that advance a particular religious belief.
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THANK YOU
Famine relief in the Horn of Africa: The United Nations declared famine in Somalia in summer 2011. More than 160,000 people fled to Mogadishu for help, resulting in thousands of families in need. From Friday, Aug. 12 – Thursday, Aug. 18, co-op shoppers raised funds for these refugees, with donations directed to the American Refugee Committee (ARC). More than 6,500 customers donated $4,716, and Seward Co-op matched that amount for a total of $9,432.
North Minneapolis Tornado: From Friday, May 27, through Tuesday, May 31, Seward Co-op dedicated its SEED program to support recovery efforts in North Minneapolis. Co-op shoppers contributed $3932.17 to our recipient, the Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, which supports the immediate humanitarian needs of those impacted. Seward Co-op contributed an additional $1,000, for a total of $4,932.
Contributions to the fund will be pooled and then allocated jointly by the sponsoring organizations to nonprofits that are providing support to those most affected by this tragedy — both immediately and in the coming months. One hundred percent of all donations will be redistributed to provide financial support where they are urgently needed.
Storms in the South: Over the weekend of May 6-8, Seward Co-op shoppers donated generously to help the victims of the storms that struck the southern United States. We raised $1,011 in donations, which Seward Co-op will match. Contributions go to the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF). The CDF takes no administrative fee for funds raised to assure that 100 percent of the funds donated reach the people and organizations that need help. A prime point of contact for CDF in the South will be the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund which will help to identify the needs of farmers and farm cooperatives and help CDF coordinate this effort with the wider cooperative community in that area.
Japan Tsunami: Over the span of one weekend in March, the co-op raised $3,064 for the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), which will aid with reconstruction efforts in Japan following the tsunami. Seward Co-op contributed $3,064 in matching funds to the CDF, for a total of $6,128.
Update: CDF is working with the Japanese Consumers Cooperative (a national federation of consumer co-ops serving or representing more than 600 cooperatives with 23.5 million members) to determine the best use of these funds. Every dollar donated will go to Japanese Cooperative recovery needs.
March Food Drive: Seward Co-op members helped us raise a total of $13,791 for Minnesota Food Share's March food drive. The total includes a $1,436 contribution from the co-op. All donations will go directly to benefit the Brian Coyle Community Food Shelf.
Thank you, Seward Co-op members and shoppers, for your generosity.
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