The importance of Round Up at the register

Spiral Food Co-op has been asking folks to round up to the nearest dollar at checkout for many years to support local nonprofits, but why? One of the 8 cooperative principles is “concern for community” which is sustainable development of our community through policies approved by our owners through their elected representatives. For us the best way we can help develop and support our community is through monetary donations raised by our Round Up program. In 2024 we raised $10,827.79 for 9 different local nonprofits that need these funds to continue the important work of conservation, education, helping those in need, rescuing animals, and starting new co-ops. So, when we say “every cent matters” this is what we are talking about.

This week we had a visit from a very special individual that is directly impacted by your donations, a beautiful baard owl from Carpenter Nature Center. She got to look around the store and seemed in high spirits despite being awake during the day when she would normally be sleeping. Her handler answered our many questions and we learned a lot about owls and the importance of CNC taking her in as a permanent resident. This doe-eyed beauty was found outside as a baby and has been raised in captivity, so she sees humans as competition to her as opposed to seeing owls as competition if she grew up in the wild. A standard human grip strength is about 50lbs per square inch but a owl is 200 to 500lbs per square inch which is made even more daunting when looking at her very long and sharp talons. In person she looked pretty big when in reality she weighs less than 4lbs and is mostly feathers. Another interesting tidbit we learned is that owls don’t see very many colors but their hearing is incredible with the ability to hear a mouse scurrying on the ground over a mile away.

 If you attended elementary school in Hastings, you probably have many fond memories of visiting CNC on field trips and probably learned a lot. Visiting them today is just as magical, educational and of course free! If you would like to learn more about Carpenter Nature Center visit their website at https://carpenternaturecenter.org/ and if you would like to help them continue their important work you can Round Up at the register here at Spiral Food Co-op the whole month of May.

For more information on our Round Up program visit our website or send an email to operations@spiral.coop