A few months ago, I was home visiting my parents and went with my mom to pick up her "Bountiful Basket". For months I had heard my mom excitedly (and maybe a bit obsessively) rave about Bountiful Basket Food Co-op. While picking up my basket that Saturday, I met Stefani the Oklahoma volunteer area coordinator. I casually mentioned what a great thing this was and how I’d love it if there was one in Shawnee. I gave her a business card and we hit the ground running. By the time I got to my office Monday morning, Stefani had e-mailed me and was working on getting a Shawnee site started.
I was more than overwhelmed, at first.
There was a guidebook, training, conference calls. I was looking at my schedule and all the paperwork and thought – is this really do-able?
Once I volunteered, I realized this can be done and I want it for my community. We just had to train, find a location and get people interested! Finding a location was our hardest obstacle to overcome. Training was easily done (Thanks to my mom who trained under the Altus site then drove up here for 3 weeks to train me!) A location finally came through at the first of the year and we had a start date. We have been an active site since January 21. With a background in marketing, getting people involved - was the easiest and most fun for me!Our first week we had 18 participants, then 32, then 50. Overall, around 65 people have participated. I now see why my mom was so excited (and obsessed) with this co-op. It’s such an amazing opportunity for families to eat healthy and on a budget. I am so hooked on my produce baskets and love telling other people about it.
Today marks the 4th week of participation. I love “Bountiful Basket” weeks. I cannot wait to see how many people will participate! Then I cannot wait until Saturday morning to find out what produce we will receive! (I love that surprise – I think everyone else does too)
Want to know more about Bountiful Baskets? I would love to tell you about it. Just ask.
www.bountifulbaskets.org
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