Food Front Cooperative Grocery

11/12/2024

Food Front Annual Meeting is tonight at 5:30PM - zoom link for those unable to make it in person: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86731884560

12/18/2023

Reminder to take the survey:

With the many opportunities facing Food Front, we would like to hear from you. Please review the pros and cons listed in the survey and let us know your most preferred options. Please respond to this if you are an owner of the coop and share with any other owners you know:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZ-XnDcrWpl0P_E6bdw22jfW9UC7851NwAUEBnRAhRd7dVDg/viewform

12/14/2023

Member Survey Time!!!

With the many opportunities facing Food Front, we would like to hear from you. Please review the pros and cons listed in the survey and let us know your most preferred options. Please respond to this if you are an owner of the coop and share with any other owners you know:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZ-XnDcrWpl0P_E6bdw22jfW9UC7851NwAUEBnRAhRd7dVDg/viewform

Member Meet Up!

Join us this Saturday, December 16th from 2-4pm at the Dragonfly Cafe in Northwest Portland. We'll meet to discuss ideas and options for the future of Food Front. Join us!

10/27/2023

Hello Food Front Community,
First, we want to thank you for all of your support, ideas, and energy as the process unfolds to develop the future of Food Front.

And now, we have some exciting news to share with you:
• Board of Directors:
o Voting closed on 10/25 (12pm). Thank you to the more than 380 folks who submitted their votes for Directors to the Food Front Board!
o Meet the Board here: https://foodfront.coop/board-of-directors/meet-the-board/

• Financing Update:
o We are pleased to announce that we have closed on a loan! Terms include $1M, 7.75% interest, 4.25% fees, 15 year amortization.
o We have paid back the loan from Beneficial State Bank and will begin the process of paying past due invoices to Food Front vendors and partners.
o With the balance remaining on this new loan, we have roughly 6 months of cash runway before foreclosure looms again. However, realistically, we have more like 30-45 days to finalize a plan. This is where we need your input. Please join us at the November meeting to learn more.

• November Board Meeting:
o When: 6pm, 11/28
o Where: Zoom, online only
o What: Anticipated to have presentations from the Board, a potential real estate development partner, a potential grocery store buyer, a realtor, a grocery industry consultant, and possibly more.
o Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of the different potential options facing the future of Food Front.

• Member Engagement:
o You’ve spoken, we’ve listened! You said you’d like to learn more about what opportunities the Board has considered regarding opening the store, redeveloping, etc.
o We have set up a Frequently Asked Questions (https://foodfront.coop/about/FAQs/) page with questions regarding ideas we’ve heard from members and answers about the viability of each option.

• And the GoFundMe is still up! Your generosity has helped to keep the lights on, the utilities paid, pests under control, trash hauled and more. We would not be where we are without the incredible support of the Food Front community! Thank you for your contributions and continued support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-food-front

Thank you for your support,
Food Front Board of Directors

10/20/2023

Hello Food Front Community,

Thank you to the more than 150 people who have already cast their vote for the Food Front Board of Directors. But we are still shy of the 200 votes needed for quorum! Only 40 more votes to go - please make yours one of them! VOTE NOW! (voting.foodfront.coop)

It’s time to VOTE for Board members - Voting is open!
- Voting for Board members is open from Wednesday, October 18 (at 12pm) through Wednesday, October 25 (at 12pm)
- The voting website can be found here: Voting.Foodfront.Coop
- Instructions on how to vote, candidate pictures and bios are on this website
- If you have any questions or issues voting, we will be hosting “office hours”
- “Office Hours” will be held at Food Front on Saturday, 10/21, enter the parking lot on 23rd Place. 11am-3pm.
- As a reminder, a vote may only be cast by an equity owner member, not household members
- We need at least 200 people to vote, so please do!!

Lastly, the GoFundMe is still up! Your generosity has helped tremendously to keep the lights on, the utilities paid, pests under control, trash hauled and more. We would not be where we are without the incredible support of the Food Front community! Thank you for your contributions and continued support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-food-front

And again, please, VOTE NOW! (voting.foodfront.coop)

Thank you for your support,
Food Front Board of Directors

10/18/2023

Hello Food Front Community,
Thank you for joining us at the Food Front Annual Meeting last night. It was great to see you.

We have a few updates and requests for you:

It’s time to VOTE for Board members - Voting is open!
o Voting for Board members is open from Wednesday, October 18 (12pm) through Wednesday, October 25 (12pm)
o The voting website can be found here: Voting.Foodfront.Coop
o Instructions on how to vote, candidate pictures and bios are on this website
o If you have any questions or issues voting, we will be hosting “office hours”
o “Office Hours” will be held at Food Front on Saturday 10/21, enter the parking lot on 23rd Place. 11am-3pm.
o As a reminder, a vote may only be cast by an equity owner member, not household members
o We need at least 200 people to vote, so please do!!

Annual Meeting:
o Loan update - the Board is within 1-2 weeks to closing on a loan. The loan offers the best terms of any we have vetted. It is $1M, 7.75% interest, 4.25% fees, 15 year amortization.
o We look forward to paying off the loan from Beneficial and especially making our vendors whole. We will let you know when the loan comes through officially, but thank you all in the meantime for your patience and support.
o Voting update - as noted above, voting for Board members begins on 10/18 (12pm) and runs through 10/25 (12pm). There will be “office hours” at the store for anyone that needs assistance, 10/21 from 11am-3pm.
o Many thanks to Collin, Silas, Defne, and Sanela for volunteering to run for the first time and help out! And thanks to Mike, Roman, and Tom for running as well and continuing to pass on information gathered so far to the new board members. We can’t do this work without you all - thank you!

Lastly, the GoFundMe is still up! Your generosity has helped tremendously to keep the lights on, the utilities paid, pests under control, trash hauled and more. We would not be where we are without the incredible support of the Food Front community! Thank you for your contributions and continued support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-food-front

Thank you for your support,
Food Front Board of Directors

10/11/2023

Hello Food Front Community,
We hope your week is off to a great start and you are staying dry out there!
We have a few reminders and updates for you this week:

• LAST CALL for Board members - Interested in becoming a Board member? Applications are due by Friday, October 13 at 5pm. Applications can be found on the Food Front website (https://foodfront.coop/board-of-directors/board-documents/). Send your application to Board (at) FoodFront (dot) coop, Subject: Board Application
• Annual Meeting - Food Front’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 17 at 6pm. It will be a Zoom ONLY meeting. If you would like to attend, please email the Board to request a link.
• Loan Update - The Board has been in contact daily with a lender who has offered Food Front the most favorable terms of any potential lender so far. We are eagerly awaiting a closing date and hope to get word soon. Beneficial Bank has been informed of the potential loan and is working with us through the process.
• Lastly, the GoFundMe is still up! Your generosity has helped tremendously to keep the lights on, the utilities paid, pests under control, trash hauled and more. We would not be where we are without the incredible support of the Food Front community! Thank you for your contributions and continued support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-food-front

Thank you for your support,
Food Front Board of Directors

10/03/2023

Our annual meeting is coming up

09/23/2023

• ‘THANK YOU’ so much to the more than 10 volunteers who came to clean up the landscaping around the store and empty the shelves of expired food and stale bulk bin items. You made a huge difference!
• 9/19 Board meeting: Another ‘thank you’ to the 30+ folks who came out to the board meeting. We had a lively discussion about how to use the space, what the process would look like for a sale (if it came to that; still exploring other options first), and thoughts about the type of grocery store folks would ideally want if Food Front were to reopen or another grocer occupies the store.
• The Board is very close to signing a $1M loan, likely in the next week or two, with much more favorable terms - 7.75% interest and more reasonable Broker and Lender fees than other loan offers they have received.
• The next Annual Meeting will be on 10/17, where you can vote for Food Front Board members. Voting will be online, via a link sent out in email. Only owners are eligible to vote. More details to come!
• Board Service: The Board has been hard at work to keep the building out of foreclosure, secure a new loan, and detangle all of the operations and logistics for the store. We feel the love and appreciation from members and we want to turn that right back at you - thank you, we appreciate our members so much! You are the lifeblood of Food Front!
• Call for Board Members! It has been a labor of love and some of our current Board members are tired. All roads do not lead to selling. However, the road to reopening is a long and uphill one, and the current Board just doesn’t have the time and energy anymore to lead that charge. If you’re passionate about the future of Food Front, then it’s time for you to step up to the plate and join the Board. Applications can be found on the Food Front website, under Board Documents. Please submit your application by 10/6 to board (at) foodfront (dot) coop, Subject: “2023 Board Application”.
• The GoFundMe is still up! Your generosity has helped to keep the lights on, utilities paid, trash hauled and more. Thank you for your contributions and continued support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-food-front

Thank you,
Food Front Board of Directors

09/20/2023

The Annual Meeting is coming up on October 17th, 2023. More details will be provided shortly. The board is looking for enthusiastic owners who have the time and want to make a commitment to the co-op to be on the ballot. Download application here:https://foodfront.coop/docs/board/Food_Front_Board_Application.pdf

09/08/2023

Check out the latest Food Front update!

Hello Food Front Community,

We hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend and are looking forward to autumn that seems to have arrived overnight!

A few reminders:

• Food Front is having a volunteer clean up event on Sunday, September 17 (9/17) from 10am-2pm. We will be decluttering the store, washing storage bins, and doing some light landscaping.
• Please wear sturdy, closed toe shoes. Also, if you can, please bring your own work gloves, trash bags, yard debris bags, compost bags, and cleaning supplies (rags and sprays). See you there and many thanks in advance!
• The next Board meeting is on Tuesday, September 19, at 6pm, in the Food Front parking lot (weather permitting). Please bring a chair.
• We are also looking for more Board members. If you are interested in applying for the board and being on the Annual Meeting ballot, please submit your application to Board (at) foodfront (dot) coop by October 6, 2023. Subject Line: “2023 Board Application” please. Applications can be found on the Food Front website: https://foodfront.coop/board-of-directors/board-documents/

Lastly, we have some exciting news to share with you. Food Front is in the process of due diligence on a $1M loan so we can pay all of our vendors, close the loan with Beneficial, and begin the process of exploring next steps - reopening, leasing, selling, etc. We will keep you posted on progress and appreciate all of your encouragement and support throughout this journey.

Thank you for your continued support,
Food Front Board of Directors

09/08/2023

Hello Food Front Community,

We hope you all had a lovely Labor Day weekend and are looking forward to autumn that seems to have arrived overnight!

A few reminders:

• Food Front is having a volunteer clean up event on Sunday, September 17 (9/17) from 10am-2pm. We will be decluttering the store, washing storage bins, and doing some light landscaping.
• Please wear sturdy, closed toe shoes. Also, if you can, please bring your own work gloves, trash bags, yard debris bags, compost bags, and cleaning supplies (rags and sprays). See you there and many thanks in advance!
• The next Board meeting is on Tuesday, September 19, at 6pm, in the Food Front parking lot (weather permitting). Please bring a chair.
• We are also looking for more Board members. If you are interested in applying for the board and being on the Annual Meeting ballot, please submit your application to Board (at) foodfront (dot) coop by October 6, 2023. Subject Line: “2023 Board Application” please. Applications can be found on the Food Front website: https://foodfront.coop/board-of-directors/board-documents/

Lastly, we have some exciting news to share with you. Food Front is in the process of due diligence on a $1M loan so we can pay all of our vendors, close the loan with Beneficial, and begin the process of exploring next steps - reopening, leasing, selling, etc. We will keep you posted on progress and appreciate all of your encouragement and support throughout this journey.

Thank you for your continued support,
Food Front Board of Directors