Hello, Greenbelt Co-op friends and fans!
It's Spring! The weather is wonderful, flowers are blooming, allergies abound, and it's also time for two hugely important spring holidays, Passover, this week and Easter, next week. But, unfortunately, we also need to pause and reflect on the two recent mass shootings that have left many people dead in Atlanta and Boulder, and families and communities devastated. Having been a grocer for my whole adult life, I'm especially struck by the horror at the King Soopers grocery store in Colorado. Those people thoughtlessly and horrifically killed are shoppers and staff just like us who were trying to earn a living or knock an errand off their list to feed their family, but instead were met with violence. We also reflect on the rising anti-Asian sentiment that may have led to the shooting in Atlanta and we hold up the co-op values of equality, equity, and solidarity to value all people and ensure that people live free from persecution. Let's hold the victims and their families in our hearts and hope (and act so), that something is done to prevent these incidents from happening yet again. Sorry to get heavy in a grocery store email but it doesn't seem right to just gloss over important events like this that affects us.
Chag Pesach Sameach to all our Jewish friends and neighbors! Hopefully, you will have a joyous and meaningful Passover!
Whether you are having a virtual Seder, a Seder with your pod, an outdoors distanced Seder or something else, food is a big part of Passover. We are here to help you make just the right Seder whether traditional or exploring other food or cultural traditions. I'd love to see pictures of your Seder plate!
Here are three Seder plates I found on the Internet that may interest you:
Traditional Seder:
Passover Seder Dinner : Recipes and Cooking : Food Network | Food Network.
Michael Twitty, food scholar and blogger, has a very cool African American take on a Seder plate:
African American Seder Plate – Afroculinaria, as well as musings he has as an African-American and a Jew.
Passover: A Black-Jewish Food Musing – Afroculinaria.
Maybe you're trying to go more plant-based? How about a vegan Passover Seder?
How to Build a Vegan Passover Seder Plate | Kitchn (thekitchn.com).
Co-op has a special end cap of Passover items, including some nice wines for you to choose from.
Easter is coming!
We continue to have extensive seafood offerings for folks who are observing Lent whether fresh, frozen, or cooked for you by our Deli. We'll have a lot of seafood especially on Good Friday so check us out then.
We still have lots of items to help you help the Easter Bunny fill up your baskets: fun chocolates, jelly beans, and other candy. We even have really nice Endangered Species Chocolate bars on sale two for $5 and delicious vegan Cocomels for sale too, if you want an extra deluxe Easter! We'll be closing at 2pm on Easter Sunday, so don't come hopping in after that or some bunny will miss us!
Plant and garden to make it all beautiful
Teddy is going all out later this week to provide beautiful flowers, starter plants, and flowers in pots to help make your garden, or your dinner table, and house look special! He'll have plants from Tidal Creek Growers in Davidsonville, Maryland available starting Thursday, as we open up our mini Co-op Garden Center on the ramp! Also find wonderful bouquets for Easter, including Easter Palm bouquets that are really lovely. I'm excited for you to see what we have in store for you very soon!
You love the Co-op, spread the love!
I know just how many of you love your Co-op and we appreciate the appreciation! Sales and customers are really important to our Co-op and its future success and longevity, so I encourage you, in addition to doing all the shopping you can here, to also tell your friends and coworkers about us! If your friends and neighbors haven't been to see us in a while (or have never shopped here), they may not know all the cool stuff we have to offer. You can be our best PR/Hype machine if you just use word of mouth to shout us out! We are the only Greenbelt owned supermarket and pharmacy around! Be proud and encourage your friends to become our fans as well! And, yes, we see many of you sharing our posts on social media and spreading gift cards from the Co-op around and we're SO GRATEFUL! The grocery biz is super, even hyper competitive, so we can use all the help we can get so we can have our great store right here in Roosevelt Center for another several decades!
Our Deli team cooks so you don't have to!
New! A choice of Wednesday Chicken Meals! Chicken Dinner for TWO, with 4-pieces of roasted chicken, 2-small sides of YOUR CHOICE, plus 2-soft rolls for only $4.99, or the all-time favorite FAMILY Chicken Meal Deal, with 8-pieces of roasted chicken, 4-soft rolls, and 2-large sides: mac 'n cheese and a choice of potato salad or coleslaw for only $6.99!
Meatless Monday on March 29, will be a completely plant-based (vegan) meal. The Deli will serve the Macro Vegetarian Creamy Cashew Carbonara with Tofurky Italian Sausage and a side salad with balsamic dressing for $7.99!
Fish Friday is our most popular meal of the week with a generous portion of Salmon baked in Himalayan pink sea salt and garlic butter, with steamed broccoli and brown rice for just $7.99.
Each meal is available for pickup from 4-7 pm at the Deli. Walk-ins are welcomed, but if you want to secure a meal for certain, call to reserve 301-474-0522, by 1 pm on each day of pickup.
I hope that you have a safe and wonderful week!
Dan Gillotte
Greenbelt Co-op GM and E-mail Guy
During March-Frozen Food Month customers are being greeted by Ann Penguin and Elan Penguin as they hand out coupon fliers of COOL Savings that are good thru April 3. If you miss our “penguins” you will find the coupons at the registers. These are great deals not to be missed!
March Patron Appreciation Day will be Wednesday, March 31.
Here are four great reasons our customers are using Co-op's curbside pickup:
