Organic Moms Unite!
The Savannah Coop sprouted out of a desire for inexpensive organics for moms and their families. Run and organized by six Savannah mothers, these ladies have nine children under the age of four between them: Marisa Lilje, Melissa Beauchamp, Emily Sontag, Julie Scott, Carmen Vazquez, and Michelle Solomon. They all met through a parenting group and are from all over the country, some with previous coop experience and others that are new to the concept. The idea is to buy together in large quantities, in order to get a better price for high quality products.
Beginning in May 2008, these ladies have been taking bi-weekly orders from the community and their fellow parents for organic fruits and vegetables, fresh local milk, organic cottage cheese and yogurt, local eggs, and even local organic beef. Starting out in the house of Marisa Lilje, one of the moms, they have now moved to First Presbyterian Church in Ardsley Park. They receive about 30 produce box orders every other week. These boxes come from Destiny Produce, specializing in supplying co-ops with organic produce from the Southeast. You have a choice of large or small size and all fruit, all vegetable, or a mix. When the co-op finds a good deal on veggies or fruit, extra produce is ordered and up for grabs as a supplement to the box orders.
The Savannah Co-op is not a seasonal commitment, as with most co-ops, but instead orders may be placed on Tuesday for produce on Thursday. More about the program can be found here, as well as FAQ, a calendar, more about the organizers, prices and other helpful info.
