Viroqua Food Co+op Blog

Update: Masks now required by all customers during open hours.

Vernon County COVID-19 cases are comparatively low to the numbers in the rest of the state and country in general. This is great news; our collective caution and safety measures make a difference! However, we see cases increasing all across Wisconsin and the U.S.

We have a high rate of participation in our community of wearing masks while shopping, but we’re also seeing many summer travelers stopping in without a mask. So, we’re ramping up our efforts to get everyone covered while shopping in the Co-op.

Your Co-op staff is exposed to hundreds of people every day, seven days a week. Although we perform daily measures to keep ourselves safe and the Co-op sanitized, one of the best ways to protect our staff is for you to wear a mask or face covering when you shop. Covering your nose and mouth also helps our staff feel comfortable and safe while they are working to provide you the food you need.

In cooperation with CDC and Vernon County Health Department recommendations, the Viroqua Food Co+op is asking everyone age 5 and older to wear a mask while shopping beginning Monday, July 20th. A face covering over the nose and mouth can reduce the spread of CoVID19 in places like the aisles of the Co-op where social distancing is not always possible. As a courtesy, the Co-op has cloth reusable masks or paper masks available for free and will maintain this supply as much as possible.

We’re in good company with other Co-ops in Wisconsin urging shoppers to wear a mask; Willy Street in Madison, People’s in La Crosse and Rochester, and Outpost in Milwaukee all require shoppers to wear a face covering. Major retail chains are now on board. We agree. Mask up, Viroqua!

The Co-op can always serve you through our co+op curbside program if you cannot or do not want to wear a mask for any reason. Online orders with curbside pickup is here. Customers do not need to wear masks at pick-up. However, we ask that you remain in your vehicle.

Direct your questions or concerns to a manager, so our staff on the floor can keep working on sanitizing and stocking our shelves.

Thank you for your cooperation, patience, and compassion as we continue to navigate this ever-evolving and challenging situation.

Robert and Summer Schulz are the owners and operators of New Traditions Homestead located in rural Hillsboro. “I have been involved in gardening since a child. Our family always had a big garden and I feel it stuck with me,” shared Robert. He started growing his own market garden when he was in high school and college and would sell to local restaurants in his hometown. “I’ve always enjoyed the process of starting, tending, and harvesting produce. Growing food is essential and it offers a sense of self-sufficiency that I believe is important for anyone to truly feel secure in life.”

It’s an incredible understatement to say that global pandemics are humbling. They force us to step back and pinpoint what we deem “essential,” to acknowledge the people and services we cannot function without. Farmers – specifically those who grow nutritious food for their community – undoubtedly fall into this category. And they have already been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has opened the eyes of the public to larger complexities of the supply chain and how readily we took its near-flawless performance for granted. VFC is a resilient business based on long-term relationships with our local farmers and food producers – but as you’ve seen, local farms are impacted by the pandemic too. The Co-op’s retail shelves support farmers and protect the strength of our local food economy. Fresh organic produce, local organic eggs and local/ regional grass-fed meats are in good supply here!

Now is the time to run for a position on the VFC Board of Directors.

It was exactly one year ago when I was approached about running for the Viroqua Food Co+op’s Board of Directors. I have so much love for this community and all that it has to offer. It has an accepting nature that nurtures and supports the growth of individuals and families. The Viroqua Food Co+op is a priceless centerpiece to Southwest Wisconsin and strives to enrich the lives of all of those it touches whether as a visitor, a shopper, a local community member, or a farmer.

Viroqua Food Co+op congratulates Deborah Ecklund (right) on her promotion to Customer Service Manager and Rose Wildhack (left) to Assistant Customer Service Manager.

We are pleased to announce that Driftless Provisions is the recipient of the 2020 VFC Microloan of $2,855.

Josh and Noah Engel are the quintessential farmers in the Driftless region. Their farm – Driftless Organics – is located on McManus Ridge in Crawford County and has been supplying the Viroqua Food Co+op with certified organic produce for longer than we can remember.

Face coverings, one-way aisles, extended hours and more...

In these extraordinary times, I am filled with gratitude for those who shop for neighbors, thank us for our work, and instill hope and delight with the simple acts of planning a garden or a meal. Twenty five years of community focus on developing a local food economy, through the vehicle of this Cooperative, is about to be tested like never before. I believe we can weather the challenges by supporting each other, especially those who grow our food!