UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE DIVISION OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS WASHINGTON, D.C. 20402 OFFICIAL BUSINESS THIRD CLASS HEW-391 DHEW Pub. No. (OHD/AoA) 77-20941 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION ON AGING *U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1977 241-212/4(77) 1-3 U.S.MAIL Sropping, sharing, growing, knowing... TOP LEFT: Quality and savings go hand in hand when seniors shop the DONALD D. SMITH, Director, National JUNE B. FARIS, Editor PATRICIA ROWE, Editorial Assistant TIM CHIAMARDAS, Graphics nutrition California Co-op Cuts Bills in Half The half-million dollar business is managed by Pat Coates and Sandi Piccini, two San Francisco women with no formal training in finance, marketing, or sales. Employees in their program include ex-convicts, rehabilitated drug users, reformed alcoholics, delinquent high school youths, and retired workers. Commenting on their motivations for starting the project, the two women note, "We thought we could feed senior citizens much more reasonably than the agencies that were doing it. We're saving seniors 30 to 80 percent on their food bills." Seniors who have taken advantage of the program enthusiastically agree. San Francisco retiree Harry Shuhart declares, "Those ladies are true good Samaritans. My wife and I are on a very tight budget, but thanks to the food program, we get so much more food for less money-and it's better and fresher, too." Humble Beginning The idea for the project, also called the Mobile Mini Market, began with a successful 34-family neighborhood cooperative the women started in 1972 and ran from a garage. "We fed 300 people in 45 minutes," Mrs. Coates recalls. "We'd go to other food co-ops and tell them we could show them how to do it cheaper." About that time, newspaper accounts of spiraling food costs and difficulties older people have in getting to shopping areas inspired Mrs. nutrition Stocking... Coates and Mrs. Piccini to launch the new service for the elderly. "We'd read about the problems that many older people on fixed incomes were having," explains Mrs. Coates. "We wondered just who is helping the senior citizens in this youth-oriented society. We decided to investigate and found it was worse than we thought. But we knew if a food co-op worked for our families, it would work for seniors." Continues Mrs. Piccini, "Because of our neighborhood co-op, our families were healthier and our children were thriving. We wanted to share it all with older people. The problem was that people didn't think we were for real-they were wary of two housewives who wanted to feed the world for nothing." Project Expands So the women dipped into their own savings and leased a warehouse in San Francisco's industrial district in 1974 to house the co-op. They persuaded local businesses to help with donations of time, money, or materials. They found a meat packer, produce growers, and suppliers of canned and frozen goods. Mrs. Piccini observes, "We knew seniors couldn't come to us, so we found a young man with a van who agreed to deliver the goods to senior centers in the southern part of town." Word of the food service spread and it grew rapidly. Today, seniors line up outside their food centers to wait for the mobile markets which deliver such bargains as oranges for six cents each, chicken for 49¢ a pound, and a year-round selection of the best vegetables available at wholesale prices. The average older person spends $25 for a month's worth of produce, eggs, chicken, and meat. Business Booms Each week, a staff of 26 buys 400 crates of produce from wholesalers, as well as 1,000 pounds of chickens Shopping ... and 650 dozen eggs from local farmers. It also packs 300 pounds of fresh meat in its own licensed packaging room. Throughout the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma, several vans make their weekly deliveries to local food club sites. Here the markets are set up and operated by senior members themselves, donating their own time. The mini markets operate in churches, recreation centers, apartment buildings, and even garages. In the Bay Area, all club sites are easily accessible. Twenty-three are in residential areas, and 19 are at community centers where transportation is already available. The rest are on direct bus lines. Mrs. Coates and Mrs. Piccini have acquired some sharper business skills along the way. Purchasing Power "We stress quality," Mrs. Coates remarks. "We buy now from one produce source in the city. This gives us some buying power. Before, we would go from stall to stall checking for bargains. But now because of our volume, if something isn't top quality, we just call them to come get it." The food project has its social side, too. Seniors like to display their cooking skills through frequent pot-luck suppers, banquets, and dinner parties. The flourishing exchange of recipes among food clubs has prompted the women to compile a cookbook of favorite menus and recipes contributed by seniors who like to experiment with the foods. The women believe a food purchasing program like theirs has advantages over existing hot meal programs, and they have initiated their own letterwriting campaign to Congressmen throughout the country. "Unlike current federally supported nutrition programs, Mobile Mini Market does not provide prepared hot meals," they wrote. "Therefore it is less expensive, more flexible, requires fewer personnel, yet serves more people. It allows each participant to pre |