Takeout Expands

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If you need a break from cooking, made to order hot food is available for lunch and dinner. Our trusty kitchen crew recently reopened the service counter seven days a week from 11am–6pm.

Chef Andy Catalano says his “bowls of the world” menu includes fun, energetic flavors of Korean, Indian, Levantine, Mexican and South East Asian cuisine.

Everything is made in-house from scratch with 100% organic produce. Our cooks use the same high product standards as the rest of the store. You won’t find things like artificial sweeteners, trans-fats or growth hormones in any of our food.

Made-to-order meals at our service counter (formerly taqueria) were suspended in March; part of a myriad of changes in responses to the pandemic. Our deli focused efforts on grab n’ go sandwiches, salads and heat n’ eat entrees, which are available seven days a week.

Our indoor seating area remains closed; however, outdoor seating is available and there are a number of spots around town for a picnic including Mill Pond Park and the Astoria Riverwalk, just a short walk away.

Click here to see the menu.

Harbor Donation

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Thanks to our generous community, we donated a giant check to a local organization that helps survivors of domestic violence. This morning our general manager Matt Stanley presented Harbor Executive Director Terri Steenbergen with $3,476.53 (while maintaining a safe distance of six feet of course).  Our staff raised the money by asking shoppers to round up their purchase totals to the next dollar in June.

The Harbor is a local non-profit that provides advocacy, prevention and support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. This donation is especially timely as domestic violence calls have increased, but fortunately there’s been an outpouring of support locally since the pandemic began.

“I think it is really important for survivors, even from a non-monetary perspective, to see that there is support for them in the community. Knowing that you are not alone and that someone believes you is so important when you’re in an isolating, abusive relationship, and so to have that community support is critical,” Steenbergen said.

Donations assist the Harbor in getting survivors out of unsafe situations, providing shelter, food, transportation and anything else needed. The Harbor’s crisis line (503) 325-5735 is active 24/7.

This donation is part of Change for Community, a program by which the co-op has been able to raise nearly $40,000 to donate to local non-profits.

Service Counter Reopens

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Now serving hot meals daily 11am–6pm

Our service counter is operating for takeout.  Take a break from cooking and enjoy items from our “Bowls of the World” menu, globally-inspired meals, fast and fresh.

Click here to see the menu.

Make sure you check out our grab n’ go cooler for sandwiches, wraps, desserts, sides, pizzas, heat n’ eat entrees, dips and more. Looking for a salad? Those are currently pre-packaged in the salad bar.

Our cooks make everything from scratch with 100% organic produce. Our kitchen uses the same high product standards as the rest of the store. You won’t find things like artificial sweeteners, trans-fats or growth hormones in any of our food.

Stop by or give us a call if you have any questions (503) 325-0027. Thanks!

Mask Update

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The state of Oregon is now mandating everyone wear masks, face coverings or face shields in public places.

We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support of our safety practices since the pandemic began. We had to make adjustments along the way and you’ve been right there with us adhering to the new rules as they come along.

Our latest move is to require all people over two years of age who enter the co-op to wear a face covering (scarf, mask, face shield) without exceptions. Our greeters and management are strictly enforcing this 100% face covering rule for the co-op. Unfortunately, we started to see too many people without masks claiming a medical reason for being unable to do so. It began to make staff and other customers feel unsafe.

For individuals who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition, or for folks who are unwilling to wear a face covering, we are offering a reasonable accommodation by way of our free online shopping platform. It is getting rave reviews from customers and gives access to all items that the co-op sells inside the store. We also have some face shields available, please ask our greeter.

We continue to diligently sanitize all high-touch surfaces throughout the building. Co-op employees undergo a health screening before each shift and we are exercising an abundance of caution when staff members feel unwell.  Our HVAC systems are operating with air scrubbers that use UV lights and ionization technology to sanitize the air while it recirculates with the dampers fully open (so fresh air is continuously brought in). Be sure to try our hand washing machines as you enter the store too. And, of course, masks do no not replace physical distancing, so please continue to maintain six feet from co-op staff and shoppers.

Thanks for your understanding during this challenging time. Together we can continue to make the co-op as safe as possible for all your healthy food needs!

General Manager Matt Stanley can be reached at [email protected].

Round up for Hispanic Council

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The Lower Columbia Hispanic Council’s mission is the equitable integration of resident Hispanics into the broader social and economic fabric of the Lower Columbia community. The council is this month’s Change for Community recipient. Round up your purchase total or share your pocket change to support this local organization.

The council provides services and coordinates cultural events. Funds will go toward the council’s ongoing operations including but not limited to SNAP education and outreach, OHP enrollment, health education, census assistance, family engagement at schools, youth programs, civic engagement and advocacy.

Let’s raise funds for this awesome organization!

Click here to go to the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council’s web site.

Click here to learn more about our Change for Community program.

We’ll shop, you pick up

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Astoria Co+op is is offering curbside grocery pickup as a free community service during the pandemic to anyone who wants to shop from the comfort and safety of home. The service is available seven days a week with multiple options for pickup times throughout the day.

Some important tips:

  • Mercato, the platform we’re using, offers delivery in larger cities, but not in Astoria. Make sure you select the “I’ll pick it up” option, then you can choose a day/time that works for you.
  • Check the box “replace out of stock items” if you would like us to find comparable replacements on out of stock items. You can then choose whether you’d like to be contacted or not to verify whether the replacements are suitable.
  • Our store is located at 2350 Marine Drive in Astoria. We have dedicated curbside pickup parking spots near the entrance. Let the staff person stationed outside the store entrance know you’re here and we will bring your groceries out to your vehicle.
  • If you have any questions about online ordering, please call the store (503) 325-0027 or email [email protected].

Shop Mercato.com

If you need your groceries delivered, one option would be calling Downtown Taxi at (503) 791-6728 to arrange to have your order picked up at the co-op and delivered to your home. The company is charging a flat rate of $5 for delivery in Astoria-Warrenton.

Bakers Against Racism

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We’re participating in a nation-wide bake sale #BakersAgainstRacism to raise funds for organizations assisting black lives and combating racism. Buy one of our delicious strawberry-rhubarb pies and we’ll donate 100% of proceeds to Black United Fund of Oregon. We’re taking pre-orders now for pickup Saturday. Simply email our kitchen manager [email protected] to reserve your pie.

Our pies are made from scratch with organic rhubarb and local strawberries. Organic flour and butter make up the crust. These 9″ pies go for 12.99 each. Our bakers wanted to take part in this event to help spread some extra love to the black community. Thank you for considering participating!

Black Lives Matter

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Dear Community,

The Astoria Co+op management, staff, and board of directors feel sadness and pain regarding the tragic and inhumane death of George Floyd and the systemic racism that has led to many other inhumane Black deaths across the country.

As a small first step, our co-op has donated $500 to the Southern Poverty Law Center and $500 to the Equal Justice Initiative. Both organizations work to undo injustice and provide educational opportunities surrounding racial justice work.

National Co+op Grocers has spent considerable time and energy the last several years working on racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. I have been a part of this work as an NCG board member. Now, more than ever, is the time to take up this work in earnest at the local level.

For our co-op, it will start with education, making unconscious bias training part of our hiring, training, and board work. Improving diversity and inclusivity is not only the right thing to do, it will also strengthen our business and the positive impact we have on the community.

The world is in turmoil right now, but the viral, racism, and mental health pandemics are exposing many opportunities to make the world a better place. As our co-op navigates the daily challenges of operating a grocery store in this climate and continues to grow and mature as a business, we are committed to keeping the conversation going and working to find ways that a cooperative grocer can play its part in improving Black lives.

Sincerely,

Matt Stanley
Astoria Co+op General Manager

You can reach Matt at [email protected] or (503) 325-0027.

Reusable Bag Comeback

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Safe Shopping Policies Update

The health of our community is more important than ever to your co-op. During this pandemic, our goal continues to stay open, providing you with a vital grocery service, as safely as possible. Here is an update on our safe shopping policies as we ease some restrictions and maintain others.

You can once again bring reusable shopping bags to the co-op. We had been restricting their use; however, a few things have changed. Recent CDC guidelines suggest coronavirus transmission through surfaces is less of a threat than previously suspected. That coupled with the fact that paper bags are increasingly difficult to source, and the planet-friendly aspect of reusables made the decision clear. For now, we ask that you keep your reusable bags in the cart at checkout and do your own bagging.We are easing a few other restrictions:

  • You can once again bring reusable dairy bottles and other cans/bottles with deposits back in the store. Just talk to one of our friendly greeters outside if you have any of these items to redeem.
  • We are now accepting cash; however, to limit exposure, we prefer credit cards and contactless payment methods such as Apple Pay whenever possible.

While we are easing some policies, we will keep others in place for the foreseeable future. One of our most noticeable policies is a mask/face covering requirement. Most of our staff and shoppers have expressed support for this. According to the CDC and an overwhelming and growing body of scientists, SARS-CoV-2 is primarily spread from person to person via respiratory droplets and masks or face coverings help prevent the spread.

As Oregon’s phase two includes reopening of hotels and other short-term lodging in Astoria, we anticipate more visitors; however, we do not plan to relax our policy on limiting the number of customers in the store. Keeping in line with advice from public health experts, we want people to have plenty of space to safely work and shop.

If you’re not comfortable coming in the store, or you simply desire the convenience of online shopping, we’ve expanded our curbside grocery pickup program to everyone seven days per week. This is a community service that your co-op is currently offering for free. Please visit our web site for more information.

Here are some of the other measures we are taking to keep our employees and shoppers happy and healthy:

  • Requiring masks/face coverings
  • Limiting number of customers in store at one time
  • Social distancing reminders (at least six feet)
  • Asking customers to sanitize hands upon entry
  • Installation of hand washing machines and hand sanitizing dispensers throughout store
  • You touch it, you buy it policy for fresh produce
  • Reduction of certain bulk bins and restricting reusable bulk containers
  • Staff person at entrance sanitizing carts after each use and safe shopping education
  • Regular sanitation of frequent touch points
  • Installation of air scrubbers in HVAC system
  • Temporary closure of seating area, hot bar, salad bar and taqueria
  • Temporary reduction in hours to allow for crowd-free re-stocking
  • Plexiglass protection barriers at check stands
  • Daily employee wellness screens
  • Expansion of sick pay benefits
  • Additional $2/hr. “hero pay” for employees plus an additional week paid time off

If you have any questions or comments about our safe shopping policies, we ask that you do not direct those toward our staff on the sales floor but contact General Manager Matt Stanley.