The past eight weeks have been a rollercoaster of change as we have settled into our new facility, worked our new processes and absorbed another round of growth in our business. The enthusiasm of our community has been very rewarding and we are ever grateful for the gift of your support. This year, we have planned a <a href="http://www.theorganicbox.ca/holiday-mission" target="_blank">holiday mission</a> designed to give the gift of our special food back to our city. We have partnered with three fantastic organizations in our city and will be working very hard to give them the gifts of good food this holiday season. <strong>Regional Food Banks</strong> - Access to food is still a major challenge for many members of our community and we are firmly dedicated to driving support into the food bank. Between December 8 and 14, we will be donating a portion of our total sales to the <a href="http://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com" target="_blank">Edmonton Food Bank</a> to provide good food for people during the holidays. We will be extending that support the following week and donating a portion of sales in your communities to your local food bank - organizations like the St Albert Food Bank, the Strathcona Food Bank, the Leduc & District Food Bank, the Morinville Food Bank, the Parkland Food Bank Society and the Athabasca Good Samaritan Ministries Association. Help us do more by filling your box with good food, knowing that you will also be giving the gift of that same food to your own community. <strong>Ronald MacDonald House</strong> - Edmonton's <a href="http://rmhnorthernalberta.org/" target="_blank"> Ronald MacDonald House</a> provides a refuge for families of sick children undergoing treatment at the Stollery Children's Hospital. Our city is host to one of the most progressive Houses in Canada, focusing on nutrition and cooking in their modern communal kitchens. They have fantastic support from the food community and we are among their supporters. This month we will be pitching in by providing bag lunches for the residents and patients, filled with the highest quality organic foods and delivered in our signature reusable lunch bags. We are also launching a juicing program there to provide raw juice for the residents and patients to enjoy. There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that raw vegetable and fruit juice can have a very positive impact on cancer patients while in treatment and we want to do what we can to support the work. <strong>The Christmas Bureau</strong> - Each year <a href="http://www.christmasbureau.ca" target="_blank">The Christmas Bureau</a>prepares and delivers food hampers for families in need. These hampers contain everything needed to give them a high quality Christmas dinner. This year, we are putting together a number of hampers and will be delivering these to the Bureau, and you can help too by purchasing one from us and having us deliver it along with ours. We are so blessed to have access to all the wonderful food we enjoy, and finding ways to increase access and food security in meaningful ways makes up our core holiday mission. None of this would be possible without the support of our membership. It is the members who make The Organic Box possible and working together, we can have a big impact this year. <h3>Holiday Products and Specials</h3> Please take a moment to view our <a href="http://www.theorganicbox.ca/holiday-mission" target="_blank">Holiday Mission</a> page on our website. We have built a package of products and promotions that we think will help you make your holidays special this year. If there is something else we can do for you, please get in touch with us and we will try to make it happen. <h3>Product Catalogue Growth</h3> In November we added 200 new products to our catalogue, and we have another 200 planned for December. In January we will be completely revamping some of our categories and expanding our offerings, including more flexibility and choices in our Meats department, more meat alternative products for our membership, and a wave of new locally produced products that we have been developing in partnership with the food community. <h3>Again, Thank You</h3> 2015 is looking to be a fantastic year for us and your support is what makes it happen. Five years ago, The Organic Box started as a simple group of organic fruit and vegetable farmers trying a new way to sell our products, and your support has allowed us to transform into one of the most successful independant food hubs in North America, servcing thousands of families a week and carrying local organic products in every grocery category. Thank you.
