This March, The Local Crowd Monadnock invites you to celebrate Choose Indie Sustainable Month.
We’re teaming up with the American Independent Business Alliance and partners throughout North America to spotlight businesses that benefit our local economy, environment, and community -- triple-bottom-line businesses such as B Corps, cooperatives, and other enterprises.
Locally owned businesses, especially ones working towards a more environmentally sustainable and socially just economy, help us keep “the green” in our communities. Independent and locally owned businesses in the Monadnock Region strengthen our local economy, culture, and overall well-being as they re-circulate more money in our community than chain stores and online giants.
Cooperatives, companies owned by their members, follow seven guiding principles, including democratic member control and concern for the community. These businesses exist to serve their members instead of far-away stockholders.
Monadnock Food Co-op, a grocery store in downtown Keene owned by over 4,400 community members, uses a cooperative business model. Everyone can shop at Monadnock Food Co-op. However, members receive additional benefits such as quarterly discounts, patronage refunds, and vote on who serves on the board of directors.
Monadnock Food Co-op conducts an impact assessment annually, measuring its fossil fuel use, waste reduction efforts, community contributions, and more. We’ll share details from their latest assessment throughout March. Here is one update: “Recently, the store has been focusing on increasing the amount of organic waste we divert from landfills to be composted,” said sustainability coordinator Jane Clerkin. “This has led to the overflow of our compost dumpster, which is definitely better than having it go into the trash. As a solution, we have partnered with Elm City Compost to assist Casella Waste Systems in managing our organic waste.”
The Co-op’s roof hosts our region’s first locally owned community-supported solar project. The project is locally controlled, whereas most community solar projects are owned and managed by developers or utilities. The Monadnock Sustainability Hub developed the New Hampshire Community Supported Solar Guide from this project to help others replicate this project and bring more renewable energy to our region.
New in 2024, the Co-op installed two Electric Vehicle DC fast chargers and two level 2 electric vehicle chargers outside its building. Monadnock Food Co-op received a grant through the Volkswagen settlement funds to cover 80% of the project's costs. The remaining 20% was raised through The Local Crowd Monadnock and other fundraising efforts.
While Monadnock Food Co-op represents a consumer cooperative, other types of co-ops, such as worker cooperatives, exist. Instead of the shoppers owning the business, the workers own the company. To learn more about worker co-ops, please join us for a virtual screening of the film Works For All about the worker co-op economy in Cincinnati, OH.
This short documentary highlights the work of Co-op Cincy, an organization cultivating a network of worker-owned cooperatives to create a regional economy that works for all. Co-op Cincy also helps convert existing businesses (whose owners are retiring) into cooperatives.
On March 29 at 7 p.m., during a live virtual film discussion, let’s talk more about worker cooperatives and how this type of co-op is growing in New England (and beyond). Discussion guests include Kristen Barker, co-director of Co-op Cincy, and Rob Brown, director of Business Ownership Solutions at Cooperative Development Institute. Reserve your ticket today to view the film (for free!), and then watch it any time between March 29 and March 31. Thank you to our event hosts, American Independent Business Alliance and Monadnock International Film Festival, and event sponsors, Littleton Food Co-op and The Local Crowd Monadnock.
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A certification process called B Corp helps a company “measure what matters” and better balance its purpose and profits. B Lab, the nonprofit that leads this movement, currently lists 7,988 certified businesses from 96 countries. B Corps based in our region include Badger in Gilsum and Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene.
“B Corp Certification is holistic, not exclusively focused on a single social or environmental issue,” reads B Lab’s website. “And the process to achieve and maintain certification is rigorous and requires engaging teams and departments across your company. Recertification confirms these standards continue to be met on an ongoing basis.”
Any business can fill out the B Impact Assessment online and see how they rank. For a business to become a Certified B Corp, it must earn at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment and pay a certification fee. The certified company receives a full report with recommendations from B Lab on how to boosts its positive impacts.
Discover More
One well-known B Corp in our region, Badger in Gilsum, makes healing balms, lip balms, sunscreens, and other personal care products.
“At Badger, we’ve always held true to what we call our North Star -- our vision for a healthier world,” says our Co-CEO, Rebecca Hamilton. “In the beginning, at a time when most businesses were making decisions based on the bottom line, Badger was making decisions based on strong mission-driven principles and ethos. In our mission statement, we say that money is a fuel, not a goal—meaning that our true reason for being in business is to enact our mission-based work and help create the healthier world we imagine. This commitment to doing the right thing for people and the planet continues to shape the way Badger does business today.”
Badger has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and installed a rooftop solar array in 2020. They strive to choose ingredients from suppliers that practice regenerative agriculture. The company works hard to reduce plastic packaging, as well.
A new B Corp in our region, Frisky Cow Gelato in Keene, makes its decadent desserts from New Hampshire milk. Owner, Linda Rubin, has committed her businesses to sourcing at least half of all its supplies and ingredients locally and donating 2% of its annual revenue to nonprofits building our local food system and boosting food security.
“Why gelato? Back in 1983, I visited Florence, Italy and fell in love with gelato! The creamy texture and rich flavors totally won me over,” shared Linda. “Ten years later, I moved to New Hampshire and started working at Stonewall Farm, a nonprofit education center and dairy farm in Keene. I spent almost nine years working at Stonewall Farm, educating people about where their food comes from and the importance of local agriculture. I dreamed about making a value-added dairy product someday.”
The world is an increasingly interconnected place. Families are relocating, immigrants are settling in, and communities are transformed and challenged by ongoing economic trends. The Keene Multicultural Center Project will help foster more resiliency and cultivate the social spirit of the community.
Learn more!
The Keene Multicultural Center Project recently launched a crowdfunding campaign through The Local Crowd (TLC) Monadnock. The funds raised will help create a unique community gathering space where individuals from different cultures and backgrounds can make new connections, celebrate, strive, and contribute towards building a more welcoming region. "The Keene Community Cultural Center Project will bring together individuals from different cultural backgrounds with the common goal of addressing diverse needs to bring our community together," said Project Leader Gail Somers. "We hope to create a tangible physical space we can call home. Our community space will be a hub for cultivating and celebrating culture. It will provide a space to hold classes, exhibitions, performances, workshops, educational programs, a resource center, and cultural events, all of which will bring numerous opportunities for volunteerism and community connection."
Give Today!
Offline donations are also accepted through Monadnock Arts Alive, the project's fiscal sponsor. Checks can be made out to Arts Alive and mailed to Arts Alive, 15 Eagle Court, Keene, NH, 03431. Please add "Keene Multicultural Center" to the memo.
Join us for a free virtual screening of the film WORKS FOR ALL, focusing on worker-owned cooperatives, from March 29 to March 31, 2024. This event also includes a virtual film discussion with worker-owned cooperative advocates.
Free tickets
This documentary highlights the work of Co-op Cincy. Since 2011, Co-op Cincy has inspired a network of worker-owned cooperatives in Cincinnati, Ohio, to create a regional economy that works for all. This event is part of March's Choose Indie Sustainable Month, a nationwide celebration to amplify and support locally owned businesses that are B Corps, cooperatives, and other triple-bottom-line enterprises. "People may be familiar with some types of co-ops -- like Monadnock Food Co-op, a consumer-owned cooperative -- but we want to shine a light on a different type of cooperative, a worker-owned co-op," said The Local Crowd Monadnock Program Manager Jen Risley. "Discover more about worker-owned cooperatives and how this type of co-op is growing in New England (and beyond)." WORKS FOR ALL, co-directed by Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young, visits several of the diverse worker-owned cooperatives in Co-op Cincy's network, with many led by people traditionally marginalized in the U.S. economy. The film highlights Co-op Cincy's remarkable work in transforming and supporting these businesses. Particularly significant for the future is the effort to help convert existing businesses--whose owners are retiring--to cooperatives. The film also explores the influence of Spain's Mondragon Corporation, the world's most prominent worker cooperative federation, on Co-op Cincy's mission. Film and discussion tickets are free and available at worksforall.eventive.org, thanks to event co-hosts, American Independent Business Alliance and Monadnock International Film Festival, and event sponsors Littleton Food Co-op, Monadnock Food Co-op, and The Local Crowd Monadnock. The live virtual film discussion on March 29 at 7:00 p.m. includes Kristen Barker, co-director of Co-op Cincy, and Rob Brown, the director of Business Ownership Solutions at Cooperative Development Institute.
Reserve Free Film Discussion Tickets
Kristen Barker is a social entrepreneur, president, and Co-Founder of Co-op Cincy and 1worker1vote. She designs and leads participatory education events with co-op workers and helps worker-owners make their businesses more successful. Kristen also helps our design team determine the feasibility of potential co-op businesses, helps retiring business owners decide whether or not they can sell their business to their employees, and helps viable co-ops access the capital they need to leverage their ideas.
Rob Brown is a nationally recognized expert in employee ownership transitions and has assisted dozens of businesses in exploring, assessing, structuring, and executing transitions to worker-owned cooperatives. He has developed extensive education, training, coaching, and technical assistance programs for boards, management, and members of new worker-owned cooperatives. He leads local, regional, and national programs to educate and advise business owners on exit planning processes and options. Rob participates in several national networks promoting the strategy of employee ownership conversions and best practices in the field, including as a founding member of the Workers to Owners Collaborative.
We're getting ready for Move Your Money: Bank Local, Invest Local Month that starts April 1.
One of our first steps: Identify banks that help us keep our money closer to home.
Our criteria:
Here's who we found (listed alphabetically):
Bank of New Hampshire (view impact data) Headquartered in: Laconia, NH Ownership: Mutual Branch in Antrim
GFA Federal Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Gardner, MA Ownership: Co-op Branches in Keene, Peterborough, Rindge
Mascoma Bank (view impact data) Headquartered in: White River Junction, VT Ownership: Mutual Certified B-Corp Branches in Keene, Peterborough, Rindge
Precision Federal Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Keene, NH Ownership: Co-op Member Eligibility
Savings Bank of Walpole (view impact data) Part of: NHTrust Financial Advisors Headquartered in: Walpole, NH Ownership: Mutual Branches in Keene, Walpole, Winchester
Service Credit Union (view impact data) Headquartered in: Portsmouth, NH Ownership: Co-op Branches in Keene, Hinsdale
Walden Mutual Bank (view B Corp data) Online Bank focused on building Local Food Systems Headquartered in: Concord, NH Ownership: Mutual Certified B Corp
Did we miss any community banks or credit unions? Send us an email.
This February, The Local Crowd (TLC) Monadnock invites you to celebrate Black-owned businesses, Black history, and diversity. We’re teaming up with the American Independent Business Alliance and partners throughout North America to promote Choose Black-Owned Month. Together, we can build stronger local economies that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
Many community members want to support diversity where they live. One study found that when Black-owned businesses were identified as “Black-owned,” those businesses saw increased customer visits. We want to help make it easier for our community to Choose Black-Owned in the Monadnock Region.
According to Pew Research, just 3% of U.S. businesses were identified as Black-owned in 2020. That’s even though Black adults comprise 12.4% of the overall population. Removing this disparity leads to increased employment and economic growth.
Black-owned business owners receive less financing than other races. In 2022, the Federal Reserve reported that 35% of white business owners received all the funding they requested from a bank, compared to 16% of BIPOC (Black, indigenous, or person of color) business owners. This lack of capital holds back business revenue growth and employment.
Building a more inclusive economy leads to more community wealth for all. One report from McKinsey & Company noted that closing the wealth gap could add $2 – $3 trillion of annual growth to our national economy.
Support Black-owned businesses like Yahso Jamaican Grille in Keene and New England Sweetwater Farm & Distillery in Winchester. Tell us about other Black-owned businesses you’ve discovered in our region and throughout the state. Please email us! In addition to eating at Yahso Jamaican Grille, you can support the restaurant owner’s pursuit of establishing the Keene Multicultural Center. Gail Somers partners with Monadnock Arts Alive to launch a fundraising campaign to help establish the center. She envisions a welcoming space that connects the community with economic and cultural resources.
Gail shared, “The Keene Multicultural Center will be unique in that it will help existing and new residents build social capital through access to meaningful culture in the form of arts, a shared space that builds community, and an incubation of community resources in a culturally sensitive way.” On March 2, starting at 6 pm, Yahso will host their first Togetherness Festival, a fundraiser for Keene Multicultural Center featuring music, spoken word, food, and good vibes. Stay tuned for more details!
The more dollars we spend at Black-owned businesses in our community, the more dollars recirculate in the local economy, boosting job growth, charitable giving, and overall prosperity.
Ask your favorite locally owned businesses if they carry products made or grown by Black-owned businesses. Monadnock Food Co-op in Keene plans to call out Black-owned business products with shelf signs. Look for these signs when you shop at the Co-op throughout February.
On February 23, the Keene Family YMCA will join other YMCAs nationwide to promote their #WeWearBlack campaign. Staff, members, and guests are invited to wear black to symbolize hope, awareness, and togetherness.
“To be a welcoming community and ultimately a thriving community, we need to celebrate and embrace our diverse people and cultures,” said Dan Smith, CEO of the Keene YMCA. “At the YMCA, we support Choose Black-Owned Month as one small way of doing so. We see it as part of our commitment to becoming an anti-racist multicultural organization.”
The Keene Y continues this work year-round by hosting the Monadnock Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Coalition (MDEIB). MDEIB works to promote and develop our region as a welcoming and inclusive place for all — including BIPOC individuals who live, work, and visit our community. MDEIB was formed in 2021, guided by the City of Keene’s Racial Justice and Community Safety Report. Partners include community members, businesses, organizations -- and maybe you?
Make a Nomination: DEI Impact Award
The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host the Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks both in-person in Portsmouth and virtually each Sunday in February and March 10, and April 21. This year’s theme is “A New Deal for A Great Society.” On February 4, the first discussion in the series centers on the Granite State government’s role in expanding economic opportunities and prosperity for all.
View the Full Series
Stay tuned for Choose Black-Owned Month updates and how we’re collectively building stronger local economies that are diverse, inclusive, and equitable.
As we wind down 2023, here’s The Local Crowd Monadnock’s top five Choose Indie Local highlights of the year -- events and promotions to inspire you to spend and invest your dollars at locally owned businesses to boost our community’s health and wealth all year long.
We loved seeing so many of you dressed in plaid the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate Plaid Friday. Heaven Hair Gallery Salon in Keene on Plaid Friday. From left to right: Victoria McIntosh, Torrie Rice, Brandon Norman, Anjalee Call, Alicia Berntsen, and Ashley Corrow.
Number one on our list, hands down, is Plaid Friday. We loved seeing so many of you dressed in plaid the day after Thanksgiving to celebrate Indie Locals (locally owned and independent businesses) and the Local Economy movement. The nation saw record sales from Thanksgiving to Cider Monday. Indie Locals in the Monadnock Region were busy, too! “[Plaid Friday] was a crazy busy but awesome day! There was excitement in the air,” shared April Reynolds of Norm’s Ski & Bike Shop. “We served free hot cocoa, mulled cider, and Benjee's Cookies. Everyone loved the cookies! We had a great day -- and our customers were amazing!”
Twenty-nine locally owned businesses served as Plaid Friday Hubs this year in Harrisville, Jaffrey, Keene, Peterborough, Spofford, Swanzey, Walpole, and Westmoreland. View this year’s Plaid Friday Hub photos on our Facebook page.
July’s Independents Month is second on our list. It’s a time to recognize all types of independent businesses and celebrate their spirit of entrepreneurship, individuality, uniqueness, and character. For the second year, we invited our community to take the Indie Challenge and pledge to buy only from locally owned businesses for a day, week, or more. Over 240 of you have taken the challenge so far! Our 2023 challenge-taker winner won a staycation to the Inn at East Hill Farm, plus other treats from Monadnock Region independents. Stay tuned for our next Indie Challenge in 2024. “This was a practice in being present for sure,” said Indie Challenger Barbara Davis of Alstead. “I would have to remind myself each time I needed to purchase something. I put a sticker on my car dash to remind myself.”
We highlight Move Your Money Month each April. This campaign urges you to support community banks and credit unions and move more of your money from Wall Street to Main Street. This is number three on our list! However, this is number one on my personal list since I was hired in July to become editor of The Main Street Journal, a hub for local investing published by economist and author Michael Shuman. Now I get to promote the Move Your Money message every week! “After investing in Wall Street for thirty-four years, I am really enjoying the idea of supporting my local community and small businesses,” shared Ivy Hess, a subscriber of The Main Street Journal. “I have made seven investments in 2023 and am looking to do more. The Main Street Journal makes it easy to keep up with what is out there.”
Fourth on our list are two Choose Indie Local campaigns celebrating diversity: Shop Black-Owned Month in February and Choose Indie Pride in June. Both campaigns work to make our spending and investing more inclusive and uplift what makes our community welcoming and unique. The Keene Family YMCA partnered with us during this year’s Shop Black-Owned Month. “We already know that shopping local has tangible benefits and helps to build a strong local economy,” the Keene Family YMCA’s website states. “By shopping Black-owned, you are voting with your dollar. You are voting for equity.”
Last but certainly not least is GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement. Organizers share, “Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to give.”
“This was, by far, our most successful GivingTuesday event in our history,” said Sarah Harpster, Executive Director of The Community Kitchen in Keene. “And it’s really helping set us up for entering the new year strong.”
Your support for the Choose Indie Local movement this year sets us all up for a strong 2024. Thank you, and Happy New Year, everyone!
In New Hampshire, we pride ourselves on our independent thinking, ingenuity, and self-reliance — qualities reflected in our entrepreneurial spirit. According to the Small Business Administration’s 2023 Small Business Profile, our state is home to 136,506 small businesses, comprising 98.9 percent of all New Hampshire businesses.
Our small businesses also provide the bulk of jobs across the state, employing 49.2 percent of all New Hampshire private-sector workers. Thank you for all you do, small business owners!
You play an essential role in supporting entrepreneurial success, whether you’re a small business owner, staff member, investor, or shopper. As many of us look to share gifts and meals with friends, family, and coworkers, we can also give a gift to our small business community. When making holiday purchases, Shop Indie Local and spend more of your budget at locally owned and independent businesses.
Purchasing gifts, meal ingredients, and gift-making supplies from locally owned and independent businesses impacts a community’s job growth, charitable giving, and land use patterns. “Say you spend money at a local shoe store,” explains local economist and author Michael Shuman. “Its employees then go to the supermarket, which might buy from a local farmer. The more times and the faster a dollar passes between hands without leakage, the more income, wealth, and jobs in a community.” Monadnock Region independent retailers sure do pass those dollars! They recirculate, on average, $62 of every $100 spent at their businesses back into our local economy. National chain stores return $14 of every $100 spent, while Amazon returns nearly zero.
Local, independent retail businesses help employ many more people than those on the sales floor. They’re more likely to bank with local banks and buy from other local businesses than chain stores. They’re also more likely to hire local service providers like accountants, graphic designers, and various skilled positions — jobs for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Local nonprofit organizations depend on contributions from local businesses. This support extends to civic institutions like schools, churches, and fraternal leagues that aid economic prosperity, community cohesion, and trust.
The rise of online shopping, undercutting Main Street retailers, also changes land use patterns. Amazon doesn’t place its warehouses downtown but in remote industrial parks. As demand for Main Street storefronts declines, so will local governments’ tax revenue base. You don’t have to swear off shopping with online giants or chain stores altogether. However, we encourage you to look for ways to shift even one or two purchases to independent, community-based businesses this season. Need some inspiration? Check out our online marketplace called The Local Crowd Mercantile at shop.tlcmonadnock.com. Discover gift ideas from 200 Monadnock Region businesses. Thanks to Monadnock Food Co-op and Saving Bank of Walpole for allowing us to offer our online marketplace at no cost to participating businesses this year.
Shop Indie Local Online
Also, consider the many makers, artists, and manufacturers who produce their products in New Hampshire. The Monadnock Region includes many small businesses represented in the Monadnock Arts Alive’s Creative Community database.
Also, don’t miss events like the Holiday Fair at Granite Mill in Harrisville on December 2 & 3, Holiday Shopping Night at the American House Keene Senior Living Community on December 4, Artisan Market at 17 ROX in Keene on December 9, and Last Minute Larry Holiday Arts Market on December 10 at Brewbakers Café. Discover more events at discovermonadnock.com. So, give yourself — and your community — a gift this year by shifting more of your spending to our local merchants, service providers, artisans, and other locally owned and independent businesses. Happy Holidays!
The Local Crowd Monadnock Member Marketplace connects locally owned businesses with other locally owned businesses -- and businesses with community members like you. Marketplace members can showcase their best products and services to reach more local customers like you!
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For the eleventh year, let’s shine a light on local food, farms, and our Monadnock Region food system during New Hampshire Eats Local Month, a month-long celebration of our state’s harvest in August.
What do we mean by a food system? Our food system includes all the pieces needed to bring local food from the farm to our plates: the soil, farm workers, transportation networks, markets, and more -- everything needed to grow, harvest, and distribute these goods to us. These pieces come together to form our local food system. Please dig in and enjoy part one of this year’s bounty of updates!
Walden Mutual Bank, based in Concord, is a new online bank rooted in the regional food system. Individuals and businesses can open an account and the bank lends this money to local food and farm businesses throughout New England. Locally, Walden Mutual helped Oliver Levick purchase Monadnock Berries in Troy from his parents. “The mutual part of our name means we are cooperative, which means we are owned by our community of account holders and allows us to build a bank for the next 100 years,” said Chloe Wingerter, Walden Mutual Business Development Officer. “We offer customizable loans across the entire value chain, which includes everything from production farms, distributors, processors, co-packers, and consumer trade brands, to even ag-adjacent businesses such as solar energy.”
This August, Round It Up (round up your purchases to donate your change) at Monadnock Food Co-op’s registers to benefit Food Connects, a food hub based in Brattleboro, VT. New this year: The Co-op will pilot an additional way to Round It Up in August, virtually through The Local Crowd Monadnock.
Round It Up
Funds raised will support the Food Connects Farm to School initiative in the Monadnock Region. Their program offers professional development and local food purchasing support to school professionals, grant support for schools, and printed materials, including Harvest of the Month calendars, posters, cookbooks, and other signage to bolster and promote Farm to School initiatives. In partnership with The Monadnock Regional School District and the Cornucopia Project, Food Connects will help the Monadnock Farm to School network thrive and create a new generation of mindful eaters.
“The Co-op’s Round It Up program has proven to be a powerful tool in rallying community support and making a tangible difference in the lives of children in our region,” said Richard Berkfield, Executive Director and Founder of Food Connects. “The support from the Monadnock Food Coop not only helps us foster a healthier and more sustainable food system but also enables us to educate and inspire the next generation about the importance of local agriculture and healthy eating.”
Attend the fifth annual Monadnock Farm Tour and After Party on Saturday, August 19, from 12 – 8 pm. Participating Monadnock farms will open their barns, pastures, hoop houses, flower gardens, and production facilities. The event highlights how farms contribute to our local economy, their role in preserving open space, and how they contribute to our quality of life. The tour runs from 12 – 5 pm and costs $10 per car. The After Party happens at Outlaw Brewing in Winchester from 5 – 8 pm. This free, kid-friendly event offers delicious food from the Outlaw Food Truck, outstanding brews, and live music. A 50/50 raffle will take place to benefit Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition (MFCC) to keep our local food system robust.
“After a wonderful afternoon of shopping at local farms, visiting the animals, walking the vegetable or flower fields, or learning a bit more about a bee farm, we’re very excited to offer folks a nice, family-friendly evening where you can sit back and eat great food, listen to great music, and imbibe delicious, on-tap brews at Outlaw Brewing,” shared Roe-Ann Tasoulas, MFCC Executive Director. “We are so lucky to be surrounded by such a wide variety of farm experiences, products, and farmers. We hope everyone can get out for a memorable afternoon and evening!"
Join the Monadnock Farm to School Network for a Farm to School Day Camp for Teachers at the Cornucopia Project Educational Farm in Peterborough on Monday, August 21, from 10 am – 3 pm. This free camp will provide teachers classroom-ready curriculum through demonstrations, a farm tour, group activities, and games -- just like a real camp. The event includes a delicious lunch and a chance to win a raised garden bed or compost bin. Professional development credits are available. The Monadnock Farm To School Network members include Cornucopia Project, Stonewall Farm, and Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition.
Register Today
Stay tuned for part two of this article in August, including local food and farm updates from Acworth Village Store, Cheshire County Conservation District, Cornucopia Project, and more! Thank you to all the individuals, programs, policies, and initiatives that continue to build a more robust local and regional food system in our corner of the state and throughout New England. Together, we’re cultivating healthier citizens, communities, and economies.
It's time to start planning for this year's Plaid Friday, Cider Monday, and Shop Indie Local efforts! We're kicking off our Shop Indie Local planning efforts with a crowdfunding campaign. The more funds we raise, the more we'll amplify our message.
Together, we will:
Show off your dedication to the local economy movement and support our Shop Indie Local efforts today! Shop Indie Local includes supporting Plaid Friday, Cider Monday, Small Business Saturday, and other promotions happening November 1 - December 31, 2023. With your support, we will continue to build traction -- inspiring more and more AND MORE community participation and media attention. Please consider supporting this year’s Plaid Friday, Cider Monday, and Shop Indie Local campaign at one (or more!) of the levels below.
Your logo will appear in our Cider Monday ad in the Monadnock Shopper News (~60,000 weekly readers).
Your logo will appear in our Plaid Friday ad in the Monadnock Shopper News (~60,000 weekly readers).
Your logo will appear in our Plaid Friday AND Cider Monday ad in the Monadnock Shopper News (~60,000 weekly readers) AND the Keene Sentinel (delivered to ~10,000 households).
Sponsor a Plaid Friday launch in your town or at your business. Your name and logo will appear on our Launch Event marketing materials and press release. We'll plan this launch together. All sponsorship pledges are due by October 31, 2023. Send us an email to pledge your sponsorship or click on the button below to purchase your sponsorship through our crowdfunding campaign. Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you for all you do to support our local economy each and every day.
The Local Crowd Monadnock - Keene, NH
