It will always be our priority to strengthen connection by reiterating our mission statement to the whole community. We are dedicated to sharing our vision and we’re eager to make it happen!

CO-OP PRINCIPLE #7: Concern for Community

The co-op is also committed to supporting fair trade, educating our community on benefits of healthy eating, and using sustainable practices. Other ways to show concern for community is through April’s Social Awareness Days.
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day.
April 4: National Day of Silence (LGBTQ+ advocacy).
April 5: Gold Star Spouse Day.
April 7: World Health Day.
April 10: Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
April 15: National American Sign Language (ASL) Day.
April 20-24: National Playground Safety Week.
April 22: Earth Day.
April 26: World Intellectual Property Day.
April 28: World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
April 30: National Denim Day (sexual assault awareness). 

Be a part of supporting your community and the Long Beach Grocery Co-op by purchasing or gifting an Owner Share. Own what feeds you!
PURCHASE AN OWNER SHARE & GIFT AN OWNER SHARE

Learn more about the Cooperative Principles HERE.

Thank you Cindy Allen, Councilwoman District 2

Councilwoman Cindy Allen has proudly represented the Second District of Long Beach since 2020 and previously served as Vice Mayor. A longtime Long Beach resident, she brings a deep commitment to public service shaped by her early career with the Long Beach Police Department, where she earned over 20 commendations for bravery and exceptional service. After sustaining an on-the-job injury, she continued her service in a new way by transitioning into the private sector, where she built and led successful marketing and sales businesses in Downtown Long Beach and later served as Publisher of the Long Beach Post, helping elevate local storytelling and community voices.

In her role on the City Council, she currently chairs the Climate, Environment, and Coastal Protection Committee, where she focuses on protecting Long Beach’s coastline, improving air quality, and advancing sustainability efforts, including the adoption of the Long Beach Climate Action Plan (LB CAP). She has also served in leadership roles on committees focused on economic development and intergovernmental affairs. She has recently championed key public safety and infrastructure initiatives, including securing the return of Rescue 2 as a permanent, full-time, 24/7 emergency response unit to strengthen lifesaving services across the city and advancing efforts to accelerate traffic safety improvements by calling for faster project delivery, increased accountability, and expanded quick-build solutions to better protect residents and reduce traffic-related fatalities.

In addition to her work locally, Councilwoman Allen currently serves as President of the Southern California Association of Governments, where she helps lead regional efforts on transportation, housing, sustainability, and building stronger, more connected communities across Southern California." 

OWNER SPOTLIGHT: Julianna Robbins

With enormous gratitude the LBGCo-op is spotlighting Julianna Robbins, owner and volunteer. She is a true champion of our mission and is an incredibly brilliant and talented individual. Please check out the upcoming newsletter issues for the Cal Heights neighborhood to see the ad Julianna sponsored (a value of $190) for our grocery co-op. She is an analytical and organized leader with two decades of experience in program management, grant administration, local and state government, education, libraries, nonprofits, and training. Currently, Julianna is the Library Programs Consultant with the California State Library. She is a strong community partner in Long Beach and her neighborhood, California Heights, with a focus on collaboration, partnerships, lifelong learning, and community building. Thank you for Julianna for the support in helping get the message out about Long Beach Grocery Co-op.

IN THE NEWS

Big change is happening with Kitchen Lingo Books. Matt Miller, one of LBGC’s owners and an avid promoter of our store, has made a very big decision regarding the bookstore. His lease is up and the space will be turned over to Lucky Penny, a neighboring boutique that recently lost their lease. 

Kitchen Lingo is not going out of business; it’s going into a transition phase. Matt plans to continue hosting events, coordinating tastings, and being involved in our community, and the Kitchen Lingo website will remain active for online sales and special orders. The truth is, he has another project he will focus on and confesses he is not very good at doing two things at once. 

When he opened Kitchen Lingo, he wanted to create a hub for people interested in food as a way of communication. But when he started the restaurant criticism program, Required Eating, Matt discovered something that people in Long Beach want more than a cookbook store; we want a voice. What began as a potential platform for a restaurant criticism project quickly snowballed into a new free print publication, he is calling The Ardent. The pilot issue of The Ardent is hitting the streets this month, and a handful of people within our community are contributing:

• Kenna Wong Ghaill, film booker for the Art Theater, is contributing the film column. 

• Rand Foster, owner of Fingerprints, is contributing the music column. 

• Virginia Broersma, artist and founder of The Artist’s Office, is contributing the art column.

• John Reese, program head of the CSULB Illustration Dept., is contributing cover illustrations. 

Congratulations Matt! To help keep his publication thriving click HERE.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

LBGCo-op had a productive month in March supporting local events and our Long Beach community. To honor Women’s History month the team networked at the LBGLCC Chamber of Commerce event at Watch Me Sports on March 19th. We welcomed two new owners that signed up on the spot!

On March 28th, we had a lot of visibility in sharing the mission of the LBGCo-op at our information table set up on the bluff during the No Kings Rally March. There is a lot of support for our co-op as people are embracing having a choice and access to healthy food in a city that is highly under-served with enough grocery stores to serve a population of our size.

Check out the additional activity where we sent representatives in March.

VOLUNTEER MEETING - 2nd Saturdays

Making it easier to stay connected and getting volunteer information out faster and in a central place is a goal that has been reached! Download the APP “BAND” and connect with the Long Beach Grocery Co-op.

All are WELCOME to join us from Noon to 1PM the second Saturday of each month at Long Beach Forward. April meeting is on the 11th; show your love for your LBGCo-op and get your T-Shirt at a sale price.

Long Beach Forward is located at:
2217 E 6th St, Long Beach, CA 90814, USA
Parking is available at the corner of Dawson and 7th Street - please be sure to request a free parking pass & please do not park in spaces 1 thru 6.

Let’s plan our activities and staffing for:

• Working the info table at farmers markets

• Neighborhood canvassing to inform the community about the Co-op

• Performing a presentation at Neighborhood Association meetings

• Identifying and coordinating participation in community events

• Grant writing

• Marketing, Social Media, Newsletter writing

• Data Entry, Record Keeping, Research, Organizing

April arrives with a sense of renewal, and the produce of the season reflects that beautifully. As the days grow longer and the chill of winter finally loosens its grip, markets begin to fill with vibrant greens, tender vegetables, and the first sweet hints of spring fruit.

Food Holidays in April:
April 1: National Sourdough Bread Day
April 2: National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day
April 4: National Carrot Day, try these recipes (I'm obsessed with carrots!)
April 6: Fresh Tomato Day
April 9: National Chinese Almond Cookie Day
April 12: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
April 13: National Peach Cobbler Day
April 16: Day Of The Mushroom
April 17: Healthy Kids Day
April 18: Raw Milk Appreciation Day
April 19: National Garlic Day
April 20: Lima Bean Respect Day
April 21: Banana Day
APRIL 22: EARTH DAY
April 23: National Picnic Day
April 24: National Steak Day
April 25: National Zucchini Bread Day
April 26: National Pretzel Day
April 28: National Blueberry Pie Day
April 29: National Shrimp Scampi Day
April 30: National Oatmeal Cookie Day

How to Boil an Egg Perfectly Every Time
by The Editors of Women's Health

Boiling an egg seems like it should be simple enough, right? Here is a tested method that will be sure to give you the results you want.

1. Put your eggs in a one-quart pot with just enough water to cover them. Quickly bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, gently stir the eggs once, and take them off heat (stirring helps keep the yolk from settling on one side of the egg).

2. Leave the eggs in the hot water and start a timer. The times you want are:

• Soft-boiled: 3 minutes

• Medium-boiled: 6 minutes

• Hard-boiled: 10 minutes

3. As soon as the timer goes off, dump out the eggs, and rinse with cold water (if you’re making hard-boiled eggs, plunge them into an ice bath). Serve soft- and medium-boiled eggs in egg cups with toast, if you like just cut off the tops of the eggs so that you can eat them right out of the shell.

4. With hard-boiled eggs, you can either peel them right away (it’s easiest to peel them while they’re still in the ice bath, before they’re completely cooled), or you can store them in their shells for five days.