Indiana University - Arbutus Yearbook (Bloomington, IN)

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when persons become more conscious of diet and how it affects their well-being, they have more control over their own lives, Smith said. He said Clear Moment Cooperative is not an end in itself. We are trying to grow into the com- munity. The organization is currently working with Headstart and helping People ' s Place with its recycling ef- forts. Clear Moment members donate $150 a month and are en- couraged to volunteer working time. Future plans include cooking and sewing classes at People ' s Place and working together with other food co-ops and organizations for com- munity needs. Smith said. Fooods Co-op has no storefront; foods are bulk-ordered and distributed at the Alternative High School about four times a semester. Instead of a membership fee, persons are asked to deposit $3 in the treasury to cover possible price changes within a year ' s time. This money is returned to members as they leave. Because there is no middle man or overhead cost, food can be purchased cheaply, Eleanor Peachy, member and former food orderer, sai d. The organization can also get a variety of foods from a variety of places since things are catalogue-ordered, she said. Beckv Stiles I 1

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Cooperating for the daily bread In addition to providing low-cost food items, most which have no chemical additives, Bloomington ' s three food cooperatives also attempt to instill a spirit of community comradeship. Bloomingfoods Cooperative, The Clear Moment Natural Foods Cooperative and Fooods Co-op, believe that by work- ing together and buying food, persons feel a sense of in- volvement and pleasure in helping the community. Bloomingfoods, located in a building attached to Earth Kitchen restaurant, offers produce, dairy products and straight groceries on the lower level and dried foods (grains, nuts and fruit), natural body products and health-oriented books on its upper level. A neighborhood bulletin board, benches and a baby crib are also provided. Bloomingfoods, which opened )uly 24, 1976, is like the other co-ops in that members own and help operate the store. They assist in ordering foods and with business pro- cedures. While anyone can purchase goods at Bloomingfoods, members receive a 10 per cent discount. Those who work four hours a month receive an additional 10 per cent markdown. Individual members pay $7 a year. Household rates and shorter-term membership are also available. About 100 persons are members of the organization, member Michael Yoakem, said. Besides promoting the growth of nutritious foods locally, Bloomingfoods ' by-laws also express the desire to educate persons in the social and economic benefits derived from community work. According to manager David Williams, future plans in- clude participation in Food Day, sponsoring persons to speak on food-related topics and working with senior citi- zens. Williams believes the awareness which Bloomingfoods has helped to build may result in cooperatives of different sorts in Bloomington. Clear Moment Natural Foods Cooperative also offers a wide range of health foods, books on herbs, nutrition and natural body care products. The $5-a-year membership enti- tles persons to a 15 per cent discount. Members working five hours weekly enjoy a 45 per cent discount. There are cur- rently 750 members. Housed in a basement, the cooperative has been function- ing slightly over a year, while the natural foods store section is eight years old. Although there are no managers per se, there are eight persons ordering food, Gunther Smith, one of the store ' s co-ordinators, said. (RIGHT] Bloomingfoods Co-op charter member Roberta McCloskey, center, tabulates the bill for Paul Schneller. left, and Allana Radecki, right. Mem- bers of the food co-op receive a 20 per cent discount on goods when they work four hours a month at the store. (OPPOSITE BOTTOM) Taking advan- tage of the Clear Moment Natural Foods ' policy of self-service, Kerry Benson, lU grad student, samples some of the grains. (OPPOSITE TOP) Fresh produce, avail- able in conveniently small portions, is one of the bonuses offered by cooperatives. 26 Photos Don Toon

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McCloskey integrates town, gown lives Bloomington Mayor Frank McCloskey says he ' s not sit- ting here (in his office) saying ' Gee whiz, what am I going to do for the students this week? ' Students are general citizens of the community, he said. Let ' s face it. Students could be half of the constituency. They give progressive, open politics a base and a chance to thrive, which is relatively rare. Since election to his first mayoral term in 1971, McClos- key has tried to get more students involved in city govern- ment. Dialogue with the student community varies with the political climate of the time, said McCloskey, adding that students were more politically oriented in 1971 that they are today. But despite that fact, more students are in- volved in city government today through internships, work-study jobs and appointments to boards and commis- sions. McCloskey enjoys responsible dialogue with students and says the students who express their concerns about things like human rights and bike paths have a positive input into the process. McCloskey said he thinks it is im- portant that students, as citizens of the community, are standing up publicly and privately for their rights. He is proud that his administration has been an open one. People have access to government and are participating in the process. It wasn ' t that way before. There is a willingness to try new ideas. McCloskey stressed the fact that he thinks more people should have access to public officials. He receives about six to eight invitations to lecture to classes each year. I go anytime I ' m asked, to any class — that goes for kindergarten through college. This year he went one step further. Charles Bonser, dean of the lU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, had asked him to teach a course. Management and the Inter- governmental System. And after a two to three year delay, I picked up on the idea, McCloskey said. The course was beneficial to him, too, he said, because it helped me struc- ture my thinking. McCloskey likes to visit the campus informally every chance I get, he said. Bloomington would not be the city it is without lU, he said, pointing out a few of the things that make it special — like a national champion basketball team and the opera. His daughter, Helen, had a small part in the production of Verdi ' s Falstaff. The spirit and culture (at lU) are an asset to the commu- nity, McCloskey said. One of the few problems the univer- sity creates for the city is the strain on housing and the eco- nomic tension the artificial housing market creates. The university apparatus, here to serve the students, has more than half of the real property value in the city and pays almost nothing in tax support, McCloskey said, noting another economic problem a university town faces. But on the other hand, students are a big boon to the economy. I believe in political life and political vocation. It ' s the most important thing to do, McCloskey said. But I ' ll be almost 40 years old (when he finishes his second term) and a burned-out politician with no law experience. So I may find my way over to the courthouse and start suing insur- ance companies. 28 Linda Abrahams