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Some shoppers bag only unadulterated food, the way they think God intended, and they actually all know and care about each another.
By GAIL HOLLENBECK
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 22, 2002
LECANTO -- Living a life that is abundant is important to Carmine and Marie LoMaglio. That's why they started buying food at the Abundant Life Food Co-operative four years ago.
"We started from wanting proper nutrition and health habits, good eating," said LoMaglio, who gives his age as 50-plus. "We weren't sick."
Then they discovered that good nutrition was what God intended, he said.
"That's why it's called abundant life, because Scripture says I come to give you life and give it more abundantly. We eat as close to the way God made it as possible."
The LoMaglios are strict vegetarians and grind grain to make their own bread. They order the grain, 200 pounds at a time, through the co-op.
"We eat according to Genesis 1:29," he said. "God said, 'I give you all the seed and herbs and fruit bearing trees in the garden.' And the Bible says not to eat the bread of idleness. So we grind our own grain and start from scratch."
Not all of the 60-something members of the food buying club are as strict with their diet. But people join because they are concerned with eating more healthfully, says club president Linda Rock.
The co-op is open to anyone, and the first visit is free. Interested patrons are welcome to shop and are given a packet of information.
"You can check us out to see if you're really interested in becoming a part of what we are," Rock said. "The info pack has our bylaws as well as a little bit about who we are."
Who they are is summed up in the welcome letter, which states: "Abundant Life organic food club was formed as a means to provide its members with affordable, healthy food and to uplift one another in Christian love."
"We offer produce that is grown organically, without the use of pesticides," Rock said. "All of our produce is grown according to the California standard for organic foods."
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, that standard was developed in the California Organic Foods Act of 1990 and is regarded by practitioners as the de facto standard.
"Food is generally considered organic if it is produced only with natural additives and without the aid of chemical pesticides," says the NRDC Web site.
"More than 80 independent organizations, trade associations and state agencies across the U.S. have undertaken efforts to certify food as organically produced," says the site. "The most widely accepted of these certification programs is run by California Certified Organic Farmers, which awards organically produced food its trademark emblem."
Rock said the produce at the co-op comes from a supplier in Sarasota, who sometimes uses products from Mexico and South America. Other produce comes from various U.S. states. But all of it is certified organic, she said.
The club also offers dairy products from cows that are not injected with growth hormones, Rock said.
"They're also not given antibiotics, so that is not coming through the dairy products into our bodies."
Prices vary, Rock said.
"Prices on some things are comparable to the grocery store. Some things may be a little bit less or a little bit more. It all depends on what the cost is when they come in."
All of the money generated by the club goes to purchase the produce and dairy products, and toward overhead. There are no salaries.
The club is run by its members. They take turns doing everything from selling the food to scrubbing the floors and stocking the shelves.
"It's encouraged but not necessary to have as much participation as possible," Rock said. "This reduces the amount of work other volunteers are doing. We understand that it's an impossibility for some to work here, and those people willingly pay a 15 percent surcharge on top of what is purchased."
Members can order bulk foods once a month.
"People are able to purchase case items in bulk. This is from another supplier where you can get items that are what we call clean or certified organic," Rock said.
Rock said she looks at the co-op as a ministry.
"We have members that are overcoming illnesses on a day-to-day basis, and this enables them to get foods that will not interfere with any of their chemo treatments or anything else that they may be dealing with. And we encourage one another and pray for one another. It has become a family. When somebody's hurting, we all hurt to some degree.
"The Lord calls us to be obedient to him, to have a lifestyle that honors him. That includes the way we eat and how we take care of the body he has given us. Being careful about what I put into that body honors him."
The Abundant Life Food Co-operative is at 1651 Gulf to Lake Highway in Lecanto, in the Tree Tops Plaza. It is open from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays. A year's membership costs $25. For information, call the co-op during business hours at 746-9471, or call Carmine LoMaglio at 746-3428.