Bountiful Baskets Food Co-Op

One of the most frequent complaints I hear from coupon class attendees or in emails from readers is about how hard it is to save on “healthy” food items, namely fresh fruit and vegetables. True we don’t see many coupons for these items but there are ways to save.

Over the next few weeks I will be exploring various food co-ops throughout the OKC metro area and rural Oklahoma. I will focus on those that provide mainly fresh produce, but also may offer add-on items.
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Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op is a community of people who utilize their purchasing power as a group to buy items at wholesale prices. They are dedicated to helping the community eat healthier by providing fresh, high quality, delicious produce at an affordable cost.

Produce baskets are offered every week and are roughly ½ fruit & ½ veggies. The contribution is $18 the first time or $15 for returning participants. There are also extra items available such as bread and seasonal cases of fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is also available at selected sites.

Following are general examples of what you might receive in a produce basket:

$15 Basic Produce Basket

1- Romaine lettuce
1- Spinach
1- bunch Radish
1- Broccoli
2- English Cucumbers
2- Avocados
5- Tomatoes
8- Bananas
1- Bag of black Grapes
6- Clementines (mandarins)
1- 6oz container Blackberries
3- Asian Pears
6- Fuji Apples
9 of the 13 items were grown USA!

$10 Organic Upgrade

1- Leaf Lettuce
1- bunch Spinach
1- Zucchini Squash
1- bag fresh green beans
7- carrots
1- carton blueberries
5 -Roma tomatoes
1- Large Pear
2- grapefruit
6- bananas
1- bag of Apples
1- bag of Tangelos

The contribution is $15.00 per basic produce basket. The organic upgrade is $10.00 for a total of $25.00. Add-ons are available and the cost varies depending on the item. The first time you order a basket, you will be accessed a $3 processing fee. Thereafter, the processing fee goes down to $1.50 each time you contribute. Your entire contribution is spent on food, so the $1.50 is necessary to cover card processing, servers and other expenses.

Currently there are five participating locations in Oklahoma: Altus, Bartlesville, Clinton and Lawton. Shawnee (not yet shown on website) will start participating this month (January 2012). Another group may be forming in Oklahoma City soon.

To inquire about order and pick-up dates as well as pick-up locations for Altus, Bartlesville, Clinton & Lawton, click HERE.

The first order date for the Shawnee site is Monday, January 16th  beginning at noon and going thru Tuesday, January 17th at 8:30pm or sooner if all baskets are filled . Pick-up for that order will be on Saturday, January the 21st. The pickup time will be posted when you place your order.

The location for the Shawnee site is 1414 North Kennedy inside the Gateway to Prevention and Recovery. This location is located off Hwy 177 taking the  Kickapoo Spur to north Kennedy. If you have any questions about the Shawnee group, you may contact Meri at 580-305-0499.

You can read Bountiful Baskets’ FAQs for more detailed information.

If you are interested in starting another Bountiful Baskets site, you can find more information HERE.