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Welcome to the Buyers' Club Founded in 1999, ACCM’s Buyers' Club is a participant-driven co-operative, providing important access to high protein low-cost foods; in addition to information and access to vitamins and supplements. We offer fairly-priced alternatives to retail and online shops, and try to provide as much information as possible on the items we offer. Our goals are to ensure that individuals living with HIV are eating properly and to increase the awareness and affordability of vitamins and supplements, so that those in need can have access to them. We believe in enabling individuals to tend to their own well-being. At the Buyer’s Club, we rely on our members' collective purchasing power and input to keep the Club growing and running smoothly. What is the Buyers' Club? The Buyers’ Club is an ACCM participant-run food cooperative, providing nutritious, high protein and low-cost food for members on a monthly basis. We also have vitamins and supplements available for order. Each member places a $10 to $40 order chosen from our list of food products (vitamins and supplements are not part of this total.) This serves as a contribution towards the bulk grocery purchase and allows the member to benefit from the numerous donations the Club receives every month. Members place their orders at the beginning of the month and receive their food around the third week of the month. The Club functions 12 months a year. The Buyers’ Club was started in 1999 for members of ACCM, and in was opened up to members of other AIDS organizations in Montreal in October 2001. Some of our sponsors include Moisson Montreal, Metro Fletcher, Le Fournil, Levinoff, MMMuffins, Pepsi Canada and the Commensal. The Vitamins Club was introduced in 2002, and thanks to a special agreement with Natural Factors we are now able to offer low-cost vitamins and supplements to Buyers’ Club participants. Hagen pet foods makes regular donations to the Club, so participants can even get food for their four-legged friends. All participants are asked to contribute a minimum of 6 hours of volunteer time to the Club each year, to keep it growing and running smoothly. What the Buyers' Club is not This is not a food bank. This is not charity. The Club costs money and requires your participation; in exchange you get more buying power and fresh products. You don’t have to help with the big chores if you are unable to; however, you are expected to respect the deadlines and the cooperative nature of the process. You may still be a member of the Club even if you are also making use of the food banks. Please note that participation in the Buyers’ Club does not necessarily make you a member of ACCM or give you access to other ACCM services. If you are interested in becoming a member of ACCM you are invited to contact our Case Manager, Ginette Tremblay at 514-529-9462. How do I join the Buyers' Club? For
ACCM members: For
people Living with HIV from other AIDS Service Organizations: How do I order? Once you are at the office you will be required to provide your name and a phone number where you can be contacted. Your order must be a mininum of $10 and a maximum of $40, and is rounded up to the closest five ( $10, $15, $20, $25 . . . ) After you have made your payment you will generally be contacted by phone to place your order. Don’t forget to also pick up a new price list and calendar when you are at the office, there is always a new useful cooking recipe on the back! It is not obligatory to place an order every month; it is your choice when to participate. However, the Buyers’ Club is available 12 months a year and is not income dependent. Anyone can participate in the savings on good quality, nutritious high-quality food any month of the year. Click here for the Excel order form How do I get my food? The order pick up day is always on a Thursday (usually the third or fourth Thursday of the month) between 11am and 1pm. The dates will vary from month to month and are posted each month on the website as well as in our monthly newsletter. All members receive a copy of their order at the reception desk on the day of the pick up as well as a new price list and the important dates for the following month. We recommend you to bring a cart or knapsack when picking up your food. Fortunately, we frequently receive donations from various organizations every month, which are then divided among the participants. Normally, you can expect to receive double the value of your monthly payment once the donations are distributed. Why are there deadlines for payment and pickup? The Buyers’ Club has been growing steadily since it started in 1999. As you will see in the Volunteer Opportunities’ section, there is a lot of work that needs to be done! The deadlines are put in place to know how many participants there will be for each month and make sure there will be enough time to coordinate the pick ups and volunteers. Remember: this is a cooperative. Respecting the deadlines is a great way to help the process run smoothly and efficiently. What about vegetarian and other special diets? The menu is diverse, and it includes many vegetarian options from the Commensal. If there are foods that you cannot have, or simply dislike, please tell us ahead of time. It is very important that you inform us about any food allergies. Individual preferences will be kept in mind, but the best value for the group will determine the actual purchases. What about vitamins and supplements? Since 1999, ACCM has had an arrangement with Natural Factors, making low cost vitamins and supplements available to members of the Buyers’ Club. Orders for vitamins and supplements should be placed at the same time as food and will be available for pick up at the same time. There is a huge variety of products available. Detailed information ca be found at the Drop In Resource Centre and ACCM office. You can also look online at www.naturalfactors.com about product information. It is best to consult with your doctor before taking any of these products. How do I volunteer? Volunteers contribute a minimum 63 hours each month, and this is the reason why the Buyers' Club functions as well as it does. Volunteers at the Buyer’s Club perform a broad range of activities, as you can see from the list below. However, many more useful tasks could be developed if only there were enough people available to carry them on. The Buyers’ Club requires each of its participants to contribute a minimum of 6 hours of volunteer time to the Club each year. Attempts have been made to carefully define each task and to have a wide range of them available, so that participants would find one they would feel comfortable doing. One of the advantages of volunteering and helping the Club is that individuals who are active volunteers receive a 10% on their food order, and/or a 10% discount on their vitamin & supplement order. Possible Volunteer Roles:
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