by Kenna S. Eaton

Each month, I report to the board on how we are progressing on our long-term goals, which we call our Ends. These Ends reflect our aspirations—what we want to accomplish—and they are what makes us different from a regular grocery store. We publish these reports as a blog to keep our member-owners up to date on what we are doing.

The reports are organized by our five Ends, although not all are discussed in every report. Our Ends say that, as a result of all we do—

- Our community is well-served by a strong cooperative grocery store, integral to the lives of our customers, our farmers, and our producers.

- Our community has a resilient local and regional food economy, supported by our Co-op and our community partners.

- Our staff and board have the knowledge, skills, and passion to make our cooperative thrive.

- Our members and customers are proud to shop at a local cooperative grocery that is working to reduce its impact on the environment.

- Our community is informed, engaged, and empowered to join us in making a difference.

March General

Manager’s Report

Working Together to Nourish our Community

Market Relevance

We have been trying for several years to find a program we could implement to increase food access opportunities in the store. Good news! We just got approval to offer Produce SNAP Match at the register. We are so excited to help more people get fresh produce! Our first day was March 1. It has taken extra time for the Co-op & the Department of Health to sort out the differences between how our member-based organization and our register system work compared with the systems of the larger stores that already have the SNAP match program.

Another way we help get veggies to those who need them is VegRx, a collaboration with the Farmers Market and Jefferson Healthcare, which we have been supporting for several years. In 2022, through mid-February, $120 of Veg Rx has been redeemed at the store.

Food System Development

We have brought in Straus Family organic milk in glass bottles as a temporary replacement for Fresh Breeze. While Straus is not local, their family is a strong advocate for organic and local agriculture in Petaluma County, California.

La Riojana olive oil is back! We are showing it off in the lobby for a few weeks and sampling it outside, so customers can try this new batch of organic, cooperative oil.

And we are looking forward to mid-April, when White Lotus Farm in Port Ludlow will begin wholesaling their gluten-free sourdough bread. We have committed to 12 loaves a week, which is the maximum they are able to start with. We have purchased some produce from White Lotus in the past, but they were not ready to regularly sell to us until now.

This month we added frozen coho salmon from Katfish to the meat freezer. You may also notice more Golden Anniversary products have also made it to the shelves. MeadWerks Golden Nectarious sweet mead—groovylicious according to the label—and Reko’s Dream Golden Pumpkin Gluten-free Dog Treats are the most recent arrivals. Early March will bring a special ice cream from Elevated Ice Cream, and soon you should see Midori Golden Beet Kraut plus a very special seasonal treat, Mystery Bay Ricotta. Look for 50th anniversary labels on products around the store.

Thriving Workplace

We're super pleased to announce the appointment of Cara Leckenby as Human Resources Manager. Cara is bringing experience, enthusiasm, and genuine care for The Food Co-op to her new position in human resources as well as membership in our Leadership Team. Please join us in welcoming Cara to this new role and wish her every success!

All employees received a special gift on February 22, supermarket Employee Appreciation Day. Our marketing team put together a special card celebrating our staff, delivered along with bars of chocolate to sweeten their day.

Outreach

For Valentine’s Day, we raffled off a Breakfast for Two basket, filled with food items and kitchen gadgets, to one of our members.

We are looking for fun stories to share about the Co-op. Please visit our website and share your favorite Co-op stories with us.

Save the date May 4th to help us celebrate 50 Years of Cooperation. Lots of fun, food, and music at the fairgrounds! Wear your best 70s clothing!