A walk into the co-op at this time of year is a feast for the senses. We’re greeted by fresh local corn, plump ripe tomatoes, and blueberries picked just down the road. The products of our local farmers and food producers are stocked in every aisle. There are sales, bundling discounts, and new offerings. At check-out, I always marvel at the uniqueness of the product collection in every person’s basket. And I am always happy and proud to share my member number!
Everywhere I see the evidence of an accessible community-owned market welcoming and connecting the community and offering healthy, sustainable local food while contributing to our economic health. These outcomes—full of vitality and purpose—are exactly the ones our founders imagined when Monadnock Food Co-op was still an inspired developing dream.
As a member of the Board of Directors, representing the co-op’s Member-Owners, I’m responsible for staying focused on these desired outcomes—these ends—in the work we do. In our model of governance, the board delegates authority for running our co-op to the general manager and retains a monitoring duty to assure compliance with policies. Michael Faber’s monitoring reports to the board are chock full of essential information about the health of our cooperative, using a wide variety of measures. He welcomes the observations and clarifying questions from the board members each month. I’m happy to say that, by every accepted measure, our co-op is thriving!
As I member of the board, I feel a deep connection to the founding goals of Monadnock Food Co-op. Perhaps like me, these goals reflect your values and vision, too. I respect the governance structure that keeps those goals and vision in front of us at all times and allows our general manager the freedom and authority to manage our co-op to achieve success.
We’re just now preparing the ballots for this year’s board elections. I hope all Member-Owners will make the time to review the outstanding candidate statements, consider each candidate’s reasons for running, and cast a ballot for the candidates who, in your assessment, will best represent our vision and values. We have three seats to fill this year.
I look forward to seeing you at the co-op this month enjoying the special abundance of summer in New Hampshire!
