The Monadnock Food Co-op Board of Directors named the co-op staff the 2020 Cooperator of the Year during its virtual Annual Meeting on October 23 in Keene.

“When panic shopping set in, the staff was there in the aisles and at the registers as they suddenly became essential workers,” said Derek Galligan, Board Secretary. “Through the flour shortages and toilet paper rationing, they remained calm and consistent in their work. They helped us to feed our families and were witness to our fears and concerns as we all processed the landscape of the new world we were now part of.”

The Monadnock Food Coop’s Cooperator of the Year Award is given out annually to recognize a member-owner, vendor, staff member, or co-op partner who exemplifies cooperative values, integral to cooperatives throughout the world. These values include self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, solidarity, honesty, social responsibility, openness, and caring for others.

“We’re honored that our Board of Directors chose to give our co-op’s entire staff this year’s Cooperators of the Year Award,” said Michael Faber, Monadnock Food Co-op General Manager. “Such a touching tribute to all.”