Ah, June! The time of year when everyone is itching to be outside, just like the sprouts growing in greenhouses and windowsills across the region. Like us, these sprouts are slowly poking their heads out after being rooted in place for some time, and they know that promising and fruitful days lay ahead. How should we spend these days?
For many of us, the past weeks have been spent reconnecting. One way to connect and foster a healthy community is to serve on a Board. If there was ever a time to be generous with our talents, this is it. I may be partial, but serving on the Monadnock Food Co-op’s Board of Directors should be high on every Member-Owner’s list. The work is fulfilling, as we work with our General Manager to ensure that our Co-op continues to meet our Mission and Ends Statements, supporting the local community along the way.
Like farmers amending their fields to prepare for planting, much of this work goes unseen, but it is fruitful. The Co-op’s expansion was completed during an unprecedented time of uncertainty, and we just had a phenomenal Truckload Sale. The board is actively working on social justice initiatives to ensure that our policies and procedures reflect the words “Everyone is Welcome,” posted above our threshold. We continue to nurture our deep connections within the community by screening films with MONIFF and supporting local producers with the Farm Fund alongside the Cheshire County Conservation District. We are also establishing new connections through our monthly current Round-It-Up campaigns. Our outdoor and indoor cafés are open and we’re excited as they fill with fellowship and food.
If you are interested in being at the heart of this meaningful work, the nominating committee is actively seeking candidates for the Monadnock Food Co-op’s Board of Directors. For more information, please contact us at [email protected], and please consider attending our Board Candidate Information Session on June 29th.
Here’s what one former board member shared about his experience:
“I was inspired to volunteer for the co-op board, because at that time…THERE WAS NO CO-OP! And we needed one! Admittedly, this is ancient history and not a reason for anyone to serve on the board today, but I think my experience of the benefits of serving can be an encouragement to others.
I’m sure others feel, as I did, that their experience, connections, and energy would be helpful in supporting continued success at the co-op, and they are correct! Any organization needs constant replenishment of resources. Previous service on boards, relationships in the local community, and an interest in collaboration are all of great value.
Hopefully, they also feel, as I did, that engaging with the co-op community would be stimulating and enjoyable, and it is! Customers care deeply about the store and fellow board members are, without fail, interesting, creative, sincere, and sometimes, challenging!
They also may suspect that the cooperative business model is a better way to operate, and it is! This was perhaps the most valuable thing I learned from serving on the board. I learned, not only, helpful perspectives that I could apply to my own business, but also, board governance principles that I could apply to my work on non-profit boards
Serving on the board of the Monadnock Food Co-op was a rich and rewarding experience for me.”
—Joe Marks
