October is one of my favorite months. For one thing, fly season is coming to an end, but even better, October fall colors are wonderful! Black hawthorn and snowberry are exceptional this year and remind me of leaf-peeping trips through eastern deciduous forests.
This month’s Moscow Food Co-op Board of Directors meeting was held on October 3 rd at the 1912 Center from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Present were eight of nine Board members, our General Manager and Co-op staff, and one Co-op owner. Policy monitoring included the General Manager’s report for Policy B4 covering member rights and responsibilities. which include owner equity, patronage dividends, and owners being informed of their rights and responsibilities. The monitoring report was well prepared and was accepted in compliance.
Owner equity, last approved by the Board, is $150 per owner and payable in one lump sum or $10 per year until the total amount is covered. The policy also requires the GM to implement a patronage dividend system that allows the Board to make an informed decision on declaring dividend payout. Earlier this year the GM informed the Board of a 2022 change imposed by the IRS that required the Co-op to include long-term leases as debt, even though no actual debt had been accrued. This adjusted our debt-to-equity ratio on paper such that the Board voted, prudently, not to pay out dividends this year. This illustrates the importance of our policies in ensuring transparency.
The Board also monitored its C7 Board Committee Principles policy. The policy is written so that we only use committees to assist with Board work, and that in doing so, we do not violate our Board holism directive. The Board only speaks with one voice and therefore, individual Board members on committees or otherwise, have no authority to direct the Co-op GM or staff. We had a good discussion about how best to interact with the GM and staff when committee work involves Co-op resources (time, personnel, and money). We found ourselves in compliance with this policy and came away with a better understanding of our work.
In other business, the newly-merged Elections and Board-Owner Communications Committee (EBOC) will be responsible for the annual election and annual meeting, as well as other communication issues. Great work, everyone! We also heard from the GM about her recent trip to the NCG (National Co+op Grocers) meeting in Minneapolis. She reported on the breakout sessions she attended and how two were especially impactful to her. She heard from one presenter about how the term “healthy eating” means different things to different people, and that we may be excluding some people based on product selection. She was also moved by a presentation about “belonging” and how many people experience loneliness. These issues need to be acknowledged if our message is “Everyone is Welcome.”
For our Study and Engagement Series, Lysa Salsbury, Director of the University of Idaho’s Women’s Center talked to us about the history, mission, and importance of the Women’s Center. The Center was established in 1972 to address gender inequity and to be a safe place for people to come for support and complaints. Recently, its mission has been expanded to include all gender groups. Lysa informed us that the Women’s Center is there for those dealing with abuses of any kind and can be an important resource for UI faculty as well as students. The Women’s Center is also an important resource for health and wellness support. The Women’s Center maintains a food pantry, as up to 50% of students have reported food insecurity, which is a horrific situation. Along with food items, the pantry includes personal hygiene and prophylactic items. Unfortunately, the Women’s Center food pantry is not part of the Idaho Foodbank system, therefore items must come from different routes of donation, and we are all welcome and encouraged to make contributions! We greatly appreciated Lysa’s presentation and recognize that the UI Women’s Center is a valuable resource in our community. For more information, please check out their website at https://www.uidaho.edu/diversity/edu/womens-center. Our Study and Engagement Series is a way in which the Board and staff become better informed about issues and activities that affect the community around us. One of the Seven Cooperative Principles states that we have “Concern for Community,” and listening to people describe aspects of concern in our community is directly tied to our Ends.
Again, as fall is here, I want to remind everyone that your extra produce can be shared by placing items in the cooler in front of the Co-op at the Backyard Harvest Donation Station. Just use the Fresh Food Connect App to schedule drop-offs.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for November 3, 2023, in the Fiske Room at the 1912 Center (412 E 3rd St, Moscow, ID). The meeting will run from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Current Co-op Owners can attend in person or via Zoom. To attend via Zoom, contact the Board’s Administrative Assistant at boardadmin@moscowfood.coop for more information and to RSVP.
Further information about our Board meetings is at https://www.moscowfood.coop/board-meetings
Sincerely,
Mark Thorne, Board President
Moscow Food Co-op Ends Policy: The Moscow Food Co-op is at the heart of a thriving, healthy, and inclusive community where:
1. We embody and embrace cooperative principles and values.
2. All community members have local access to environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and healthful choices.