Congratulations, we have made it through the first half of winter and are moving closer to spring! The seed catalogs are emerging and the garden planning is underway! I have flats of arugula seedlings growing under lights and getting ready to plant tomato and eggplant seeds. Anyway, to the business at hand. The Co-op Board held its second meeting of the year on Tuesday, February 7 at the Latah County Fairgrounds. As is the current norm, thank you COVID-19, the meeting was a hybrid of in-person and Zoom participation and included Board members, Co-op staff, and participating owners. The Board reviewed policies pertaining to its relationship with the General Manager and addressed a couple of minor issues with committee charters. Melinda provided an update on current sales and owner numbers, which showed an increase over previous months. The Board also discussed ways to better understand its relationship with the overall vision for the Co-op, expressed as our Ends. Again, I want to personally thank the staff for their incredible work coming through and out of COVID-19, the energy in the store is infectious (see what I did there)!
At the beginning of our meeting, the Board heard from Autumn Avery representing Family Promise of the Palouse, a local organization that partners with local congregations and organizations to provide shelter and services for families struggling with homelessness. Amber described how they help homeless families find shelter and the help they need to move into long-term housing. She reported that in the past 10 years, Family Promise of the Palouse has provided nearly 16,000 bed nights and over 48,000 meals while seeing a 79% success rate in moving families into long-term permanent housing. If you are interested in volunteering or contributing, more information can be found on their website: https://www.familypromisepalouse.org/.
Looking ahead, the Board will review the 2022 fourth-quarter financial reports and prepare for the 2023 Board election and new Director orientation in March. The next Board meeting is scheduled for March 7, 2023, in the Classroom at the Latah County Fairgrounds Events Center (1012 Harold Ave). The meeting will begin at 6:00 pm. Current Co-op Owners can attend in person or via Zoom. If wanting to attend via Zoom, contact the Board's Administrative Assistant at boardadmin@moscowfood.coop for more information and to RSVP. Important upcoming events include the Board Candidate Forum on March 6, 2023, between 6:00 and 8:00 pm PST at the 1912 Center, and the 2023 Board Election beginning March 6 at 8:00 am PST and ending at 8:00 pm PST on March 19. Please email any questions to boardelections@moscowfood.coop.
Further information about our Board meetings can be found at https://www.moscowfood.coop/board-meetings.
Sincerely,
Mark Thorne, Board Chair