November is pie season! Apple, pumpkin, pecan, and of course, cheesecake are all on my menu list for the season. I hope everyone has been enjoying this year’s beautiful autumn weather.
This month’s Moscow Food Co-op Board of Directors meeting was held on November 7 th 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 two Co-op owners via Zoom.
Policy monitoring included the General Manager’s report for Policy B8 which covers logistical support for the Board. The policy directs the General Manager to ensure the Board has administrative support to maintain communication between Board members and owners, record and archive minutes from meetings, and schedule activities. The Board and the Co-op have benefited from outstanding administrative support personnel, and we are very grateful! The policy monitoring report was accepted unanimously in compliance.
The Board also monitored its C8 policy which ensures the Board shall have funding to carry out its duties including conducting annual meetings, training activities, consulting, and technical support, and can reimburse reasonable costs for directors to attend meetings and retreats, if needed. Along with this policy, we went over the Board’s budget projection for the coming year. It was brought to the Board’s attention that costs associated with the Director’s volunteer store discount have been coming out of the Co-op’s marketing budget. It was proposed and approved to move the discount cost to the Board’s budget instead. The monitoring report for C8 was accepted in compliance and approved by a unanimous vote, as was the Board’s projected budget for next year.
As a future activity, the Directors will take turns leading discussions from chapters in the book, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” by Doug Griffiths. We are hoping to find insights and perspectives on the structure and function of healthy and vibrant communities, and how we can best support our Co-op. Owners are certainly encouraged to give it a read as well!
For our Study and Engagement Series, Tim Gresback gave a presentation on Access to Justice Idaho, which is a volunteer organization that raises funds to cover legal expenses for low-income and vulnerable Idahoans. Tim is a local Moscow attorney who specializes in personal injury. Tim’s presentation was important for the Board and others present to hear because it raised awareness that many people fail to get adequate legal assistance and can ultimately be treated unfairly by the court system. A community can only be healthy if all have access to needed services when issues arise. To quote the Idaho State Bar, “The need for free legal services is constant and increasing. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has left one in seven Idaho workers unemployed. Many who were seemingly secure, now face evictions, foreclosures, crippling medical bills without health insurance and a myriad of unexpected legal problems.” Financial donations are needed and can be made through the Access to Justice Idaho website at isb.idaho.gov/ilf/accesstojustice/ or by mail at Access to Justice Idaho, P.O. Box 895, Boise, ID 83701-0895.
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.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for December 5, 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.