As I’ve mentioned in previous updates, the Co-op is preparing to launch our first strategic planning exercise since 2012. This is an opportunity to define how our co-op serves the community over the coming decades. Here’s a chance for you to participate—maybe even as a committee member.  

The council has appointed four founding members to a Strategic Planning Committee, and now they are looking for 2–5 more member-owners and staff to join them on a committee of six to nine people total. The council prioritizes diversity and balance in this group, to make it easier to craft a plan that reflects all of us. 

Why participate? 

With the recent acquisition of land at 707 Stone Cutters Way, we have physical space to grow in ways we haven’t before. This committee will help the Co-op decide how to develop that land, as well as many other questions about our future. 

Member-owners and staff serving on this committee will receive financial compensation for their time and expertise. 

And you don’t need to be an expert in strategic planning—the committee will hire a consultant with that expertise.  

What’s the commitment? 

• Time: Approximately two meetings per month for about a year, plus work outside of the meetings. 
• Focus: Helping to discover and invent our future path through facilitated workshops and discussions. Leadership in this process means listening first. 
• Application: If you are interested, please email General Manager Mary Mullally with the subject line “Strategic Planning Committee” by April 6 with up to 150 words on why you are interested and what in your background you would draw on for this work.

Even if you don’t join the committee, you can participate by joining us at the open forums we’ll host throughout the planning process. But if you have the skills and availability to help chart our course while ensuring our plan is rooted in the shared wisdom of everyone who belongs here, we hope you’ll apply. 

Ask us anything at the next Co-op Connects on Monday, April 10, 4:00 – 5:00 pm 

General Manager Mary Mullally and I will be holding our next almost-monthly “ask us anything” Co-op Connects session on Monday, April 10, 4:00 – 5:00 pm. Please join Mary, me, and possibly another council member to chat about the past, present, or future of the Co-op—or anything else on your mind. Look for us at the Demo station.  

Heard at the March 9 Co-op Connects 

Council Vice President Jeff Roberts and I served apple cider and diverse sweet treats at the March 9 Co-op Connects. Here’s some of what shoppers told us:  

• We love the Co-op. We shop here almost exclusively. It’s my favorite grocery store in Vermont. 
• I grew up shopping here. One of my earliest memories is losing a helium ballon in the Co-op—and someone went up to the ceiling and got it for me. 
• If you had a store in Waterbury, I’d shop at the Co-op more often. 
• I like having meals here, both takeout and in the café.  
• I’d like to see lower prices; the Co-op could lower its donations. Cleaning products are significantly higher than at a larger store in the area. 
• I’m very pleased with the Co-op, and I appreciate the senior discount. I’d like to see more pea soup and tortilla soup. 
• Thanks for serving on the council. 
• We’re glad the Co-op is here. 
• I like the bathrooms, the deals, and Long Wind tomatoes, which are tasty all year. [This comment got me to buy some Long Wind tomatoes, and I can verify that they are delicious, even in March. –CE] 
• I’d like to see more room in the café and more outdoor space, plus more bulk items. 
• Please don’t use non-compostable tea bags in the café. 
• My favorite feature is the hand-washing station in the café; I like to wash my hands before eating. 
• Please have the cash register by the café staffed whenever the hot bar is open. 
• I work here, and I used to work at another Vermont co-op; the systems are organized much better here. Could Hunger Mountain Co-op take over that other co-op? 
• I’d like to see breakfast sandwiches until 10 am, so there’s no gap in the food availability at the hot bar. 
• If the front end had one line for all the cash registers, the line would move faster for everyone. 

How is a library like a food co-op? 

No, it’s not the set-up for a joke. (For that, see below.) The answer is the reason for inviting Kellogg-Hubbard Library executive director Dan Groberg to talk to the council.  

At each meeting, the council is inviting people from organizations aligned with our mission to tell us about their work. Their fascinating presentations are worth tuning in for—even if you don’t care to watch the rest of the meeting. Dan’s presentation will be on Tuesday, April 14. The agenda has not yet been finalized; his talk will probably start between 6:30 and 7:10. The agenda will be posted by the end of the day on April 7 on the Meeting Info page of our website. Because of the vagaries of how meetings run, it’s a good idea to tune into the Zoom meeting (or come in person to the Community Room) 15 minutes earlier. The Zoom link will be on the agenda. 

So how is a library like a food co-op? Here’s my take: 

• Both rely on active engagement from their respective communities (voters/taxpayers for libraries, member-owners for co-ops) to ensure they stay true to local needs. 
• The core philosophy of both organizations is removing barriers to essential resources. A public library’s mandate is to provide free access to information, technology, literacy tools, and cultural enrichment to all residents. Similarly, the Co-op strives to provide access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food for everyone. And education is core to the Co-op’s mission; one of our Ends policies is to create a “community increasingly educated about food and health and considerate of the impacts of its purchases.” 
• Both are trusted local institutions that prioritize the community over profit margins. 
• Finally, both recognize that a healthy community requires more than just good food or books; it requires connection. The library has programs for kids and adults; the Co-op sponsors events in the community and at the Co-op. (Speaking of which, be sure to mark Earth Day, April 22, on your calendar for a celebration at Hunger Mountain Co-op.) 

For Dan Groberg’s take, come to (or Zoom in to) the council meeting on April 14, or listen to it afterwards from the audio posted at our Meeting Info page. 

The Wrap 

Q: Why did the cookie go to urgent care?
A: Because it felt crummy.

—Carl Etnier, Council President

Do you have any questions or comments about the council? Do you know any jokes even faintly related to food and/or co-ops? Please email them to me!