“FRUITS, FOOD, FAMILY”

Water-bath and pressure canners are bubbling, freezers are filling, food dryers are humming! Fresh, local produce is in abundance this time of year! Autumn is quite busy for many of us as we “put by” the “fruits” of our spring and summer labors.

For the Baker Food Co-op membership, the “fruits of our labors” are being realized in other ways, as we await a clear title and final contract from the seller of the building we presently occupy and eventually, will own!

(Please refer to the Board Minutes, now being published in the monthly Newsletter, for other available details).

In the August 2013 Newsletter, I began sharing some of the concepts of “What is a Co-op” published by the International Cooperative Alliance. (This article was read at the July Member-Owner Meeting.)

As Baker Food Co-op Member-Owners, we “are voluntarily united to meet our common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.”

How exciting to realize that: “The United Nations declared 2012 the International Year of Co-ops! This has brought unprecedented public attention to our business model. In the wake of continuing global recession, co-operative enterprise is showing itself to be a resilient business model.” The International Cooperative Alliance’s vision is “to see co-ops as the fastest growing form of enterprise by 2020.”

As we ponder the above statements AND consider that the Baker Food Co-op is stable and growing AND that in the coming months, we will ALL “own” our building as well as this business, our enthusiasm for “helping” and “being involved” should soar!

On a recent shopping day, it was with a mixture of gratefulness and humility that I observed a young mother and her very young son energetically dust and mop the Co-op’s floors until no speck of dirt remained anywhere! It was important for me to thank them right then! They were providing me with a pleasant shopping experience in a clean, well-organized store!

Our Co-op is an “extended family” which is truly blessed to have dedicated members who are diligent in their various tasks, which benefits us all! THANK YOU!

*to be continued*

Fran Hart, Member-At-Large