Co-Opportunities

by Yevette Buddeau, Member-Owner Coordinator (MOC)

Welcome to FeBruary and lengthening daylight! Thank you so much to all who participated in Jan. 31’s Regular Membership Meeting. We greatly appreciate all who answered the call to vote via the Survey Monkey online method in order to reduce the number of paper ballots that must get counted.

Looking ahead to April’s Membership Meeting and Board elections, we’re seeking people who want to take Co-op Member-Ownership and commitment to the next level. Are you someone who would love to serve on the Board of Directors? Do you have a great understanding of HWFC? Watch for nominations to open in March for the four seats that will be open for our Board of Directors.

For info about who is on the Board now, and monthly Board Meeting details, visit our Board of Directors page on our website. You can also check out our workshop slides from the past two years of informative governance workshops here.

Looking for other ways to contribute to your favorite local cooperative? Our Grocery Department is looking for Member-Owner gro-

mEMBER-oWNER Announcements

Interested in joining Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Team as an Employee? Check out our Employment Page.

cery stockers on Saturday mornings, dairy stockers for fronting and stocking Wednesdays through Saturdays, help stocking freezer items, and MOs who can help with cleaning projects. Shifts at different times of day are available; contact Georgia at Georgia.Sullivan@honestweight.coop.

We are looking for people who can help collect carts from the parking lot on weekends. Contact Katie at katie@honestweight.coop or Dan at danh@honestweight.coop. Want to help out with bagging groceries as customers finish up their shopping trip? We call this a courtesy clerk and we need MO courtesy clerks on the weekends at all times on Saturdays and after 11am on Sundays. Contact Katie at katie@honestweight.coop to help us out!

Here’s a blast from the time-investing past. We’re currently looking for MOs who can come in and be present in the Meat Department evenings from 6–9pm—similar to the meat monitors or meat minders from the Central Avenue store. The right Member-Owners for this position are friendly and attentive and able to do light cleaning and fronting in the Meat Department while providing friendly customer service. We’re also looking for an MO who can go to specified other stores and log prices of basic staple items carried there. Contact Stephen at stephenq@honestweight.coop for details and to sign up for either of these opportunities.

We have a few very sad announcements to make this month. We’ve lost some wellloved Member-Owners and our hearts are heavy with the loss. Stephen Winters passed away at the beginning of January. His presence was well known on Register 10 on Saturdays and on the Membership Committee as well as at HWFC events. Friends are organizing an obituary and planning for a memorial gathering when gatherings can safely be held. Maria Rabizo from the Bulk Department passed away this month; she was a longtime MO beloved by many and will be missed. No obituary is available yet. We also learned of Diane Parower’s death from August 2020 and want to announce it now as we’ve just found out; no obituary is available. We all send our love and condolences to the friends and families of Stephen, Maria, and Diane.

committee corner

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Membership Committee (MC)

∙ In-person orientations remain on hold due to pandemic. Continued online sessions are going well. ∙ Reviewing bulletin board items for initialed, dated member-to-member communication. ∙ MO outreach calls continue; appreciation expressed by members who received calls. ∙ Reviewed Jan. 31 MM slide content, discussed rationale. Ran information sessions Jan. 16, 20 & 25. ∙ First Book Discussion Series held Jan. 14 about “Grocery Story” was successful. ∙ Committee unanimously agreed to support chair Cara Benson by dividing some responsibilities among members with Cathy Holmes as co-chair.

Book Group

continued from page 3 “All in all we’re doing...amazing work as a Co-op. The book was eye-opening and thought-provoking.”

Owner engagement has always been a challenge at HWFC, according to one longtime member who emphasized that empowerment is one of the store’s founding principles. This sets co-ops apart from other grocery players. All agreed, though, that in the grand scheme of things HWFC is doing amazing things.

Personally, I learned a great deal about operational issues at the store, and I felt the passion and commitment of Members to Co-op principles. I feel lucky to be part of the community. I also learned one historical fact. Did you know that the Center for Independent Media produced a film about HWFC on its 30th anniversary? The book group concluded that resurrecting a copy for future viewing, post-COVID, would be fun. I’m looking forward to that.

our next title:

Local Is Our Future

by Helena Norberg-Hodge We are acquiring loaner copies (contact memberservices@honestweight.coop) and the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza will continue to offer a 20% discount for those who want to purchase a copy. Book Group will next meet Thursday, March 11 at 7pm.