I have lived in Takoma Park, a couple of blocks from the Co-op since 2002. For a lot of that time, I traveled extensively and so was only peripherally aware of the Co-op. it was the little store around the corner I could get to if I didn’t have the time to go further.
And then came the pandemic. I wasn’t traveling anymore and, like many others, was “locked down”. I met neighbors I had only nodded to when walking my dog and began to get more familiar with my neighborhood and the community.
I watched and read about the Co-op’s efforts to stay open and to meet customer needs within the confines of masking, distancing, and the like. I saw the Co-op devise a system whereby a customer could call in an order and come to pick it up without entering the store. And I learned about Co-op management’s efforts to keep all staff employed through this time.
Fast forward a few years and the Co-op undertook an extensive remodel. Again, I watched and marveled at the systems put in place so that a tent in the parking lot plus a refrigerator container could address many customer needs. Again, I watched efforts made to keep staff employed, meet customer needs and to do so while recognizing the finite nature of resources!
As I watched the Co-op in action, I learned more about what is behind the Co-op–its values, its commitments to providing access to fresh, natural food and fair trade product, providing a market for the goods of local producers providing financial and in-kind support for numerous local non-profits, emphasizing the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients, and fairly compensating and rewarding staff. I marveled at how much more is going on at this “little store around the corner” and I wanted to get involved.
So, in the summer of 2024, when someone told me the Board was looking for new members, I thought I might have found my place. I don’t pretend to have any expertise in the grocery business, and I am still learning about the Co-op movement, but I thought I could bring my education and experience to supporting the Co-op from behind the scenes. The role of the Board is not to delve into the day-to-day running of the store–that belongs to the GM. But the Board does ensure that there is a strong policy foundation in place, that there is a vision for the future and a strategy for how to get there; importantly the Board also and provides oversight to the Coop management to assure the Coop is both meeting its obligations and implementing the strategies and plans the Board has put in place. Its not especially flashy work, but I think it is important.
While the Co-op is not a perfect organization, I know it to be an organization that strives to achieve some important goals –even in challenging times such as these. I look forward to our work with management, staff and with member-owners as we navigate those changes.
-Margaret Morehouse (margaret.morehouse@tpssboard.com)