Tonight was the Annual Meeting of my local Food Co-op. I have a long history with cooperatives. When Sasha - 2 Year Old Daughter, Peg - Partner, and I moved to Madison, WI in 1976 -- we were about 2 blocks from the co-op. It was a one-room downstairs of a converted house, lots of bins, NO processed food, NO SUGAR, member owned and controlled. A few years later the Co-op moved to a much bigger site, just as close to our home - Sasha and I volunteered on Sunday mornings for a couple of years. It was something that we did together and she loved to put food on shelf and most especially to use the marking gun that put the price tag on the box/can/etc. She loved it. Over the years where ever I have lived, I have joined the Co-op -- I have lost track of how many memberships I have. Lots... It is a way of life for me, this consciousness about my food, where it comes from, how it is produced, and the notion of being an owner - a part of the business. Our Co-op is a little over 5 years old - this is the first year we have made a profit -- it is a good part of our community. Tonight we talked some about the End Policies -- they are our defining goals and values - a way to try to understand the value of our co-op's existence. They seem transferable to more than our co-op in many ways - here are the End Policies of the Eastside Food Co-op:
Community: Our coop benefits from our presence.
Employees: Our employees are motivated to excel.
Products and Services: Our products and services sustain and satisfy our community.
Environment: Our Environment is minimally impacted by our presence and practices.
Business: Our business grows and prospers and is rooted in the Rochdale Principles:
Voluntary and open membership, Democratic member control, member
economic participation, autonomy and independence, cooperation among cooperatives, concern for community.
These "End Policies" are another way to envision - it is great to have the opportunity to step back and to be conscious of what we want to accomplish through our efforts.
Comments