Unwavering Spirit in a Time of Change
By Emile Amarotico, General Manager
It’s been two months since my last update on our Co-op community, but it could just as well have been two years ago, or from an alternate reality! Needless to say, life at the Co-op has changed, and it hasn’t been easy for employees or shoppers. But despite the challenges, it has been an inspiring and reaffirming time that reminds us why we love the cooperative enterprise.
It is impossible not to be proud of the care and compassion the Co-op community has shown since the coronavirus began to impact our daily lives. That started with the Co-op Board of Directors deciding unanimously that 100% of the over $600,000 patronage dividends for 2019 should be returned to owners. In most years, a portion of that amount is retained for future development and reinvestment in Co-op operations, but knowing the financial insecurity that many are facing in light of the pandemic, we wanted to maximize assistance to our community. One shopper let us know they had not yet received any unemployment benefits, so their dividend return was literally keeping food on the table.
For others, the 100% dividend was an opportunity for charity. With the option to donate dividends to the Ashland Emergency Food Bank, over $15,000 has already been donated to help those facing food insecurity.
There’s also been no lack of volunteer support. At the beginning of April, the CDC and other health authorities began to recommend face coverings in public. With the aim of protecting Co-op employees without taking away medical-grade N95 masks from health care workers, a group of six community members, led by board member Julie O’Dwyer, stitched together enough masks for each employee to have a fresh one each day. Thanks again to Joe Dunbar, Erin McConnell, Erica Thompson, board member Trine Ostergaard, Jenni Presley, and Cindy Goodwin for their selfless work. Additionally, we’re seeing neighbors arrive with large shopping lists to pick up groceries for vulnerable neighbors.
Of course, there have been difficulties. We celebrate the diverse backgrounds and viewpoints that the Rogue Valley nurtures, and have tried to accommodate everyone without being overly restrictive. But there’s no blueprint for businesses or individuals on how to navigate a global pandemic, so we know we won’t get it right 100% of the time. Please know that we are looking to healthcare professionals and national examples of other co-ops and grocery stores to keep safety as the main priority. We hope that you’ll continue to support our employees and each other with patience and kindness (and masks, too!).
Summer is just around the corner and we hope that we might return to something resembling where we were this time last year. We will continue to provide great customer service, healthy food, support for local growers and producers, and warmth and caring to the best of our ability and within the guidelines of health experts. Thanks for being part of what makes this Co-op and our community such a great place to be, and for rising to the challenge of doing our best for our neighbors.
More Co-op News
Black Lives Matter
We acknowledge that the Ashland Food Co-op has not had a culture where all employees and community members felt safe sharing their experiences of discrimination in our store. We apologize for this. We are on a learning journey. We have reached out for help, and are listening to our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) employees and owners who want to be part of the positive change we seek.
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Vendors & businesses donating to relief efforts
From day one of the Almeda Fires, the Co-op team wanted to help the community. They reached out to vendors across the region and country to ask for their help with products, supplies and food to get to the fire victims.
And that help came through in big ways, getting nutritious food to displaced families, home supplies in high demand, and wellness and food for first responders and firefighters. Thank you for supporting these businesses as thanks for their help in our community's relief efforts.
October news at the Co-op
October is typically Co-op month, to highlight how differently cooperatives do business. But instead of talking about the 7 Cooperative Principles, or the ownership benefits of being part of the Co-op, we only need to look at the past four weeks to see what being a cooperative really means.
As part of the co-op family, you've helped the entire community immensely.
Lecture recording: "Nutrition for autism and related conditions"
Lisa Shelton, BioIndividual Nutrition Practitioner & Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, put together this recording to discuss nutrition for autism and related conditions including, ADHD, anxiety, and learning disorders as well as strategies for picky eating.
Click here to watch the lecture at your convenience.
Password: p!=Fw6R7
Support Co-op staff to rebuild
The Ashland Food Co-op is dedicated to helping our community and our staff rebuild after the Almeda Fires in early September.
For immediate support, the Co-op gave $1,000 to staff who lost their homes in the fires, as well as $250 for food and other household needs for anyone displaced due to a level 3 evacuation order.
Change for Good in September: Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
For the month of September, Ashland Food Co-op shoppers can round up at the register to support Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. Since 1973, SOLC has been working on multiple fronts to improve land quality and conservation for humans and nature alike. Check out some of the projects below that SOLC has been working on recently. And mark your calendar for Saturday, October 24, as SOLC hosts an Open Lands Day hike and tour on the Rogue River Preserve.
Free Monday Night Lecture - Some Cool Science about Breathing
Join Kelly Martin as she explains how your breath impacts everything from ankle sprains to headaches. Learn why belly breathing isn't good for you, how to breathe correctly, and how to maximize lung health, improve posture, enhance walking efficiency, reduce anxiety, and improve sports performance.
Access the Zoom recording here.
Zoom access password: 2zu@KQWU
Chatting about community giving with JPR's "Jefferson Exchange"
Recently, Julie O'Dwyer, Ashland Food Co-op board vice-president, joined a panel of guests on Jefferson Public Radio's "Jefferson Exchange" to discuss how the pandemic has led to an even greater need for community giving and support of local non-profits.
Change for Good in August: KS Wild
This month's featured organization in the new Change for Good register round-up program is KS Wild (short for Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center).
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Get to know Ashland Emergency Food Bank
The sixth cooperative principle, "Concern for Community," has become even more important since the pandemic began and economies, locally and globally, started to constrict. To address this, the Board of Directors agreed in April to release 100% of patronage dividends and designate Ashland Emergency Food Bank as a donation option for those dividends - resulting in over $20,000 in donations. And with the early launch of Change for Good register round-up, AEFB was a natural choice to receive round-up donations.
July / August GM Update: Walking the Walk
I wrote at the beginning of the year that the Co-op model of business was a blueprint for the future. The concept of “planet, principles and people before profit” is a guide for how cooperatives can run a successful business that puts more back into the community and local economy than national chains, while using less resources and creating less waste.
2020 Co-op Election Results
2020 Co-op Election Results
Ashland Food Co-op owners voted for three open seats on the Board of Directors, and for ten non-profit organizations for the Change for Good register round-up program.
Click a name below to read more about that Co-op Board member.
A statement from the Board of Directors on racial justice
Dear Ashland Food Cooperative Family and Community,
Co-op Owners Step-Up to Support the Ashland Emergency Food Bank!
AFC and AEFB Press Release - Local Strength!
Release Date: 5-26-2020
In April, the Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors announced to the community that the Co-op would be returning 100% of the 2019 Patronage Dividend to its owners. The 100% Patronage Dividend return to Co-op owners converted to over $628,000.
The Co-op Board felt in this time of great need it was not the right time for the Co-op to put away funds for the future, but rather to support owners fully so they may have more strength to weather these stormy times.