Message From The Board 4/17/20
Dear members,
With these relatively warmer days, I just can’t help but think about nature. With the March equinox behind us, we are now entering spring. Spring is a time of awakening and coming to life. For so many of us practicing social distancing, getting outside is our lifeline. More than usual, I find myself ever so thankful to be in Sitka with the ability to walk out of my house and within minutes be surrounded by nature. I worry for our future and for how this pandemic will leave its mark on our society. As I go out on my walks, I am filled with hope and inspiration. I watch the crocus flowers blooming, adding all of their colors to this world. I see little buds starting to form. I see the skunk cabbage coming up along the roadside. I am reminded that nothing is finite. We are constantly in flux and from the quiet of winter comes life once again. The great irony of this moment is that as we give each other at least six feet of distance, humanity is l in this together in a way it has never been.
Community is an important part of any cooperative. As such, the Board decided to postpone our annual meeting. For us, the annual meeting is so much more than voting in new Board members or making bylaw changes; for us, the annual meeting is a time to come together over good food and reflect upon the previous year. We felt that this was just simply not something we could do with technology. Any annual meeting that we would have done from behind a screen would have simply been a meeting for the sake of having a meeting. We chose to spend that same energy and focus on the present needs of the Co-op and the extra energy being used to continue running.
During these times of staying away from each other, our Co-op has shifted from a mentality of growth to simply figuring out how to continue bringing food safely to this community. We went from contemplating how to do home deliveries, to actually doing them out of necessity for those in our community who need to stay home. So much has changed over the last few weeks, yet at its core we are the same cooperative with the same goals of caring for Sitka. It has been amazing seeing the work that our volunteers and our staff have been doing to get this food out into the community. I ask that you continue to be patient with all of the changes. Check your emails or our facebook page to stay up-to-date. Make sure that the information we have for you is correct. As always, the board is here for you and can be contacted at sitkafoodcoopboard@gmail.com.
Cooperatively yours,
Ariane Goudeau – Board Chair