Board elections this month
Thank you to our 752 paid members and our 2,000+ newsletter subscribers who have joined us and helped spread our co-ops mission in our community!
If you’re not a co-op member, we invite you to join us by investing in the Charles River Food Co-op today.
This month is National Co-op Month, which you can read about further down in this newsletter. Cabot Creamery is giving away cool prizes for new members, so sign up today!
Recent tabling events: We recently attended the Faire on the Square in Watertown, and got a great showing at our table of people interested in the co-op.
We’re looking for volunteers!
All current members are welcomed and encouraged to join our board meetings every other Monday night from 8-9pm on Zoom.
Interested in getting more involved? Join us at our finance and marketing committee meetings. You can find dates and joining information for all our meetings here:
https://charlesriverfood.coop/calendar
We are also looking for volunteers to participate in the Newton Harvest Fair on Sunday, October 15th, 2023. Volunteers will pick one or more hours from 11am to 4pm to help staff the table alongside current board members. If you are interested, email us at info@charlesriverfood.coop.
Want to help us spread the word?
Forward this email!
Print and post a flier on a local community bulletin board!
Follow us on social media @charlesriverfoodcoop and share our posts!
Message from the Board - Election Details
We are holding our first official board election since we kicked off our membership campaign in June of 2022! Any member can nominate themselves for the board and anyone who is a member at the time of the elections can vote. We currently have 4 open board positions, and we already have some great candidates. If you’re not a co-op member yet, now is the perfect time to become a member, so that you can participate in the board elections.
Our board has rotating elections, which means that every 3 years, 3 board directors are up for election, and board directors serve a 3 year term. Sometimes someone needs to step down for a variety of reasons, so this year we have 4 open board positions. Our 5 continuing board members are Nick Quaranto, Melissa Appel, Tim Snyder, Christina Beck, and Lew Berk.
Here is the schedule of events surrounding the board elections:
Self nomination, deadline Oct 19: Current co-op members can self nominate for the board using this form: https://forms.gle/5f36pC5YmCGowRuYA. A current board member will follow up with applicants to discuss your application.
Note: if you are a member, your membership number will appear at the top of this email, just under our logo.
Note: if you are interested in applying to be on the board, please read these documents which have more information: Application Packet, Board Member Guidelines. These links are also available from within the nomination form above.
Board Meeting (virtual) Oct 16: Required for all board candidates - https://charlesriverfood.coop/calendar. If you would like to run for the board and can not attend this meeting, please reach out to us at info@charlesriverfood.coop.
Open house (virtual) Oct 30: Board candidates will introduce themselves and we will field questions from attendees.
Board elections (online) Oct 31 - Nov 8: Members will receive an email with instructions for how to vote for board directors. If you don’t get the election email on Oct 24, and you believe you should have, please email info@charlesriverfood.coop.
Annual meeting (in person/hybrid) Tues Nov 14 (tentative date): We will be sharing the results of the election and giving an update on the co-op’s progress. Details to follow.
Up and Coming Conference: In other Board news, our board president, Nick Quaranto, recently attended the Food Co-op Initiative’s annual Up and Coming conference. We won a scholarship to help attend the event, thanks to the Indiana Co-op Development Center! He brought us back lots of great tips, introductions to other food co-ops, and even a variety of templates, one of which inspired the design for our election ballot.
Member Spotlight
Caroline Bays, CRFC Member #378, is a Watertown City Councilor.
Why did you decide to become a member of the co-op?
Like many others, I am grieving the loss of Russo’s and looking for an alternative. I hope that the co-op can fill the void of good fruit and veggies left by Russo’s absence.
Do you have any previous experience with co-ops?
I have relatives who are members, but I haven’t joined one myself before now.
Do you have any insights into food security issues in Watertown?
As someone who contributes to the community fridge, I have personally seen how many of our neighbors are in need of food. It is a chronic problem in town.
What is your favorite fruit or vegetable and how do you prepare it?
I’m from the south so that’s easy—peaches! Sometimes I make a cobbler, sometimes I grill them and add ice-cream, and sometimes I just eat them!
Community News
National Co-op Month
Celebrated by cooperatives nationwide during the month of October, National Co-op Month is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of a trusted, proven way to do business and build resilient, inclusive communities. Under the theme, “Owning Our Identity,” this year’s Co-op Month is also a chance to lift up what makes cooperative businesses unique in the marketplace. Guided by a set of shared principles and values—among them democracy, equity and solidarity—co-ops are hardwired for economic and societal transformation. In a moment when corporations are scrambling to find an identity outside of maximizing shareholder value, that’s a meaningful difference.
This October, we invite cooperators nationwide to consider more deeply what it means to be a cooperative. Our identity sets us apart, but has it stood the test of time? Could our principles and values more accurately reflect our shared identity? The last quarter of 2023 is a generational opportunity to truly “own” our identity. In partnership with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)’s Cooperative Identity Consultation, NCBA CLUSA wants to hear what you think would make our identity more relevant.
Cabot Creamery has announced a giveaway to help celebrate National Co-op Month. Become a member of our co-op to qualify for these cool prizes.
Upstate Farms
This month’s featured co-op food business is Upstate Farms Dairy, in Syracuse, NY, a member of Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. The co-op includes 7 groups of farms in upstate New York, and one in Pennsylvania. Some of their family-owned farms have been in existence for more than six generations. Their mission statement sums up the advantages of farming as part of a cooperative: “Here at Upstate Niagara, we nourish life. As a farmer-owned Cooperative, this is our Purpose, and it extends to all that we touch. It starts on the farms, planting seeds that grow into the feed for our cows. Protecting the waterways that cultivate the crops and the pastures. The care we provide for our animals. The multi-generational family businesses our farmer owners run. All the jobs our milk creates along the supply chain. And finally, through our products, into which we pour all the values from the farms so that our healthy, delicious, high-quality dairy products provide you the nourishment you need to care for yourself and your family.”
Try Mass Food Delivery
What can you do if you can’t make it to the local food co-op or farmers market? Try Mass Food Delivery. They are run by Mycoterra Farm from South Deerfield, MA, and make a weekly delivery of pre-ordered food to homes in a large portion of the state. They feature fresh and frozen produce, and other products from locally-owned businesses.
Life After Russo’s
The founding members of CRFC were inspired to find a replacement for Russo’s, their favorite place to shop. There’s a Facebook group called Life after Russo’s dedicated to crowd-sourcing fresh, local food. Check it out for advice on where to get food you used to buy at Russo’s.
Co-op Principles: Education, Training and Information
We wanted to highlight why our co-op is different from other organizations, and we'll be doing a monthly segment on each co-op principle for the rest of the year!
To run a co-op successfully, promoting and spreading education is a necessity. Every individual involved with a cooperative needs to be well informed about the way they operate, their purposes and the responsibilities of each person. Members, employees, managers and elected officials all need continual training as the cooperative evolves and changes over time. If they are well versed in the co-op’s policies, regulations, values and principles, they’ll all be able to contribute more effectively to its development.
But education shouldn’t stop at the cooperative’s internal members. It should also extend to the surrounding community and the general public. Members can teach others about the beneficial nature of cooperative businesses and encourage interest in their organization. Informing younger generations and community leaders not only creates outside approval and awareness, but it may also encourage interested individuals to join the organization.
Internal and external education are both necessary parts of cooperative practices. Continual member training helps cooperatives develop, advance and adapt to new technologies, helping them become better business entities. It also supports co-ops in adjusting to other changes, such as changes in laws, social trends or the economy.
Beyond the cooperative itself, education encourages the spread of information. It helps create relationships with universities and supports research regarding the cooperative movement. With formal research, co-ops can help spread the educational material to governments and officials and inform future policies. Teaching the wider public about the history, principles and day-to-day operations of a co-op can create a stronger, more supportive local community.
Overall, continual education is crucial for a cooperative to function. Regardless of how far a co-op’s outreach goes, there’s always a core purpose in mind — to nurture a more complete understanding of the nature of cooperation as well as to emphasize its benefits.
For more information about the 7 co-op principles, check out the International Cooperative Alliance website.
As always - thank you so much to all of you for your support and please spread the word by forwarding this email to a few friends.
In co-operation,
Board members: Melissa, Tim, Nick, Jen, Lew, Thomas, Benny, Lissa, Christina
Newsletter team: Joelle, Simone, Scott, and Kathy
P.S. If you missed any of our previous newsletters, you can find them on our website.
