by Anthony Hernandez, Board Member
While the pandemic continues to disrupt our lives, there are lots of things to be grateful for. Personally, I am thankful for family, friends, community, and the opportunity to do good work. How about you? What are you grateful for?
This past November, the Co-op Board welcomed new members. Board member Jeannine Bindl then announced her resignation for personal reasons. However, Isabel Spooner-Harvey, who received the fifth-highest votes in the recent Board election, was offered—and accepted—the seat for the remainder of Jeannine’s one-year term.
Meet the Board: Isabel Spooner-Harvey
What was your first memory of Willy Street Co-op?
My first memory of the Co-op is probably when I visited the Middleton location for the first time. I moved to Wisconsin from California in 2013 with my baby who was 8 weeks old at the time. I loved how accessible the Co-op was to me as a brand-new parent with an infant, and all the delicious nourishing food in the hot bar made my life a lot easier. I was so excited to find such a cool store in my first explorations of my new home.
How did you first learn about cooperatives, and what was the first co-op you joined?
I think I learned about co-ops in high school. The first co-op I ever joined was the punk music venue, 924 Gilman, in Berkeley, California. At the time, it cost $2 to join. There was no alcohol allowed inside or outside the club, so my parents were cool with my sister and I going to shows there. My sister Heather Freinkel is way more punk than me, and she played in different bands at Gilman over the years. I loved going to shows with her and always felt safe and included there.
What do you rely on Willy Street Co-op for?
I rely on Willy Street for so much! As someone who struggles with sensory overload, I love that shopping there is so much more peaceful and easier to navigate than at larger grocery stores. It's just the right size for me to get in and out without getting overwhelmed. I value the high-quality produce, bulk aisle (especially for trying small amounts of new spices!), and sourdough from the best bakeries in town. Oh, and the coffee selection! And the cheese department!
What are your top three favorite food traditions?
It's so hard to narrow down my favorite Co-op foods to just three, but I do really gravitate toward the cheese, bread, and fresh produce departments. "A little cheese, a little bread, a little wine, a little cheese, a little onion etc., etc., etc." as Frenchie says in the original version of the film Sahara. My kids would probably say their favorite Co-op food is the donuts.
Do you have any favorite food traditions?
My favorite food tradition right now is baking fresh challah with my kids every Friday. It's a ritual we only started a few months ago and it's added such a lovely rhythm to our week. We couldn't find challah at the co-op but we did find flour, yeast, eggs, and oil. Everything we needed to make our own.
Besides being a Willy Street Co-op Board Member, what else do you like to do with your time?
When I'm not doing Board member stuff, I am a full-time single parent to three awesome kids. We spend a lot of time together at the library, cub scouts, and other activities. I also volunteer as the chairperson of the MMSD Special Education Advisory Council and as Treasurer of the Schenk Elementary PTO. In my spare time, I love to read, make my own clothes, cook, and we all just got into D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) together as a family.
What are you most excited about in being a new Board member, and what do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges the Co-op will face over the next few years?
I'm so excited and honored to have been elected to the Board. I'm really interested in how people who use EBT feel about shopping at Willy Street, and how we could make their experience even better. I also wonder about how we can engage or partner with some of the incredible non-western food producers in Madison. The Co-op is such a special place and I love getting to be a part of helping it evolve.