by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Welcome September—the first month of Autumn.
In 2020, the autumnal equinox—also called the September equinox or fall equinox—arrives on Tuesday, September 22. Fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere on this day. Hello fall!
“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.” -Helen Hunt Jackson
We are now nearly two-thirds of our way through the first quarter of the new fiscal year. Where does the time go?! Last month, we conducted our annual 401(k) and Worker Compensation audits, as well as the FY20 financial field work review by our accountants to support the annual audit .report. This month, we’ll see the results of those reports, and we will plan for any recommendations to improve our processes.
Eat Local Month
September is Eat Local Month! Keep your eyes peeled for special promotions throughout the store as we celebrate our incredible local producers. To name a few products we’re highlighting: Off The Block Salsa, Willow Creek Farms, Mango Man Salsa, Pasqual's Chips, The Naked Baker, and Ela Orchard.
Now more than ever, supporting local is important; buying local helps keep more money circulating in our economy and will make it easier for local businesses to weather the pandemic. Check out Kirsten Moore’s article on page 16 to learn more.
Owner Appreciation
On the near horizon, October is Co-op Month and the month during which we commemorate our birthday. We’ll be 46 years old, and we’re celebrating by distributing 1,000 gift bags to randomly selected customers, holding a virtual scavenger hunt, giving you chances to win gift cards, and offering great Owner-only sales.
Covid-19 planning
We have an internal group that has been meeting at least weekly since the outbreak of the pandemic to discuss operational changes to provide a safe place for staff and customers to work and shop.
We are presently working on how to support turkey sales, increased offerings of prepared foods, holiday promotions, and cooler/cold weather accommodations for customers all the while practicing social distancing. There is a lot to think about with regard to COVID-19, and I am forever grateful to our staff who are constantly thinking about and considering ways to promote a safe and sound plan for staff and customers alike. Thank you!
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—next steps
Our first major activity with Step Up: Equity Matters (who is helping us become a more equitable, inclusive, and diverse organization) is encouraging staff to participate in the Uprooting Bias Challenge. This challenge creates space for individual, confidential reflection while building a shared framework for change based on the Step Up Approach to recognize, own, and disrupt biases.
Next steps in this work will be organizing focus groups of staff members, Board members, and possibly Owners; requiring staff to complete a survey to help Step Up create an organizational equity assessment; and Step Up’s review of many of our procedures and policies.
I am looking forward to the work we accomplish with Step Up. Stay tuned for future updates.
Store Hours
All stores are open from 8:00am-6:30pm on Labor Day.
I hope in the coming weeks and months we can all return to some semblance of normality. Routine sounds good right about now. I long to buy bulk coffee beans!
Until next month, stay healthy.