by Anya Firszt, General Manager
Hello dear Owners. Welcome September! Last month was just as busy as the one before and this month is shaping up to be busy as well.
Annual Audit
We just wrapped up the annual financial audit fieldwork with our auditors, Wegner CPA. They will prepare a FY21 Financial Audit Report including audited financial statements that will be shared in draft form with the Willy Street Co-op Finance Committee for review. Final reports will then be presented to the Board for discussion and approval at their meeting this month. Our audited financial statements will be included in the FY21 Annual Report and shared with you later this calendar year.
Delta
I was hopeful at the beginning of the fiscal year we would see more business as usual due to expanding services that have been reduced or closed beginning in March 2020. Unfortunately, we are challenged on a few fronts between the spreading of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and staffing that will in some way impact our operation.
The Delta variant of COVID-19 has forced us to reexamine operations and reinstate protocols that were in place just two months ago, including face covering for employees and now customers. You can learn more COVID-19 updates in this Reader edition in the Cooperative Services Update by Kirsten Moore (p. 18).
Staffing
Staffing is another huge challenge at this time. You may have noticed that we have posted reduced hours of some services or temporarily eliminated other services (mainly in the Juice & Coffee Bar, salad and hot bar, and meat counter) to adjust for this labor shortfall.
The current staffing challenges are not isolated to just the Co-op; you have probably heard recent reports of the labor shortage or have seen “now hiring” messaging at all kinds of businesses.
We are seeing major service issues with our primary distributor and their inability to fill orders and/or make deliveries due to labor shortages at the warehouse. So, hang in there while we ride this through. Until then, thanks for your continued patience and patronage!
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—Next Steps
Last summer, the Co-op partnered with Step Up: Equity Matters on a three-year project to advise us on efforts around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). One year into our relationship, Step Up has conducted an organizational assessment that provided us with perspective of our overall strengths and opportunities to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization. We are in the process of implementing the recommendations and next steps provided in the assessment.
For the last several months, Step Up conducted leadership development focused on organizational effectiveness, change management, and inclusion for the Board and senior leadership team. We will use that training and development in the coming several months to support our strategic planning with DEI initiatives.
We are also in the process of developing training for all staff and managers with a focus on DEI that we hope to roll out either this calendar year or early next. And, with our new Human Resources Director, we are able to develop and increase the HR function capabilities with an eye toward DEI.
I am proud of the work we have accomplished so far and look forward to the work we have planned to do with Step Up. Stay tuned for future updates.
Eat Local Month
For the last 11 years, we have made September “Eat Local Month.” During this time, you can find more than the usual number of local products on sale, you can enter to win prizes of local products, you can learn more about the local farmers and producers who provide us with delicious food. The mask mandate has limited the amount of local vendor sampling opportunities we can provide, but we’ll be sharing some of their stories on our website and on social media. I encourage you to find at least one non-local product that you typically buy and try a local version instead; our purple signage throughout the store will help you identify some options. Buying locally made products keeps money circulating in our local economy, so it helps you, too!
Special Store Hours
On the first Monday in September, we celebrate Labor Day. All stores are open until 7:00pm on that day.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we weather this storm, and for playing by the rules in an effort to keep one another safe and healthy.