Local Food Resiliency & Your Co-op

Last October, we hosted our first “community conversation” on the topic of local food resiliency and how our Co-op can be a bigger part of that in these times of change. Over 30 people attended the session during the lunch hour via Zoom.

Our first presenter was Cole Bitzenburg from the Skagit Food Distribution Center, and we learned how our local food banks and other partners are coordinating to distribute hundreds of boxes of food to families in need. As this need keeps growing, please contact Cole at ColeB@communityactionskagit.org if you can lend a hand, or make a donation.

The next presenter was our own General Manager, Tony White, who gave us an update on Co-op happenings: thanks to our amazing staff and the loyal patronage of our member-owners, we are holding steady - even though we had to temporarily close Third Street Cafe and our Deli hot bar and salad bar due to the pandemic.In the remaining time, member-owners reflected on how lucky we are to have so much good food grown and raised here, by skilled farmworkers and farmers. Strengthening our local food resilience in these times of changing economics and climate is something we can definitely do – and it seems that the top priority is to get ourselves connected and educated.

So, for next steps – our GM plans to be closely involved in the emerging food-system collaborations in the community, and our Board’s Member & Community Engagement Committee anticipates hosting more Community Conversations in 2021. We are currently imagining one session each quarter, to keep folks in the loop, with more time for dialogue.

We hope to host our next session in February on the “True Cost of Food.” This is important because liveable wages for the people who work in the food system need to be part of our design for community resilience. Stay tuned for more info, and we hope you can join in the conversation!