by Ann Hoyt, Board Vice President
We, as a Board of Directors, stand with the Black community and the call for change. Black Lives Matter. At the root of our cooperative business structure are principles that hinge on equity and justice. The Co-op’s Board of Directors acknowledges the statistics of whiteness in grocery co-ops, and significant health and wealth disparities in Dane County. We are personally and organizationally responsible to address these challenges. We are committed to addressing the structural racism that exists in our Cooperative, starting with ourselves and extending further to Board policies and beyond. We acknowledge that this process is not easy, takes time and requires constant attention. Yet we are committed to addressing systemic racism in the Cooperative on your behalf. Please stay tuned as we develop a plan to dive deeper into this process. We are all part of the solution.
Even as we rise to yet another massive challenge, it is our job as your Board of Directors, to report cooperative happenings to you, our Owners.
Proposed bylaw changes
In this Reader you will find the Board-approved proposed changes to the Cooperative’s bylaws. Through a number of listening sessions, emails and other communications we have heard from many of you on the proposed changes and have incorporated many of them into a comprehensive updating and revision of the bylaws. The bylaws are the Owners’ directions to the Board of Directors on how you want the Cooperative to be directed. The next step is up to you. As part of the 2020 Annual Meeting process we are asking the Owners to vote on whether to approve the proposed bylaw changes. If you have a comment to offer, please send it to Board@willystreet.coop or AllBoard@willystreet.coop.
Board election
We will also be electing four candidates to serve on the Board of Directors. Three will be elected to three-year terms and one will be elected to complete one year of a position that is currently vacant. This year’s Board candidate statements are available in this edition of the Reader. Thank you to all the candidates running for the Board!
Senior and immunocompromised hours
The Board has fielded questions about senior hours and masks in the stores. As a friendly reminder, remember that until 10:00am the store is reserved for seniors and immuno-compromised populations. Please heed these guidelines and care for our neighbors.
COVID-19 & thank you to staff
We would like to extend a hearty thank you to the entire Co-op staff for their commitment to our community’s health and wellbeing. They have gone above and beyond to ensure our Co-op is open to meet our needs safely and creatively. Please be aware of the higher risk they face being in the store serving you for many hours at a time and keep a physical distance from them and other shoppers when in our stores and waiting to start shopping. We recommend wearing a face covering per the Public Health Department of Madison and Dane County’s recommendations. However, we understand that following this recommendation may not be possible for personal or medical reasons and respect your right to make that decision.
Thank you, everyone, for your enduring support of our cooperative and our community. This year has had no shortage of twists and turns. If there is anything your Board can do to meet your expectations of the Co-op, please let us know!
