Building Sustainable Community

Building Sustainable Community - Special Co-op Message 12/25/2006

Please email me at durhamfoodcoopfeedback@gmail.com with any feedback or suggestions about this message and/or the Co-op in general. The Co-op needs your input to grow and prosper!

Building Community - A Vision for the Durham Food Co-op

Call for Support of your Co-op - A Wish List for the Durham Food Co-op

New Year's Day Brunch with Denise and Sven - A Fundraiser for the Durham Food Co-op

Co-op Vision: Building Sustainable Community

Dear Members of the Durham Food Co-op,

I would like to share with you my vision for the Durham Food Co-op, and at the same time ask for your feedback, as well as for your input and for suggestions for the direction that the Co-op, your Co-op, should take. This vision was shaped through numerous conversations with current and past members, through my personal history and experiences, and through my interest in the concept of building local living economies.

The year is coming to an end, and this 35th year of existence of the People's Intergalactic Food Conspiracy No. 1, Inc. has seen both a struggle for survival as well as a revitalization of the Co-op. Based on my experience and heavy involvement at the Co-op over the last eight years, it is my opinion that the Co-op needs to re-examine the way it perceives its members - and vice versa. It seems that membership at the Co-op, for the most part, has been reduced to obtaining a discount on purchases. In the last few years, the annual meeting has seen less than a tenth of the active membership, and the board an committee meetings seem to attract the usual suspects only. Why is that?

Rather than answering that question, let me come to my main point. It is my opinion that if the members of the Co-op want the Durham Food Co-op to continue to exist in its current form, there needs to be more member involvement, more cooperative education, and a shift towards a deeper sense of community among the Co-op membership. The Co-op needs to take a leadership role in building and nurturing a sustainable living local economy, being part of and supporting a network of local businesses and community organizations.

The Co-op as an "organic store"

Can the Co-op thrive as a grocery store selling mostly organic products? Organic (farming) originally was a reaction against the industrialization of agriculture - now, due to federal deregulation and a corporate takeover we see a transition to "organic" factory farming and mass production, and Wal*Mart is becoming the main retailer of "organic" products. In my opinion, the Co-op will, for the most part, not be able to compete with global players on the grocery market.

What the Co-op can do is being a role model and leader in supporting local sustainable farmers and businesses, as well as being an educator for why a local living economy is so important. With local and sustainable becoming the new organic the Co-op has the chance of making a positive impact on the local economy and community by giving its members to opportunity to buy locally, organic and fair trade - and here are 11 good reasons why we need to Break the Chains: Buy Local, Organic and Fair Made: Why We Need to Break the Chains (PDF 100kb). Over the last few month, we have drastically increased the amount of locally grown produce and shifted toward finding local suppliers for products at the Co-op.

Last not least the Co-op operates under a different business model: rather than being capitalist in nature, the Co-op is build on a model of cooperative member-ownership, member-control, and member-benefits. The Co-op exists for and because of its members - as a member-owner, you are given the opportunity to shape the Co-op, have input on which products it carries, and exercise democratic control of the organization. As a member-owner, you should have reason and opportunity to patronize the store, and use its goods and services. If you find yourself shopping elsewhere, give feedback on why that is - be it prices, product selection, or customer service. It is not only your right, but your responsibility - unfortunately, as with so many things in recent years at the Co-op, this point has not been a central factor of the Co-op's operations.

Building Community at the Co-op

I would like to see the lack of sense of member-ownership, as well as active member involvement and opportunity for social and communal events changed - from the response to the biweekly movie nights I gather that there is a need and wish for community and more social and educational events at the Co-op. In the new year, we are moving towards having weekly movie nights (with potlucks). Member and consumer education is making a comeback as well: we will have monthly potlucks that will serve the double purpose of being a social gathering and a new-member-orientation, and we will utilize the knowledge and skills of members to organize seminars and workshops at the Co-op to revitalize the cooperative spirit. We are also looking into bringing local artists to the Co-op to play music and to display art.

Member involvement has increased over the last few months, with new sustainers and volunteers working regular shifts at the store, helping us to clear the Co-op of dead old weight, being part of focus groups for product selections, or simply contributing to the positive energy that is beginning to fill the Co-op. More needs to be done - there is an entire wish list for contributions and member-owner participation, ranging from the simple request for conscious shopping choices to donations to participation in the democratic governance of the Co-op. Reclaim the Co-op!

I would like to ask for your feedback to my goals and vision for the Co-op. In particular, I would like to hear your vision for the Co-op - your Co-op. Please be frank and feel free to criticize - send me an email at sven.rinke@gmail.com or leave a note in the suggestion box at the checkout counter at the Co-op. You can also call me at 919-842-3883.

Best and Happy Holidays,

Sven Rinke, Board of Directors

How You can Make a Difference for the Co-op

Get Involved!

A great way to actively contribute to our efforts to reshape and revitalize the Co-op is by volunteering. You can be a sustainer helping staff in running the store. Or you can use your knowledge and skills to help us with our efforts with

Finances: analyze the Co-op's finances and work on a business plan -- business or financial skills can be shared or learned;
Marketing: market the Co-op though organizing and promoting outreach events, working on in-store signage, conducting surveys, or helping us with the Co-op's product selection -- communication or artistic skills can be shared or learned;
Policies: work with a focus group to research a food policy for the Co-op that reflects the needs and wishes of the membership, rewrite the Co-op's bylaws to be consistent and up-to-date, and help us implement permanent policies at the Co-op;
Personnel: help us hire competent and customer service oriented staff and management, monitor and make sure personnel policies are being followed - the Co-op is currently hiring, see www.durhamfoodcoop.org/job
Board of Directors: take a leadership role at the Co-op by being on the Board, or help us to recruit suitable board members by being on a Board Nomination Committee. See www.durhamfoodcoop.org/BoD for a board recruitment package.

Email me at sven.rinke@gmail.com or call 842-3883 to learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Co-op, and how your skills can be utilized best. The Co-op is also a great place to learn and develop new skills - get involved and cooperate!

Donate and Support Our Efforts!

Another way to directly help the Co-op is by donating. Look for an itemized wish list in our next newsletters. Here's a brief rundown: we would like to revamp the look of store the store by getting new furniture for the cafe area. Our shelving and display units are ancient, and we'd like to replace some of them with new ones. Likewise with our coolers and fridges - we are currently looking at replacement options. Our office needs some new shelves and furniture too. You can help by either donating or by working with Denise on making a prioritized list of items that need replacement. In the long term, we would like to get the Co-op's kitchen certified so we can hold food-related workshops and seminars at the Co-op, as well as use the kitchen facilities to prepare food for resale. We can only make these things happen with member-help and member-input!

As you may know, the Co-op's finances were in dire shapes earlier in the year. When Denise and I were elected to the Board of Directors, the store was on the brink of closing. We worked hard on plugging the holes and implementing a sustainable budget. We talked with lenders, vendors and tax authorities to come up with payment plans for the $13k of short-term liabilities left by the previous management. The Co-op is currently paying back these debts at a rate of $2k/month, which is crippling our ability to make capital improvements to the Co-op, as well as hindering us from hiring a qualified General Manager or Management Team to help us realize our vision for the Co-op by providing excellent and knowledgeable customer service at the Co-op. It is imperative for the Co-op to strategically use its resources, and the burden of repayments of debts at the current level of sales make it hard to fully implement our visions and goals for the Durham Food Co-op. Denise and I are volunteering almost full time at the Co-op, but we're lacking financial resources and back-up to really make the Co-op happen.

If you share our vision and you can support the Co-op financially, please consider making a donation to the Co-op. We've set up a PayPal account for the Co-op that accepts bank cards and money transfers from PayPal accounts - please donate by following this link or by clicking on the button below:

Of course you can also make a donation at the register at the Co-op. Making a donation is not only a great way to help us with the burden of debt, but also shows your support and confidence in our vision of community for the Co-op. We are very grateful for a $200 donation we recently received from Erika Williamson of Earthly Good, local vendor and maker of natural and organic aromatherapy body care products carried at the Co-op. If every member contributed $25, the Co-op could repay its short term debts and move toward a faster implementation of our vision for the Co-op - and for the Co-op to better benefit its members and contribute to the community!

Another way to help us with the Co-op's cash flow is by making a voucher deposit, we have a relatively large property tax bill coming up next week, and we're running the risk of incurring finance charges on our bank account.

Shop the Co-op

The ultimate show of support for the Co-op is by members making a conscious choice to patronize the store and shop at the Co-op. It only makes sense for the Co-op to exist as a member-owned grocery store if the Co-op's members are also the base of the Co-op's customers - again, if you find yourself shopping elsewhere, give feedback on why that is - be it prices, product selection, or customer service. Unfortunately, the burden of debt repayments does not always allow us to order and restock the Co-op's shelves fully - but we trying as best as we can to stock the Co-op so that we can meet your grocery needs!

Sven Rinke, Board of Directors

New Year's Day Brunch
Start the new year with a potluck brunch fundraiser for the Co-op at Denise' and Sven's house

Join us for a New Year's Day brunch from 11am - 3pm on January 1 at 815 Arnette Avenue. We´ll be having vegetarian German as well as Guyanese specialties, southern cuisine and a variety of delicious foods. All fresh, all tasty - come and help us build to build community by being part of our community!

To RSVP or for directions please email me at sven.rinke@gmail.com or call 842-3883.