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| News at a Glance |
| by Nancy Ellegate |
The
HWFC
Board of Directors met on Tuesday, December 6.
|
Brochure on GMOs
|
A representative of the
Nutrition and Education committee discussed a draft of a brochure being
developed on GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Originally, the
committee's plan had been to discuss GMOs in relation to all products
sold at the Co-op. This proved to be an unrealistic undertaking, so the
group refocused and is working on a brochure on reading labels for
technical terms that can indicate a product has GMOs. This will help
people wherever they are shopping. The Board commended the group for
its work. The member coordinator will help in finalizing the brochure
and getting it produced.
|
Storage of Products
|
Some members have raised
concerns over the storage of products that do not conform to the Food
and Product Manual. These products have been special orders. It was
noted that the Food and Product Manual is often difficult to interpret.
The Board has taken action to remedy the current situation. The
Nutrition Education committee is actually at work on a revised manual
and planning to get input from members on desired policies. The
committee hopes to have the manual ready this spring.
|
Leadership Selection
|
The committee is reviewing
applications for remaining Leadership Team positions.
|
Nonprofit
|
The mission statement and
bylaws for the Co-op's proposed nonprofit organization were presented.
The Board requested some revisions and the Governance Review committee
planned to review them as well. It was noted that this information
needs to be shared with the membership in advance of the January 29th
Membership Meeting where these will be presented and voted on.
|
Coffee Talks
|
The coffee talks in the
store between Board members and staff and Co-op members that were held
in November have been well-received by a number of members,
particularly the staff. Unfortunately, many other members were not
really aware of these events. Coffee talks will resume in January and
the Board will work on getting out the word about them.
|
Nominating
|
It is time to start
thinking about recruiting candidates to run for the Board in the April
elections. There will be three vacancies.
|
New Store
|
Schematic designs for the
store have been forwarded by the contractor and several members are
reviewing them.
|
New Hours
|
With longer hours, sales
have increased. While not all staff like the longer hours, all
understand the rationale for them.
|
Thanksgiving
|
The Board complimented the
staff on a great Thanksgiving shopping season. The Board members also
noted that they appreciated the Collective Management Team's decision
to give staff bonuses.
|
Shareholder Appreciation
Program
|
The Shareholder
Appreciation Program begun in October, which gives shareholders at 8%
and below a 10% discount on Saturdays, has been very successful,
markedly increasing sales to this group.
|
Plans and Ongoing Projects
|
The Board discussed the
January Membership Meeting.
A new fundraising mailing will be going out soon.
Work continues on revisions to the Personnel Manual, which should be
completed soon. Work is ongoing on a new Co-op website.
|
| Executive Session |
| The Board met in executive
session at the end of the meeting. |
| Minutes |
| Minutes of all meetings are
available at the Co-op. Minutes of the most recent meeting are posted
on the bulletin board. They are also available on the Co-op's website,
as password protected files. See instructions on the Board Meetings page |
| Upcoming Meetings |
| Generally, Board meetings
are held on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:45pm at the first
Unitarian-Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Avenue. The
schedule can change, so it is recommended that anyone planning to
attend check on date, time and location. |
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