The Co-op will be
CLOSED
on Friday, June 12th, 2020
in solidarity with the
Statewide Silent March and General Strike
Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County

First of all, we thank you wholeheartedly for being loyal members of the Co-op as we all face the difficulties and impacts of the current pandemic. Whether you are able to come shop in our stores or use our Order for Pickup System, we really appreciate your continued support and understanding. We know it can be frustrating when we are experiencing disruptions in the supply chain that impact our ability to provide certain much-needed products.

As we have changed hours and procedures with little notice, your flexibility is recognized and appreciated; and as we move forward, we will strive to improve numerous programs and procedures designed to support the safety of our operations and the community we serve.

We want to say a special thank you to the members who have been making masks for staff and volunteers working in the stores. Your thoughtful efforts mean so much to us. We also want to give special recognition to two local restaurants, Vic’s Pizza and Miso, for generously bringing food to be shared by staff and in-store working members. In times like these it is amazing to be remembered by and reminded that we are part of an incredible community that shows up again and again in kindness and consideration. Thank you all so much.

We are pleased to announce that the Co-op applied for and received a loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) administered by the Small Business Administration and our local bank. The PPP was designed to provide funding so that small businesses can continue to keep their workers on the payroll rather than forcing them into lay-offs and other reductions in force.

The Co-op has a very generous benefits package that includes multiple policies that support family and medical leave. The combination of school closures and the health threats implicit for folks with various medical or age-related needs leads to us paying our workers not only for working but also for staying home caring for their own health and the health of their families. The increased labor costs in a time of reduced sales related to the need for folks to Stay Home/Stay Healthy led us to be concerned about the financial health of the organization. We are grateful that we were able to take advantage of PPP at this time.

We know of so many small/local businesses, for whom this program was designed, that have been unable to access this much needed revenue. We encourage you all to support our local small business community and our local economy by shopping locally whenever possible; many of these businesses are using on-line and/or call-in ordering with curbside pick-up and/or home delivery to ‘keep their doors open’ during this difficult period.

The Board is particularly appreciative of the extraordinary effort that has been put forth by our staff.  A staff task force was quickly organized to deal with the operational challenges that this pandemic has caused. Many staff have worked many overtime hours and all have had to deal with the multiple challenges that COVID-19 has presented us with. All this happened rapidly and the Board is grateful for the resilience, adaptability, and capacity of our staff.

Thanks again for supporting the Olympia Food Co-op.
The Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors

The Community Sustaining Fund, a continuous recipient of the Co-op’s Round Up! at the registers program, is now accepting applications for their 2020 Spring Grant Cycle.

Special note: in addition to projects meeting the standard criteria, the Community Sustaining Fund is interested in projects geared to address the social and health concerns of the covid-19 pandemic in Thurston County.

2020 Grant Application
Community Sustaining Fund

For more information about the Community Sustaining Fund, here is an article by Desdra Dawning, former Olympia Food Co-op Board Member, from our quarterly Table magazine, published a while back.

Table – Spring 2016 (PDF)

Rounding Up: Community Sustaining Fund at the Co-op Register
By Desdra Dawning, Board Member

As a member of the Co-op Board, I am gifted with many opportunities to engage in community activities. I recently volunteered to serve as an OFC representative at grant cycle meetings of the Community Sustaining Fund (CSF). For some time, I have known about the Round Up at the Register program that the Co-op offers in collaboration with CSF and how it brings in much-needed seed and sustaining funds for local organizations, and occasionally I remember to say “round me up for CSF” when checking out.

However, it took attending two of their meetings to understand how vital to the community their work is, how many organizations depend on their help from time to time, and how our Round Up program can quite easily, with member participation, help bring in these needed funds. With less than a dollar for every “round up,” we can all afford to help!

The most recent grant cycle for CSF—held twice a year— was during the month of November, and with more than 6 groups requesting financial help, I learned that “the ask was double the $2,700 that had been gathered in the last 6 months.” The maximum usually awarded in most cases is $1,000, but with limited funds, all valid requests ended up receiving less than they asked for, with careful consideration over how much could be awarded
to each grantee.

Following an initial meeting with the vetting of applications by the CSF leadership team, six very local groups were determined for funding: Stonewall Youth, South Sound Estuarium, Fertile Ground, Lacey Loves to Read, the Nisqually Land Trust, and Art Forces/Olympia Rafa Mural.

Eric Mapes, fellow OFC Board member, and I sat in on interviews with representatives for each organization. We both have an interest in how the Co-op can more effectively raise funds for the Community Sustaining Fund in our on-going Round Up at the Register program.

Much of the funding for these grants comes from money collected at the Co-op through the Round Up at the Register program. I think of this system as a way that all of us shopping at the Co-op can offer up some “spare change” each time we shop, giving less than a dollar each time, to help build the coffers at CSF and support these and many other local groups who are all doing their best to offer their amazing services to our community.

Mostly, for me, it is about remembering to say “round up for CSF” when my groceries are being checked out at the Co-op check-out line. Simple enough, now I just need to learn to make it a habit to remember, knowing how far my coins can help CSF to spread the wealth!

Did you know the
garden center at the westside is OPEN
5 days a week, 8 hours a day!!
11am – 7pm
Thursday – Monday
(closed Tuesday & Wednesday)

And, did you know you can Order for Pickup?!

The Co-op is offering order/pickup service to members
during the COVID-19 pandemic at our
Eastside location Google maps

Please be aware that this is an emergency system, created in haste, so that the greatest number of members can access food from the Co-op while promoting social distancing. We are not able to list specific items for sale, and we cannot guarantee that your choices will be available. Sorry, we cannot accept returns for order/pickup purchases.

The procedure for using this service is as follows:

1. You place an order using our online form. For each item, you’ll specify whether or not you’re willing to accept a substitute. If you’re willing to accept a substitution, we will make every attempt to find a suitable one. You’ll be charged for the substitute item.

2. Orders placed by noon will be filled that evening for you to pick up the next day. You will get a confirmation Email several hours after you submit your order. Our system is completely manual – not automatic! Please be patient and do not call the store to confirm your order.

3. After you’ve placed your order, a staff member will shop for and pack up your groceries. Staff will contact you by telephone within one day to let you know the total cost, and to take your card payment by phone. Sorry, we cannot accept cash or checks for order/pickup purchases.

4. Once you’ve paid for your order, the staff member will let you know when and where to pickup your order.

5. You’ll come to the back door of the Co-op at the specified time and pickup your order.

*** These times are approximate. Due to unprecedented demand and our own capacity, it may take as long as 48 hours before your order is ready. We so appreciate your patience and understanding as we try to meet the needs of everyone. ****

****PLEASE NOTE*****

Some Select FROZEN FOODS are Available
Click here for more info

MEMBERS ONLY

NO REFUNDS/RETURNS

NO ADD-ONS AFTER YOUR ORDER IS PLACED

NO SPECIAL ORDERS OR FULL CASES, AND NO BULK QUANTITIES GREATER THAN 5 LBS.

Order for Pickup at the Eastside
ORDER FORM

The Olympia Food Co-op
will be closed May 1st
for International Workers Day in solidarity with striking workers around the world

OLYMPIA FOOD CO-OP
COVID19 RESPONSE & PROTOCOLS

Dear Co-op Community,

The health and well-being of our customers, staff, volunteers and suppliers is our utmost concern at this time. We are working quickly to respond to ever changing conditions and want to update you on our current protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to keep both of our stores open and safe to provide food and essential supplies. Social distancing and sanitizing routines are our priorities to achieve that goal. We are asking customers to cooperate with the following requests and changes:

Store Hours Have Changed
Eastside open 9am – 7pm
Westside open 9am – 1pm and 2pm – 7 pm

• • Our supply chain has been stressed by recent weeks of heavy shopping. As stated by Governor Inslee, “There is no need to hoard food or supplies. Everyone needs to only buy what they need, and they need to remember when they overbuy, those things are taken away from their neighbors and others who need them now.”
  • Do not come to our stores if you are sick and displaying communicable symptoms or are in high-risk categories. We are working on an order and pickup system of groceries for those who cannot or should not come into the stores; we hope to have it in place next week. If you have friends or neighbors you can ask to shop for you until then, please do so.
  • We are limiting the number of customers shopping at one time. Customers will be limited to 20 shoppers at the Eastside and 10 at the Westside.Please send in only one person per household if possible.
  • Maintain social distance with other shoppers and staff as much as possible. At least six feet of space is recommended.
  • Gloves have been provided for customers throughout the store, we ask you to use them especially for bulk and produce shopping
  • Plexiglass has been installed at registers to separate Cashiers from Customers
  • We are asking that you stand six feet from Cashiers after placing your items on the conveyer belt
  • We are asking customers to suspend the use of reused containers and bags at this time, though using your own shopping bags for self bagging is acceptable. Our reused container areas have been closed until further notice
  • The eating area at the Eastside store is closed until further notice
  • In an effort to make more food available to more people, we are not able to take special orders for our bulk department at this time. This includes any bags or boxes in bulk quantities and other special orders may be affected as well
  • All sampling and tabling has been canceled. Health and body care testers have been removed
  • Please avoid touching your face while at the Co-op, and utilize hand washing stations as much as possible

Staff and Working Member Protocols

• • We are asking any worker who is sick or concerned about exposure to stay home. We offer comprehensive sick leave to our staff
  • Workers are being asked to frequently wash hands using soap and water or hand sanitizer during shifts as recommended by health officials and to wear gloves and masks when appropriate as well
  • We are increasing our emphasis and frequency of cleaning and sanitizing, especially for those items that are commonly touched by customers or staff alike
  • Workers are encouraged to use social distancing best practices and any possible remote work and meetings conditions are being utilized

Online Order for Pickup Service

We are offering order/pickup service to members during the COVID-10 pandemic. Please be aware that this is an emergency system, created in haste, so that the greatest number of members can accesss food from the Co-op while promoting social distancing. For more information, visit  Order for Pickup

More changes and protocols may be developed as are changing quickly. Thank you for your support, understanding, flexibility and patience with our workers and with each other as we work together to make it through this difficult time.

In Cooperation,
The Staff Collective of the Olympia Food Co-op

The Westside Garden Center is still Open!
Thursday thru Monday
11 am to 7 pm
(closed Tuesday & Wednesday)

Both east and west Co-ops have so many wonderful
local veggie starts
seeds
seed potatoes
soils & compost
flower bulbs
and more!

The Garden Center is trying to maintain
normal hours as much as possible.

If we do need to close due to staffing shortages,
you can still see a staff member in the main store
for assistance with garden items.

We are limiting to
one shopper at a time
inside the indoor portion
of the Garden Center

Thank you!
Garden Center Staff

The new store hours will begin
Monday, April 6, 2020
and continue through the end of April

Eastside
9am to 7pm
everyday

Westside
9am to 1pm & 2pm to 7pm
everyday

Westside Garden Center
11am to 7pm
Thursday through Monday
closed Tuesday & Wednesday

Temporary Limited Hours
Starting Thursday, March 26

Eastside Store
9am to 6pm
Everyday

Westside Store
9am to 1pm AND
2pm to 9pm
Everyday

Westside Garden Center
11am to 7pm
Thursday thru Monday only

Our revised East and West store hours will be in effect seven days per week and are necessary to keep working towards clean, well stocked shelves, and adequate space for shoppers practicing social distancing. To this effect we are continuing to limit customer counts East to 20 and West to 7 – 10.

Inventory Updates
The supply of grocery items continues to improve and our perishable departments of produce, meat, cheese are dairy are also generally well stocked. Due to increased demand and inconsistencies in shipping volume, we are still unable to take special orders at this time.

Order and Pick Up System has had some successes (its popular!) and some challenges. We are suspending the system for several days as we catch up on orders, improve staffing, and make adjustments to improve it’s sustainability. If you’ve already place an order, it will be filled and we will call you with payment and pickup instructions. Please wait for us to call you and don’t call or come to the store until instructed to do so. Thank you for your patience and support as we learn together.

Saturday, March 21, 2020.

Dear Co-op Shoppers,

In an effort to promote the safest possible social distancing in our stores, the Co-op has decided to limit the number of customers shopping at one time.

We will be making adjustments to this process as we go and are learning with every step. Thank you for your patience and understanding. For now, customers will be limited to 20 shoppers at the Eastside and 10 at the Westside.

To help with store crowding, if you are able to send in only one person per household that will help.

In addition, due to stresses placed on our supply system, we are unable to take special orders at this time for any department. We will go back to supplying special orders as soon as we can.

We will be announcing the steps to begin an order and pickup system on Monday, March 23 which will also help our efforts to continue to get food to our community.

Thank you for your patience and understanding,
The Staff and Board of the Olympia Food Co-op

Both East and West Co-ops will open late Saturday, March 21, by 11 AM. We apologize for the inconvenience but find it necessary to safely restock our shelves, thoroughly clean and work towards better social distancing measures in response to the continued spread of COVID-19 in our area. Please stay tuned for more updates about limits to customers in the stores and the beginning of our order and pick up service starting early next week.

Thank you as always for your support and community spirit as we work together to keep providing good food to more people.

In cooperation,
The Staff Collective of the Olympia Food Co-op

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Dear Co-op Community,

The health and well-being of our customers, staff, volunteers and suppliers is our utmost concern at this time. We are working quickly to respond to ever changing conditions and want to update you on our current protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our goal is to keep both of our stores open and safe to provide food and essential supplies. Social distancing and sanitizing routines are our priorities to achieve that goal. We are asking customers to cooperate with the following requests and changes:

• Our supply chain has been stressed by recent weeks of heavy shopping. Today, Thursday, we are still waiting for a large delivery that was expected Monday. We do still expect it to arrive and will be able to restock the shelves with many items, though not everything will be available. As stated by Governor Inslee, “There is no need to hoard food or supplies. Everyone needs to only buy what they need, and they need to remember when they overbuy, those things are taken away from their neighbors and others who need them now.”
• Do not come to our stores if you are sick and displaying communicable symptoms or are in high-risk categories. We are working on an order and pickup system of groceries for those who cannot or should not come into the stores; we hope to have it in place next week. If you have friends or neighbors you can ask to shop for you until then, please do so.
• Maintain social distance with other shoppers and staff as much as possible, 6 feet of space is recommended.
• Gloves have been provided for customers throughout the store, we ask you to use them especially for bulk and produce shopping
• We are asking customers to suspend the use of reused containers and bags at this time, though using your own shopping bags for self bagging is acceptable. Our reused container areas have been closed until further notice
• The eating area at the Eastside store is closed until further notice
• In an effort to make more food available to more people, we are not able to take special orders for our bulk department at this time. This includes any bags or boxes in bulk quantities and other special orders may be affected as well
• All sampling and tabling has been canceled. Health and body care testers have been removed
• Coffee service will still be available but cannot be dispensed with bare hands, use gloves or single use tissues provided
• Please avoid touching your face while at the Co-op, and utilize hand washing stations as much as possible (mobile stations will be installed soon)
• Store hours may be affected soon and we will offer as much notice as possible if we do need to change our open hours

Staff and worker protocols:

• • We are asking any worker who is sick or concerned about exposure to stay home. We offer comprehensive sick leave to our staff
  • Workers are being asked to frequently wash hands using soap and water or hand sanitizer during shifts as recommended by health officials and to wear gloves when appropriate as well
  • We are increasing our emphasis and frequency of cleaning and sanitizing, especially for those items that are commonly touched by customers or staff alike
  • Workers are encouraged to use social distancing best practices and any possible remote work and meetings are being utilized

More changes and protocols may be developed as conditions are changing quickly. Thank you for your support, understanding, flexibility and patience with our workers and with each other as we work together to make it through this difficult time.

In Cooperation,
The Staff Collective of the Olympia Food Co-op

To Our Co-op Community:

The health and safety of our Co-op community is our highest priority. As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread throughout the country, we want to share some of the actions the Co-op is taking to help protect our community.

As this situation continues to evolve, we will closely monitor guidance from local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC updates). We will continue to rely on their recommendations and expertise to inform our decisions.

As a result, we are:

• Increasing the frequency and rigor of cleaning and sanitization in our retail stores and office environments.
• Based on the guidance we’ve received and the actions we’ve taken, our stores remain open for business and we’re doing all we can to make sure our shoppers have access to food and essential supplies. Some items are out of stock and not available, but we will continue to work with our distributors to keep out of stocks at a minimum.
• The Co-op offers comprehensive sick leave to our staff who miss work due to illness or to care for sick family members, and we are asking any worker experiencing fever, cough and/or shortness of breath to stay home and contact their doctor.
• We are actively preparing for staff to work remotely when possible, and to support those who are in the CDC’s identified higher risk categories to stay home or work remotely as able.
• Encouraging shoppers to utilize our hand washing stations, sanitizing wipes, gloves, and single use paper tissues in our stores to help prevent the spread of the virus.

All of us at the Co-op understand that this issue is cause for concern to many, and we offer our deepest sympathies to those who have already been affected. Rest assured that as circumstances continue to develop, one thing will remain the same: we will make our decisions with the health and well-being of our members, customers, staff, working members, distributors, and communities as our highest priority.

In cooperation,
The Olympia Food Co-op Staff Collective

CDC’s chart of Stop the Spread of Germs 

CDC’s chart of Share Facts about COVID-19 

Thank you for your patience while we enlarge and update our kitchen.  Our Cheese department has been working hard to continue to bring you a variety of cheeses and our Deli Department is trying out some new things at our temporary offsite kitchen, like this jackfruit vegan taco kit.  We hope you enjoy them.

Our kitchen has been taken down to the bare bones and is starting to take shape!  The walls and floors are done and painting will begin.  Equipment will start being fitted in next week.  We still hope to be up and running by the end of March.

the westside garden center is now OPEN!
Thursday – Monday
10am – 6pm

starts and seeds and so much more!

The Co-op’s very own
Pop Up Bakery
at the
westside garden center!

February 14 – 16, 2020
Friday – Sunday
11am – 6pm

Featuring baked goods from the personal recipes of
our talented deli staff.

Dear Customers,

The Co-op Deli Kitchen is being remodeled! Work will start Saturday,
February 8th and we will have to close the kitchen for 6 weeks (if all
goes to schedule…).

We will do our best to continue to provide Co-op Salad Bar salads,
soups, and sandwiches as “grab n go” items (working from an offsite
kitchen). Soups will be sold cold, but can be heated in our new
microwave near the eating area!

We apologize for the inconvenience for fans of the salad bar but the
Deli team looks forward (along with Cheese and Bulk Dept. folks!) to
working in a larger and safer kitchen. Updates will be posted on the
Olympia Food Co-op website and on social media.

Thank you for your support over the years!
Olympia Food Co-op Deli Collective

This week and month can be very challenging for our loved ones and community members who have Native/Indigenous heritage. For me, working in the natural food industry during the busiest week of the year, selling food for a holiday that historically celebrated genocide, and the fact that our collectively-run organization must do this to survive financially, brings this into sharp focus.

Here are just a few of the things that have helped me continue to learn how to be an ally the best way I can:

1. Listen, pay attention, and check in! Not everyone has the same feelings or needs around this week.

2. Read and learn about history and current events of Native people in this place. Read “There, There” by Tommy Orange and other Indigenous authors. Have conversations around your tables.

3. Be humble about your mistakes. We all mess up sometimes!

4. Talk to other people about how to take action! Follow the lead of Indigenous movements and community members.

5. Use the USDAC (U.S. Department of Arts & Culture) “Honor Native Lands” toolkit, as recommended by Jaclyn Roessel, Director of Decolonized Futures & Radical Dreams, which you can download.

6. Check out these resources also recommended by Jaclyn Roessel:

Please read “The Invention of Thanksgiving” by Philip Deloria, published in the New Yorker this week.

An annotated book list from the First Nations Development Institute

Participate in Indigenous-led actions such as the Climate Strike on November 29th Bureau of Energy, Power, and Art.

With respect,
Jenn Susan
Staff Collective Member

Image from the USDAC website: As part of this campaign to #HonorNativeLand, we partnered with Native artists to create downloadable signs that you can print, customize, and post in your community.

Both Co-op locations will be open on
November 28th, 2019

8am – 5pm

The staff collective would like to recognize the diversity within our community. If you have thoughts on our store hours we would love to hear from you! Email here

A message from
Jaclyn Roessel
Director of Decolonized Futures & Radical Dreams
US Department of Arts & Culture
November 22, 2019

Growing up as a Diné woman, I was taught to carry on my cultural practices of reverence for land and place. I was molded by the beliefs, prayers, and encouragement of my parents and grandmothers, and was raised hearing stories of our creation—stories that relate us to the world around us. In my community, fall brings with it a full of appreciation of the harvest and new practices to welcome the colder months.

While this time is filled with reverence internally, outside of my community the fall season is also full of cringe-worthy debacles. Between the racist costumes that arise around Halloween, the offensive mascots that storm the field, and the continued perpetuation of the false history of Thanksgiving, this season is challenging as a Native person.

Since the 1990s, the federal government has declared November “Native American Heritage Month.” This year, however, the White House made another tactical effort to malign Native communities and Nations, proclaiming November as “National American History and Founders Month.” The announcement centers colonizers and “founding fathers,” invisibilizing the Indigenous people whose land was taken and the millions of Indigenous lives lost since contact because of genocide.

As Philip Deloria asks in his essay, “The Invention of Thanksgiving,” “how does one take on a myth?” At the USDAC we know that is not as simple as saying Indigenous peoples “are still here.” These times call on all of us to deconstruct the myths and falsehoods related to the “founding” of this country, and to work in active solidarity with Native communities. At the USDAC, we want to offer a few ways we might start.

Photo of Jaclyn Roessel by Warren Montoya

Start Conversations + Take Action

• • • Begin conversation around your turkey dinner this year. Use the USDAC’s #HonorNativeLand Toolkit to investigate whose land you’re gathering on and offer a land acknowledgment as a way of opening conversation. Discuss with your loved ones the history you learned or didn’t learn about Native peoples. Brainstorm together how can you move beyond acknowledgment and into allyship and action. Is there a commitment you can make together to learning more about the history of the Indigenous communities that have inhabited the land you occupy? Are there Indigenous-led organizations in your community that you can support?

• • • Understand that 100% of the land this country is on is occupied Native land. All. Of. It. In the video “The ‘Indian Problem’” Suzan Harjo shares, “There was no land brought here, the land here was Native Nations’.” She shares the power of myths and falsehoods and how critical they are to the continual dispossession of Native Peoples of their land.

• • • Join the movement to recognize Native American history as American History. This social media campaign is working to visually represent how there would be no American History without the Native American contributions, protection and stewardship of Turtle Island (the above photo of me is part of this campaign).

• • • Read up! Here’s a great, annotated list of selections from the First Nations Development Institute.

• • • Indigenous peoples and communities are on the frontlines of the protection of Earth Mother. USDAC, has been working to support Climate Strikes through the USDAC Bureau of Energy, Power, and Art. We feel strongly this intersection is one we will grow in the next year and encourage you to show up for the next Global Strike on Friday, November 29th.

When I dream of future worlds, I see one that includes and centers Indigenous peoples through a true telling of history, where Native sovereignty and culture is protected and Native land recognized and stewarded with respect. When you understand the history of this country and the treatment of my ancestors, you understand how truly radical this dream is.

Ahe’hee,

Jaclyn Roessel
USDAC Director of Decolonized Futures & Radical Dreams

Our Anti Oppression Coordinators have recommended the book,
500 Nations: An Illustrated History of North American Indians, by Alvin M. Josephy Jr.,
for staff to learn more about the history of Thanksgiving.

Starting on page 206, a beautiful story is woven of native homes, abundant food resources, spirituality, and a brief overview of the political structure of the many villages in the New England area. As the story continues, we learn the history of the beginnings of our Thanksgiving holiday.

The Co-op News, editors note, November 1997.

Member BALLOT – BEER & WINE STATEMENT pdf
The Olympia Food Co-op Elections 2019
Voting open October 15 – November 15, 2019

Voting information & online voting links found here

The Ballot Measure
“Should the Olympia Food Co-op add beer, wine, and other low alcohol beverages to the product mix?”

Background
In 2000, the Co-op held an advisory ballot in which a majority of voting members were in favor of the stores carrying beer and wine, however the Board decided against carrying these products at that time.

In 2018, the Co-op Beer & Wine Task Force completed a Member Engagement Survey, Department Mission Statement, and Project Budget. Between September 25th and October 4th of 2018, the Beer & Wine Task Force surveyed 1588 Co-op members, of which, 1128 (71%) approved of the Co-op carrying beer, wine, and hard cider.

In 2019, the Co-op Board of Directors consented to placing a binding measure to carry these products on the upcoming fall election ballot. In 2019, there were two Co-op Conversations where members were invited to participate in discussion and feedback, with staff and Board Members.

Co-op Conversation & Member Feedback
During the Co-op Conversation, Board Members, Member Relations, and the Beer & Wine Task Force presented their research, and following a question and answer period, the Conversation participants wrote their ideas and concerns on large papers. Then groups were formed for discussions, the three main topics focused around: how shall we merchandise, how to support members in recovery, and our product line limits.

Suggestions coming out of these discussions included: carry only local, regional, organic, sustainable products to make us unique and distinguishable from other supermarkets; donate resources, coffee, goods, sponsorship funds to addiction recovery programs (Co-op should research reliable services); place product above children’s eye-level; locate distributors who already deliver to co-ops; sell beer on tap from keg to refillable growler; place products behind plastic or behind the Customer Service Desk; house the products in one store or an adjacent building; have a “no alcohol” line at the registers; place information for addiction recovery in product display cases; make products available for special order.

Statement Against
By Joanne McCaughan, Board Member
October 2019

Beer and Wine Sales at the Olympia Food Co-op: Statement Against

1. The Olympia Food Co-op has operated successfully for more than 40 years without the sale of beer/wine or other alcoholic beverages.
2. Our stores provide a safe space for shoppers in our community who choose not to have alcohol in their lives, either as a matter of personal choice, religious belief systems, or due to alcohol addiction.
3. We have very limited storage space available in either store, and alcohol products must be securely stored.
4. Modifications would be needed to each store to display, secure, and manage inventory to ensure it is not accessible to minors, and to prevent theft.
5. Training for staff and volunteers will be mandatory to ensure legal compliance; unlawful sales may lead to criminal prosecution of individual staff or volunteer cashiers.

Pro Beer and Wine Statement
Fred Medlicott Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors
November 3, 2019

1. Sale of beer and wine would create a significant source of new revenue for the Co-op, with some estimates of a $5 increase per average customer basket. (We are currently cutting hours and expenditures to cover budget shortfalls instead of expending into a larger store as requested by our membership.)

2. Due to the quick turnover and more frequent delivery of beer and wine, there will be little additional storage required for back stock.

3. No modification to store buildings will be necessary. Utilizing existing retail space more efficiently while placing one 4×5 wine rack and one 4×5 beer cooler at each location will not displace the foods Co-op shoppers are now buying.

4. Providing local, regional, organic, cooperatively and sustainably produced beer and wine would further our mission goals: a) to make human effects on the earth positive and renewing; b) support local production; c) provide information about food; d) assist in the development of local community resources; e) increase democratic process; and f) see to the long-term health of the business.

5. By not carrying beer and wine, we’re losing grocery sales to stores that do (for the convenience of one stop shopping.)

6. By installing a software program at the registers, transactions involving beer and wine would be frozen until the customers’ ID information was entered, ensuring legal compliance with age restrictions.

7. Cashiers who are underage or have religious or other issues with selling beer and wine would not be required to do so.

8. The Co-op is committed to acting responsibly in the community and will place resources for preventing addiction at each retail display featuring beer or wine.

9. In the year 2000, the Committee-op membership voted to carry beer and wine on an advisory ballot. Then again in 2018, an online member survey identified 71% of a total of 1631 members as favoring the addition of beer, wine and hard cider to the list of available Co-op product.

For addition information
Article in the Table, Summer 2019, pdf
by Staff Members of the Beer & Wine Task Force

Join the Olympia Food Co-op for our
42nd Annual
Membership Meeting!

Saturday, November 2nd
11am – 2pm

222 Columbia St NW
Downtown Olympia

Meet the Board Candidates
Staff & Board Reports
Catered Lunch
& Music from Citizens Band

Membership is ownership! Thank you for participating in our democratic process.

election held October 15 – November 15, 2019
vote online or in either store

Board Candidates PDF

Statement on Ballot Measure PDF

2019 Member Ballot PDF

ONLINE VOTING
scroll to view the Board candidate’s essays
CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR ONLINE VOTE
(takes you to Survey Monkey)

VOTING IN THE STORES
ballot boxes available at both stores
8am – 9pm everyday

2019 Member Ballot

All active members of the Olympia Food Co-op, with current contact information on file, are eligible to participate in the election process. Results will be posted on our website by November 22nd.

I. Please choose only two (2) Candidates for the Board of Directors:

Tami Bennett
Jace Denton
Jon “Eppo” Epstein
Linda Myers
John O’Brien
Cristina Rodriguez
Trudy Springer
Bruce Wilkinson

II. Please select either “yes” or “no” to the following question:

Should Olympia Food Co-op add beer, wine, and other low alcohol beverages
to the product mix?

STATEMENT ON BALLOT MEASURE pdf

Meet Your Candidates for Co-op Board of Directors

Candidates were asked the following questions:

• • Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
  • What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
  • What vision do you have for the Co-op?
  • What else would you like to share?

Tami Bennett

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
I want to be in the Co-op Board of Directors because I love the diversity and culture the Co-op brings to a community!

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
My general abilities include leadership, teaching, and accomplishing set goals, and providing safe environment. I am creative and enthusiastic about social services and environmental potentials.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
The vision I have for the coop is to provide a safe, educational, supportive fun place, where a community can come and enjoy not only shopping but learn about resources that provide knowledge on how to participate in self sustainability and renewable resources, health and wellness, community life skills and life skills in general. Having people in the community coming to the coop all year round for the seasonal forums, classes or events. To build a stronger more dependable community of resources and knowledge for the people in our community.

Jace Denton

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
I have enjoyed working on various cooperative committees within my community, including the Procession of the Species and Eco-planning Committee at the Co-op. Co-ops are formed to meet the specific and changing needs of our workers and members. I want to be on the Board because I want to hear more about our members and Working Members’ needs. I believe in the wide diversity of people who use the Co-op and I believe the diverseness of our Board should reflect this in the Board members, the communities, and the voices they represent. I want to be a Board member to help bring more representation of queer people and voices of the community I am a part of to the Board.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
I have a background in graphic design, website design and management, marketing, social media marketing, and entrepreneurship. I have used these skills as part of my work with local organizations such as Peace, Love & Raw and The Procession of the Species, and I will bring these to the Board. I also feel that having younger people on the Board would breathe new life into the Co-op and the Board. My personal goal is to be the youngest person to sit on the Board to date. I am passionate and hard worker in everything I do. In addition, I will bring my great customer service to the Board to build a stronger link of communication between the Board and our members.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
We are seeing a shift towards a more ecological mindset, both in Olympia and within our society as a whole. With eco-friendly businesses growing throughout Olympia, my vision for the co-op includes following these other businesses in supporting plant based living, as well as plastic free. This includes educating our members on how to live a more eco friendly lifestyle, making veganism and zero waste accessible to everyone. I believe in supporting and networking with other businesses that align with the values of our co-op, including bringing more good food to more people, supporting local production, and maintaining and ecological mindset. I recently went to the Mount Vernon Co-op, which also has a separate bakery and restaurant. My hope for our Co-op is that we can expand into having our own restaurant and bakery, continuing our mission of bringing more sustainable food to more people.

What else would you like to share?
I want to become a member of the board because I am interested in learning more about how co-ops are run, specifically from this position. I am looking to better round out my understandings of co-operatives and help grow up other co-ops in the future.

Jon “Eppo” Epstein

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
Just looking to serve my community. I’m an original member from 1977 and have never served on the Board to date.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
I have relevant skills and abilities gained from experience serving on other non-profit boards including Evergreen State College Alumni Association, Sustaining Fund, Traditional Arts Council of Olympia, and the Thurston County Fair.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
To have the business remain financially sound in order to provide good jobs, support local farms, provide healthy food choices for customers, and contribute to a thriving local community.

What else would you like to share?
I’ve been a working member since the Co-op opened on Columbia Street in downtown Olympia in 1977. I volunteered as a cheese-packager until the Co-op moved to their Westside location around 1980 where I served as a cashier until 2007. Since then I’ve volunteered staffing the Free Store.

Linda Myers

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
I moved to Olympia four years ago and found ‘my people’ at the Olympia Food Co-op. I soon joined and then signed up to be a Working Member Cashier. I’ve served two-and-a-half years on the Member Relations Committee, a Board Committee. Through these experiences I’ve learned much about the culture and community of the Co-op. The Board of Directors holds ultimate legal responsibility for the operations and actions of the Co-op and I am ready to step up to the plate and help take on that responsibility.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
Prior to moving to Olympia I was the Business Manager of an independent elementary school in New Jersey. While working there for 25 years I learned all aspects of the school’s business office, such as: preparing budgets; accounts payable; accounts receivable; bookkeeping; insurance and payroll & benefits. I believe this skillset would serve the Co-op Board well in critically reviewing budgets and other financial aspects of running the organization.
I was also a very involved volunteer in the Property Owners’ Association where I lived, sharing responsibility for overseeing and maintaining the community’s many common properties and for offering activities for the residents. During my fifteen-year tenure as a Board member I served on many committees, as well as three years as Treasurer and three years as Board President.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
I envision the Co-op continuing to be a thriving community hub and great resource for “providing wholesome foods and other goods and services,” as noted in our Mission Statement. In order to provide top notch services to our members and greater workplace safety for our staff, I believe we must strive to find a new location with more floor space, ample room for a large kitchen and deli, adequate warehouse space, produce prep area and comfortable staff restrooms and rest areas. By creating a safe and inviting work environment for all of our workers everyone will benefit.

What else would you like to share?
My most profound life experience was spending 12 years of my 20’s and 30’s living in community at The Farm, a large commune in Tennessee. During the first 10 years it was truly communal – no private money and we held all things in common. “We” built a village with limited resources. Our babies were delivered at home by our midwives & our kids attended our own school. We lived in buses and tents until we built houses. We put up water towers and dug water lines. We grew most of the food to feed ourselves; we were vegan. I worked with the farming crew, tending to vegetables in the fields. I helped in our canning & freezing facility, putting up food for the winter. I managed our store, purchasing the items we couldn’t grow or make ourselves. I helped manage our produce market in town, selling our excess produce. The Community grew too large (from 250 to 1,300+ people) and with much consternation, the community agreed to change from a communal structure to a collective, with each adult responsible for their share of the expenses. The Farm Community is still thriving today and I would love to bring these skills and experiences to the Board to help our Co-op community thrive and grow.

John O’Brien

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
My reasons for requesting consideration for a board position include but are limited to the following: My wife Maia and I have been Co-op members since moving to Olympia about 15 years ago. This in no small part because at that time it was the one and only go-to place of organic groceries. I also have more than one late-onset food intolerance. I know from personal experience the challenges of medically necessary food restrictions. The Co-op has been instrumental in my ability to survive and I daresay thrive in Thurston County. Survival of the Co-op I consider to be personally a shared reality inextricably linked to my own. My most significant chronic health challenges are manageable only by strict dietary restriction. I am a living example of Hippocrates’ admonition, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
I bring to the Board my life experiences including a four plus decade career as a Physician’s Assistant. As a teenager, I was deeply sensitized to the power and value of biodynamically-grown organic herbs from direct contact on a farm in my home state of Rhode Island. Prior to moving to Olympia, I spent a years’ internship on a biodynamic farm in Australia. I managed to hold my own in areas essential to farm operation including metalwork, welding, forestry, small and large equipment operation maintenance and repair many not considered part of farming.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
My vision for the coop involves acknowledgement of the evolution of the marketplace to include the inevitable dilution and pushback against organic certification by monetary and political dynamics. I would like to see the coop ride the crest of the wave of acceptance with expansion of its role as community leader by example of cooperative vs. competitive business model and expansion of its educational role as the value of to sustainable equitable distribution of food to an informed community which regards farmers as teachers and healers. I am also deeply concerned that the coop is aware of and directly addresses maintaining relevance in the rapidly expanding food landscape. We should planning for and addressing meeting the educational, ethical, environmental and moral imperatives of healthy sustainable food for people the planet and all its’ inhabitants.

Cristina Rodriguez

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
Food systems has been my lifelong passion since I was a teenager working as volunteer Community Health Lay Leader (Promotora) serving the Washington farm workers providing food on our tables. This community work took place at community health centers as well as at rural migrant labor camps throughout Washington. It was my exposure to the fieldwork, learning about farm worker malnutrition, stepping onto their labor sites, and visiting their substandard housing conditions that left a lasting impression on my conscience, ultimately shedding light on the complexities behind our food system. Agricultural labor planted the seeds of knowledge in my mind and over time, my understanding branched out to focus on the diverse aspects of our food system: nutrition, health, environment, local foods, seed sovereignty, socio-economic abilities, labor, etc. Eventually, I incorporated agriculture and food sovereignty into my undergraduate and graduate research pursuits.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
My education, leadership, and career history demonstrate the many leadership roles that I have had the pleasure to navigate into present day. The nature of this Co-op Board position requires many skills to responsibly promote a healthy, community-based local food system environment. My experience supervising, training, directing, and delegating tasks for a team have helped me learn to balance responsibilities and hone in on the skills each individual has within an organization. Decolonized leadership includes lifting people up and empowering them into harmonized synchronicity, where each individual’s unique quality is appreciated and utilized. I remain conscious about our societal reality that we, human beings, work in a system that inevitably values production over well-being. Whether it be internal or external Co-op labor, I would focus on providing each person’s contribution the acknowledgement and appreciation that is deserved.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
As consumers completely dependent on food for survival, we need to envision what a Utopian society looks like where we have a say in the way our food system is managed. We are reaching a point in this current political climate where human beings are essential to this symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth. Our responsibilities are to protect the environment and engage in food sovereignty as a collective community taking part in the food system. Food is much more complex than sustenance – it is a pathway into community, resilience, culture, and survival. The Olympia Food Co-op has taken tremendous steps toward food sovereignty. My holistic vision can add another perspective so that we can move forward and make the next generations proud of their ecological inheritance.

What else would you like to share?
Agriculture is in my blood and food has been at the forefront of my mind since my early upbringing. I can trace agriculture back to my roots in Guatemala. My father comes from a long line of farmers who practices traditional stewardship of the Central American land along the Pacific Ocean. My father went to a private agricultural boarding school to master agrarian skills. He eventually became an agronomist after university in Guatemala. His reality led to enduring the Guatemalan civil war and in order to survive, he immigrated to the U.S. and started his American education journey from ground zero. He eventually became a Pacific Northwest Fish and Wildlife Biologist for the federal government. Conversations about nutrition, land restoration, indigenous land rights, seed sovereignty, etc. were all dinner table conversations during my childhood and early adulthood. This passion continued throughout my education and into my career where I work in the agricultural public policy and labor standards fields.

Trudy Springer

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
As a Co-op member for over twenty years, witnessing growth and challenges, and as a Working Member for over four years, working with the friendly, dedicated Staff, I want to be more involved in helping the Co-op continue to grow, expand and serve our growing membership. Through fifty years in the work force, I have a deep understanding of the strength diversity in staff and membership brings to an organization.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
I would bring to the board my experience as a community organizer, including strong communication skills and success in working with diverse groups. Strengths in planning, drafting agendas, brainstorming and conflict resolution.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
I bring a commitment to improve communication and transparency with the staff, board and working members to strengthen those relationships. I can help develop strong, healthy interpersonal relationships to help us meet the challenges of growth and community commitments.

What else would you like to share?
I believe my work at the Martin Luther King Ecumenical Center and the Pierce County AIDS Foundation in Tacoma has given me training and skills that will greatly benefit leadership development and cultural sensitivity.

Bruce Wilkinson

Why do you want to be on the Co-op Board of Directors?
The Co-op helped me fall in love with Olympia. I want it to thrive and now I have the time to give back in a way that I am capable. I graduated from Evergreen with a focus in political economics, ecology and Latin America studies. I have been on the board of several nonprofits and a member of grassroots organizations locally that the Co-op has generously supported. I am a big supporter of the cooperative model. I understand some of the difficult challenges the Co-op faces in terms of growth, community engagement, worker solidarity and more. I feel I can help bridge some of these challenges going forward on a path toward the vision.

What general abilities and skills would you bring to the Board?
I’ve experience in navigating consensus based decision making models and feel comfortable with respect for great process. These skills come from over a decade of grassroots organization training in meeting process, nonviolent communication, anti-oppression and more have found that I am skilled in personal flexibility when it comes to figuring out and doing what’s needed. Professionally, I have a strong background in communications work, marketing and campaign management. Currently I work as an arborist. I’d be happy to trim the trees for health but my other skills are more applicable. All of the board committees sound interesting to me. I am a thoughtful person of principal who puts in the work to make things right for consensus decisions. However I am also willing to roll up my sleeves and solve issues directly if that is what is called for.

What vision do you have for the Co-op?
I imagine the Olympia Food Co-op growing the cooperative movement in our area, across the country and the world. That our vision should be to beat large grocery chains as a core part of maintaining and growing our depth of commitment to local food, the workers, our members and the bio-region. That we should be aggressive in this pursuit out of respect for the challenges of our times that include preeminently climate chaos, wealth inequality, oppression, food insecurity, mass extinction and militarism. The focus of maximizing local food growth and distribution supports building the power in our communities to confront all the despairing trials and tribulations before us.

What else would you like to share?
I have weathered many storms in my life and I don’t run from challenges. I am a rock when people need it. I am guided by my heart but I think things through. I like strategy games like chess and Catan. I like opening space to creative people and diversity. I forgive. I turn the other cheek. I apologize when I am wrong. I think about the needs of others. I have a desire to serve the common good. I could easily be described as a socialist but people have put all sorts of labels on me for right or wrong.

The Olympia Food Co-op celebrates
Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Monday, October 14th, 2019

Sampling from 1-5 PM

Paintings from Indigenous artist
Leonard Peltier will be on display!

Join us in honoring and supporting Native and Indigenous Food Sovereignty by purchasing products from the following Native/Indigenous-owned vendors featured thru October

Quinault Smoked Salmon
Native Harvest Manoomin Wild Rice (eastside only)
Fog Woman Coffee
Jalisco Tortilla Chips
Maggie’s Salsa
Three Sisters Blue and White Corn Tortillas
Native Northwest Mercantile (eastside only)

Ojibewe Tribe
Here is a great video of how manoomin rice (wild rice) is harvested and produced by the Ojibewe Tribal members.

PDF of poster

Come on in!

Check out our Garlic and Shallot starts!

Seeds sales!

Westside Garden Center
open Saturdays & Sundays
10am – 6pm

Eastside Garden Center
open Everyday
8am – 8pm