The Co-op is doing well financially right now. We showed a substantial loss in our last fiscal year, but the first half of this year has more than made up for it. In fact, our profit for the first half of this year was nearly double what we would expect in a normal year. For more information on this, you can read or listen to an interview I did for Cortes Currents.

It also goes without saying that this year has been incredibly challenging. Of course, that success would not have been possible without our staff. By continuing to work for our community enterprise, we showed an incredible dedication to the mission of the Co-op even though we all experienced these tough times in different ways. Because we decided to persevere, we are taking care of the basic need for food for our community, and we’re doing it as responsibly and democratically as we can. And we’re doing it better than ever.

With gratitude, our Supervisor Team and Board came up with a plan for a bonus. Each staff member received an extra $2 per hour for all the hours they worked in June, July, and August of this year. More than ever, we appreciate the continuing efforts of our staff on behalf of the Co-op. And we encourage our members to do the same. These are difficult times especially for those of us in the service industry. The respect, kindness, and gratitude we show each other now will go a long way towards strengthening our community and keeping it healthy – no matter what the future brings.