Creating positive change in our communities, large and small

By Alana Lucia, BriarPatch Board President

It always feels like witnessing a bit of a miracle in seeing the new growth of spring. It’s a change we so readily welcome. Seeds and bulbs that have been incubating over these cold winter months seem completely dormant. And then in a magical instant, there are buds popping up and blossoms opening. The landscape becomes an endless collage of color, and our hearts feel light and hopeful.

From the Board perspective, here at BriarPatch, we also feel we are witnessing the new growth of Spring. To see us grow in such magnificent ways is very exciting for the Board. From humble beginnings as a buying club, our goals were to procure wholesome food at reasonable prices. Once that goal was managed, we began the journey to a proper little store, and eventually we have grown into the enterprise we are today, serving the needs of the community in a variety of different ways. We are a trusted grocery store. We strive to provide meaningful employment. We are a community hub. We support local food, local producers, and local organizations that serve the community more deeply than we can imagine.

This second store has been gestating for many years. The Board continually measures the goals we have set for in a new community. We have all the excitement of a farmer watching their seeds sprout. ourselves. When we realize the types of positive impacts a community store can have, we feel impassioned to grow that type of entity. We feel a sense of warmth and hope when we walk through the doors and see the array of offerings and hear the murmuring of familiar chatter. Soon we will watch ourselves take root

In a time when changes seem to be thrust upon us from one direction or another, I am welcoming this change.

I feel empowered to create positive changes in the world and I hope you feel the same sense of purpose, warmth and joy in this springtime. May we all join to create positive change in our communities, large and small.