January 2020 Honest Slate by Honest Weight Food Co-op

Honest

SLATE

Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Community Newsletter for Membership • Staff • Governance • Management Published monthly by the Communications Committee to promote transparency, report without bias, and sustain community.

january 2020

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 honestslate@honestweight.coop • https://www.honestweight.coop/

Art Reception Sunday Loosely Wound String Band to Host Old-Time Music Jam Session!

Bring your own instruments and voice; join a local swing-style band; and see the paintings of Margaret Gelbach Foster: Sunday January 12 • 2-4 pm • HWFC Community Room. Refreshments will be served. You are invited to join the Foster family at a reception celebrating the artwork of their mother, Margaret Gelbach Foster (1921-2002), a resident of Delmar, NY for almost 4 decades who received her BS and MS from U of Wisconsin, showed in regional and national exhibits, and taught art for 20 years. Her work, while stylistically varied, is solidly grounded in 20th century art movements. Many of her paintings and drawings depict places she lived or visited. The show will be up through the second week in February.

(How

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v CONTENTS Boards WORK

Ask your cashier for more information or visit: www/honestweight.coop/bags

page 5

MOs Win Cookie Contest........... 2

Green HaBitS: HWFC Now Charging for Paper Bags On Jan. 13, HWFC will begin charging 15¢ apiece for paper shopping bags. While we have never offered new plastic shopping bags, we’re now making additional moves to reduce the usage of paper bags, which carry their own set of environmental ramifications. This change will precede an Albany County law that will charge retailers 5¢ for all paper carryout bags beginning March 1, 2020 (at which time our fee will remain at 15¢). In April 2019, New York became the second state, after California, to ban most plastic carryout shopping bags. The statewide plastic bag ban will go into effect in March.

honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Weight’s new reusable bags, which we’ve been selling for $1.99 since they arrived this winter, will drop to 99¢ in conjunction with the paper bag charge. The green bags are decorated with the Co-op’s mission statement and made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles. The 15¢ fee will be waived for shoppers using SNAP benefits, plus EnviroTokens enthusiasts need not worry: Our EnviroTokens program will remain unchanged! For every reusable bag you use, you’ll receive either a nickel or a token to donate 5¢ to an organization of your choice on our EnviroTokens wall!

Upcycle Your Clothing!............... 3 Dual-Status Interview................ 4 Invitation to Staff....................... 4 FYI: How Boards Work............... 5 Suggestion Box Q&A.................. 6 Meeting Notice.......................... 7 Committee Corner.................... 8 Meet the Slate Team . ............. 10 Board Decisions....................... 11 Do We Owe You?..................... 11 Cashiers Raise the Bar............. 11 Co-Opportunities!.................... 12

—Georgia Julius

https://www.honestweight.coop/

January 2020

Honest Slate

Chanukah?

Christmas?

COOKIES!

MOs Ace 4th Annual Naughty or Nice Cookie Challenge By Courtney Semoff

On Oct. 24 the Times Union announced the fourth annual cookie challenge held in collaboration with (and at) Honest Weight Food Co-op. Readers were invited to send in their favorite traditional or unique recipe. Naughty cookies were intended to be indulgent and delicious, while Nice cookies were meant to be slightly more health-conscious and, well…delicious! As in preceding years, three finalists were chosen in each category. “When all is eaten and done,” the Times Union reported, “the winners of each category will receive a $100 gift card and prize package from Honest Weight and will also have their cookies baked and sold at the Albany co-op through the holiday season...runners-up in each category will receive a $25 gift card from Honest Weight.” With the tasting and voting event scheduled for Dec. 7, hundreds of cookies needed to be made. “I put out a call for MOs to help,” Member-Owner Coordinator Yevette Buddeau said. “Another way I go about this is to put out word of mouth…For many of the things we coordinate, there may be a skill set that we are aiming for. For this it was important to seek out people who have a sense of baking and production-level focus and who could do the tasks independently. People are pretty awesome for stepping up to the task and finding it fun!”

“The original recipe called for Kool-Aid, but I couldn’t do that to a cookie....” —Megan Brophy-McLean

2019’s Cookie Challenge Winners, Megan and Andrea, are longstanding MOs and, until recently, Andrea was the Board Administrative Assistant. This was the first time in the event’s history that the winners are both Member-Owners! Six MOs and two Staff spent three days prior to the event baking hundreds of cookies for each recipe: Stephen P, Sharon M, Selena W, Sarah H, Kathy D, Florence A, Yevette B, and Dorothee R. Once these massive batches of cookies were made, the tasting went off without a hitch, thanks to the help of Deanna B, Yevette B, Rick M, Julie F, Bonnie B, Lynn C, Rachel M, and Elizabeth H.

These MOs greeted participants, guided the voting process, poured water to help tasters clear their palates, cleaned, and answered questions. A big thank-you to all for making another year’s cookie challenge possible and providing the HWFC community with delicious samples! Two MOs ranked among finalists: Megan Brophy-McLean in the “Nice” group, and Andrea Shaye in the “Naughty” category. Not only did Andrea and Megan become finalists, but when votes were totaled they emerged as the winners!

Click here for the recipes.

“I am always excited to share the joy of treats.” —Andrea Shaye What prompted their recipes?

Andrea told the Times Union: “As a vegan, many people imagine that I sit around eating salad and raw blocks of bland tofu. Instead of fulfilling that

myth, I love to indulge in treats just as much as the next guy, and I want to eat ALL THE DARK CHOCOLATE.” “Friends and family are wowed by the decadence of this delicious cookie, and I am always excited to share the joy of treats,” Andrea added. Megan shared that “the cookie recipe is one that I modified from a vegan cookbook, [but] it needed more lemon. The first time I made them I was looking for a cookie that you’d find at an Italian bakery. The original recipe called for KoolAid, but I couldn’t do that to a cookie, so I made it my own.” Congratulations to the winners for their creativity and participation in our community!

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

January 2020

What Are Those Big,

Green Metal Bins? By Elisa Grimm

Honest Slate

upcycling your threads at Honest Weight!

Have you wondered

about those large containers in the parking lot? They live at the lot’s western edge in warm weather, migrating to the front entrance for winter. Their description tells you that they accept clothing donations for One World Center. What happens, though, after you drop your bag of clothing and shoes through the slot? First, putting your items in the bins keeps them out of landfills. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the U.S. generated 12.8 million tons of clothing and shoes in 2017, with 8.9 million tons ending up in landfills and only 1.7 million tons being recycled that year. That is a recycling rate of only 13%. According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York businesses and residents send roughly 7 million tons of reusable and recyclable textiles to landfills each year. How does putting clothes and shoes in these bins keep them out of landfills? Generally, donations are sorted into usable items for resale and other items for recycling. Many of us are familiar with clothing reuse through secondhand shops. Still-usable clothing and shoes are sold in thrift stores and distributed through charities, providing items to those in need at little or no cost. Charities use sales revenue to fund programs for their clients. Reusable pieces that don’t sell in domestic retail outlets are sold to textile brokers. Textiles are baled into lots and sold overseas. Small businesses and individual entrepreneurs buy the bales, then repair and resell the clothing and shoes, contributing to local economies. All non-reusable textiles are recycled: fabrics are processed back into original fibers. Fiber blends are sold to companies that reuse them in products such as furniture stuffing, athletic equipment, and carpet padding. Old denim is especially useful for home insulation.

How donating used apparel keeps textiles out of landfills Which items can be recycled?

The NYS DEC states that 95% of clothing, shoes, and other household textiles can be recycled. This includes items that are stained or torn, have broken zippers, or are missing buttons. The items just need to be dry, odor (mildew) free, and not soaked with solvents such as gasoline. Mildewed or solvent-saturated items are not suitable for recycling, but almost all textiles generated in the U.S can be kept out of landfills. Keeping textiles out of landfills provides not only environmental but also economic benefits. Reusing and recycling creates jobs. The DEC estimates that New York could create 6,700 statewide jobs if every New Yorker recycled just one more pound of textiles weekly. Additionally, reusing and recycling clothing limits waste management costs for local, city, and county governments.

Here at the Co-op,

you can easily send clothing for reuse and recycling by dropping your donations in the One World Center bins. According to Co-op Director of Operations Stephen Quickenton, One World Center representatives approached HWFC in April 2018 about installing bins. One World Center is a Michigan-based nonprofit combating poverty and climate change. Its volunteer-abroad programs send participants to Brazil, Malawi, Mozambique, or Zambia for up to 18 months. Participants work directly with community members and governments to develop sustainable programs, funded in part by revenue raised from textile recycling. After researching One World Center, HWFC opted to install donation bins.

Now, One World Center collects our donations regularly through its Colonie branch, which oversees hundreds of bins in upstate NY, southern VT, and northwestern MA. In 2017, it collected 1.79 million pounds of donations, sending them nationwide and to Nicaragua, Honduras, and Tunisia. We at the Co-op have also had opportunity to learn more about One World Center’s programs. In August 2019 two One World Center volunteers spoke in the Co-op’s Community Room about their experiences; both spent several months in Mozambique, working to fight food insecurity in rural schools.

Our community has filled these large green metal containers enthusiastically, in fact earning recognition from One World Center: Even though the bins had been installed for less than a year in 2018, HWFC placed 11th out of 370 regional locations for the year’s biggest donation. The only locations collecting more than the Co-op were shopping centers with five or more bins!

One World Center sent the Co-op a Certificate of Achievement for our 2018 efforts; at summer’s end in 2019, HWFC placed in the top 10 for highest donations in our region. So the next time you have clothes and shoes you no longer need, bring them to the Coop and drop them in those big, green metal bins. With just one bag, you can help the environment, help the economy, and help fight poverty all at once! For more information, see:

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/nondurable-goods-product-specific-data#ClothingandFootwear NYSDEC: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/100141.html SMART: https://www.smartasn.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions/ https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/100141.html https://oneworldcenter.org/

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

Wellness Welcomes Inspired Hire Dual-Status Deepens MO’s Investment by Carol Ostrow If it weren’t for a worker-owned and -operated grocery store on the West Coast, an Honest Weight Member-Owner recently hired in Wellness might not have joined our Co-op in 2002. If it weren’t for an overriding sense that she belonged here, she might not have remained when member involvement came down to the wire in 2015; and we would not have had the chance to sit down with Nina Stanley. Of discovering HWFC, Nina remarked, “I found the place that reminded me of home,” referring to San Francisco’s Rainbow Foods. “It was the first thing I did after moving here.” Of the time four years ago when Honest Weight recharted its course and ultimately reaffirmed its commitment to Member-Owners alongside a major change in management, she said, “I almost left.” But she did stay, and is now dual status— both Member-Owner and Employee. Nina began her time investment with Wellness some years ago; so when a staff position opened up, it was natural for her to come aboard as a stakeholder with firsthand experience and knowledge of the department’s products. Originally from California, Nina is a fine artist and graphic designer who brings a creative approach to her work at Honest Weight—from conceiving and presenting workshops to improving packaging details among the aisles. You might recognize her name if you’ve brought family or friends to enjoy HWFC’s special occasions. Nina regularly offers art classes through the Education Department, and she is the artist who provides colorful face painting for Honest Weight’s Homegrown Happening and other events.

MO/Staffer Nina Stanley contributed rebranding for one of our Wellness vendors, Skin Deep Naturals; look for distinctive new imagery on its soaps and other products.

Q. What do you like best about your job? A. “It’s my happy place. I can immerse myself in helping products sell.” Nina added that as a part-time employee her flexible schedule is also favorable; she also enjoys combining product knowledge with inventiveness to bring out the department’s best (see images above).

attention

Staff: WDYK? *

all

2020

Honest Slate Seeks Staff Participation: Your community-wide newsletter wants to hear from you in 2020.

January 2020 Q. What was your hiring experience like? A. “When I heard the word ‘onboarding,’ I thought it meant getting water dumped on me,” she quipped. “It sounded like torture.” [All industry jargon aside, Nina assured Honest Slate that the transition was in fact smooth and no waterboarding was involved.] Q. Does being an employee change your outlook on HWFC? A. “I feel more invested.” Q. What’s the most unusual request you’ve encountered in Wellness? A. The customer who said: “I bought something. I don’t remember what it was, but it was in a blue bottle and it was really good.” Q. What skills have improved since you began working here? A. “I’m a work in progress. I’ve gained more customer service skills; I try to be nice to customers no matter what.” Honest Slate wants to hear more stories about Staff at the Co-op. What brought you to Honest Weight, and what keeps you here? Every experience is unique. What’s your story?

Last year we covered Honest Weight’s dozen-plus departments with items from managers with just a couple of stories about employees. This year, it’s your turn to step on the soapbox! What rocks your department? What experiences or concerns would you like to share? Email honestslate@honestweight.coop for guidance on submissions or leave a note in the Front End suggestion box with contact information.

Do You Know? *What Our team can interview & write about you and your role, or we can work with you to publish your offerings. Just reach out—and see you among the aisles.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Weight Food Co-op Plan to Attend

2020’s Membership Meetings: • January 26 • April 26 • May 31 • October 25

Honest Slate

How

( Boards ( WORK v

January 2020

Evelyn Wright returns to HWFC With her second governance workshop! Join us: • Saturday March 7, 2020

• HWFC’s Community Room • 3-4:30 pm Evelyn will share her experience and expertise on what it means to serve on a Board of Directors and how boards work.

If you are interested in • Working on a Board committee, • Serving on the Board itself, or • Learning how we self-govern at the Co-op,

We strongly encourage you to attend this workshop. Evelyn’s March 2019 workshop was standing room only, so mark your calendars for this must-see event. Questions? Contact the Elections and Nominations Committee:

Need a Soapbox? Email: honestslate@honestweight.coop

electionscomm@honestweight.coop.

5 Have a Bold Bright Brilliant Cheerful Clean Clear Delightful Elated Elevated Exultant Favorable Fortunate Fresh Glad Gleeful Joyous Peaceful Safe Vibrant Year

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

Q&A

From the Suggestion Box Don’t see your comment here? Check the bulletin board in the café.

Q: Would you be willing to sell/carry Mariaville Mushroom Men products? They are sold at (the) farmer’s market. A: We have a wide variety of local mushrooms. We value our relationship with our local farmers. Q: I would like to see a carts return that doesn’t open the store door and let all the cold air in. A: We have no plans to add a cart corral. Q: Please get rid of Manager’s Specials. They don’t work, cause confusion, Co-op loses $! A: Sorry for any confusion you may encounter as we are perfecting our system. We see it as a mutually benefitting system for both our customers and our store. [Editor’s note: please see our article on page 4 of July 2019’s issue of Honest Slate.]

Q: How about a workshop on KNIFE USE and SAFETY? HWFC veggies deserve good treatment (and I’d like to avoid another trip to Urgent Care ). I think Steven P. from Bakery did such a class last year or so. A: Great idea! We actually have one in the works. Please keep your eye on upcoming calendars and schedules.

Q: Could the basket of “donated” magazines return to the café area? This extended their lives and were fun to dig through and select. Q: The magazine basket could replace “Edible Albany”, the stock of which never seems to go down and is basically ads hidden in some editorial outer garment. A: We’ve only had the book exchange in the café and have no plans to discontinue it. We also have no plans to add magazines to the exchange. Q: Justin’s Honey Almond Butter contains Palm Oil. Rainforests are destroyed for this vile stuff! It’s in everything these days. Also tastes lousy. A: According to its website, Justin’s uses palm oil because it is a non-GMO, organic non-hydrogenated oil that acts as a stabilizer and reduces oil separation. This means less stirring for you every time you dip into a jar! Adding other liquid oils wouldn’t stabilize the nut butters and would increase the oil layer at the top of the jar. “From the beginning, Justin’s has been focused on the responsible sourcing of all our ingredients, including our palm oil, and we are constantly pushing the supply chain for advancements in this area. We are members of the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm), which currently represents about 20% of the total palm oil supply. The RSPO encourages sustainable growing practices and human rights initiatives at the farm level, while promoting education about the cultivation and use of certified sustainable palm oil...To learn more about RSPO’s certification standards, click here.”

Q: White sage/general sage is endangered and probably shouldn’t be sold unless it is sustainably sourced, which I doubt it is… A: Juniper Ridge Sage is sustainably harvested.

The company states that the organic palm oil used both in its nut butters and peanut butter cups is sourced from Central and South America and is certified under a fully traceable supply chain model. Additionally, all its palm oil suppliers practice sustainability policies.

Q: Ashley made the most delicious chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for my granddaughter’s 13th birthday. The entire family thought it was the best cake they had ever tasted!! Thank you. A: Thank you so much! We also appreciate Ashley’s skill and talent.

Q: Please move the cukes back where they were. Can’t see them where they are now. A: Cucumbers are now located between the greens and the salad case. We’ve readjusted product levels to align with sales movement.

January 2020 Q: Please get MORE Lucky Clover Artisanal Bakery chocolate brownies!!! I miss the old pies though.  You need more stock of LCAB brownies b/c you run out each Saturday or Sunday + they don’t come until Friday or Saturday. Everyone I feed one to says they are the best brownies they’ve ever tasted + that is accurate. Q: Thank you for the Lucky Clover Artisanal Bakery brownies! I bought your last 3 again. LOVE the strawberry + cream parfait in the fridge section by bakery.  A: We’re glad that you like them! We’ll increase our order of Lucky Clover Brownies. Thanks for the suggestion! Q: Stronger drip coffee, please! Q: Coffee is WEAK! Please make it stronger. A: We’re sorry. Please bring this to our attention if this happens again as we may have a brewing issue. Q: Because of constant line for the bathroom and the very long wait time often– perhaps a sign on the back of door. For example: Please be considerate of long line for bathrooms. Please do not text, talk on the phone, change clothes, etc. A: We wish we had built more bathrooms. Q: If you sell Cosmic Brownies at bakery section put “No CBD” or “With CBD” on the label so everyone doesn’t ask the attendant “Do they have pot in them?” 100 times a day + so we don’t have to scrutinize the whole ingredients list to check if we’re in a hurry + their work has random drug tests. A: Ingredients are labeled. We no longer add CBD in the Food Service department. Q: Sam Gartland provided excellent customer service while cleaning around the hot bar. Thank you.  A: Thank you so much! We’ll let her know that you appreciate her efforts. Q: Please don’t make soups so heavy on pepper. A: We apologize for the unpleasant experience. Hope you give us another shot. continued on page 7

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

January 2020

Honest Slate

Q&A

Mark your calendar now to attend the

From the Suggestion Box continued from page 6

Q: Bacon Dressed Potatoes!!!??? Please there is already enough meat and fish on the hot bar. A: We do not use bacon all the time for items like this. We do offer regular potatoes and veggies made without meat more often than not. We’ll keep your concern in mind. Q: Please bring back Toona Crunch vegan weekly sandwich special – so tasty!! * A: OK. We’ll make it again. Glad you like it!

anonymous Toona Crunch lover’s eye-popping handwritten original:

=:)

*this emoticon is based on our

Q: Can I bring my own clean container and use it at the salad bar? It would save using + composting a cardboard box. A: NYS Health regulations prohibit reusable containers at the hot and salad bars. Q: Please put “date last cleaned” on water machine. A: Our machine automatically shuts down when it needs service. It will not dispense when service is needed. Q: Would the co-op please consider providing more metal cutlery? Also there are wooden, fairly biodegradable options for disposable. I’d love to see it here.  A: We are finding that we have to purchase more forks on a regular basis. We’re unsure where they are going. We’ll check out the wooden disposables. Please bear in mind that our disposable cutlery is biodegradable. Q: Gluten free-vegan muffins without nuts (or almond milk).  A: Our Tuesday Pumpkin Spice, Wednesday Mocha Chocolate Chip (soy lecithin) and our Friday/Sunday Maple Berry muffins are vegan with no gluten added and contain no nuts.

MEETING STARTS AT 6 PM

JOIN US FOR DESSERT POTLUCK AT 5 PM TAKING PLACE AT the RAMADA HOTEL. Please bring a healthy snack or dessert item to share. HWFC will provide beverages.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

COMMITTEE C O R N E R HWFC Meeting Summaries January 2020 Honest Arts Committee (HAC) ∙ Current show, featuring Margaret Foster’s work, will hang through early Feb. Reception (with food and music!) 2-4pm Jan. 12. ∙ Themes for 2020 curated shows: I SEE ME (Winter), WOVEN (Spring), PALETTE (Autumn). Summer Show TBD. ∙ Conference room now has picture rail; additional installation devices need ordering. ∙ Shelf will be installed in Zen Room for committee material storage. Environment Committee (EC) ∙ Beginning 2020, will give quarterly presentation to Dept. Managers (at Operations meetings, Tuesdays at 1pm) focusing on potential environmental practices. ∙ Propose “Sustainability Council” be formed and charged with tracking and maximizing HWFC sustainability measures. Monthly meetings would work toward: waste reduction; setting organization-wide goals, performance metrics and a long-range sustainability plan (with guidance from the Management Team); monitoring effectiveness, documenting performance trends, and recommending/implementing modifications to improve effectiveness; providing training and problem-solving support to store and department managers on sustainability programs; developing orientation and other training materials necessary to support sustainability programs implementation and promote employee engagement/awareness; conducting audits on operating supplies and products as needed to determine sustainability attributes and cost savings; and reporting progress in tracking sustainability (including expressing concerns and sharing new ideas). Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC) ∙ Provided additional information to Board on proposal to present glyphosate brochure to HWFC shoppers, including use of articles from legitimate sources/websites to avoid liability exposure. Requested response from Board on whether proposal is acceptable or what changes the Board desires.

by Stephanie Conde

∙ Comments/questions from our Food and Product Manual tabling will be passed directly to relevant departments. ∙ Will explore MO Tracy Frisch’s concerns about lack of information on milk sources from our local cheese makers. ∙ Updates to Food and Product Manual ‘s Meat and Poultry section were passed on to management. Membership Committee (MC) ∙ Will post agendas online 5 days before meetings to increase opportunity for MOs to contribute to proposed changes. ∙ Will table at Co-op to share proposed MO Manual revisions on Fri. Jan. 3 (11am-1pm); Thurs. Jan. 9 (1-2:30pm); Sat. Jan. 11 (121:30pm); and Tues. Jan. 21 (5-6:30pm). ∙ Cara Benson unanimously voted new Chair through current term end (late Mar. 2020). ∙ Moderation Workshop topic tabled to Jan. HWFC Ownership Statistics (as of Dec. 31, 2019) ∙ 12,727 Owners (32 new Owners; 8 redemptions, largely due to geographical relocation). ∙ 689 Member-Owners contributed 6,104 hours: floor, office, governance, outreach and community room/education. ∙ Board and Committee hours were reported as 284 (likely underreported). ∙ 126 Owner and 68 Non-Owner Staff.

Elections and Nominations Committee (ENC) ∙ Received draft Nomination and Voting Manual. Will review and finalize at Jan. meeting, then distribute to Board. ∙ Sharon Matthews shared next steps to complete compilation of MO responses to Oct. 27 Membership Meeting survey on governance participation. Tally sheets will be reviewed at Jan. meeting. Will consider suggestions for additional surveys that could be provided electronically to voting-eligible MOs. (Requested Board approve Sharon Matthews for an additional 15 hours.) ∙ Will sponsor a second Governance Workshop facilitated by Evelyn Wright on March 7 (3-4:30 pm), including a deeper focus on

January 2020 This article provides a summary of preliminary committee reports submitted to the Board of Directors for the Board meeting of January 7, 2020. See Board meeting packet for details. Committee reports are available on the HWFC website upon Board approval. how a Board can respond to conflict or employ facilitation to resolve conflict. A subgroup is exploring preserving the workshop via video/sound or webinar technologies. ∙ Recruitment for Board and GRC is addressed at every meeting. Will review ways to increase voting flexibility at Jan. meeting. Discussed Board participation history, including members: whose first service was appointed (rather than elected); who submitted a nomination form (rather than receiving a floor nomination); and who resigned before their term ended. ∙ Mollie Lampi was nominated and unanimously elected ENC Chair. ∙ A sub-group will explore public relations surrounding governance elections (currently deferred due to other work). Personnel Committee (PC) ∙ Employee Manual revision continues (time and attendance policies, manual layout). ∙ In response to feedback from Board and legal counsel, revised proposed changes to Discipline / Grievance / Conflict document. ∙ Reviewed and discussed proposal to consolidate sick, personal and holiday time into a single personal time off “bucket.” Sales and Fiscal Performance (for 5 mos. ending Nov. 30, 2019) ∙ Ordinary Income decreased $100,717 or 26% to $281,844 vs. $382,561 ($75,800 or 37% over budgeted amount of $206,045). ∙ Net Income decreased $99,356 or 52.2% from $190,439 to $91,084 ($35,998 over budgeted $55,086). ∙ Costs of Goods were up $147,385 or 2.2% at $6,819,585 vs. $6,672,200 (over budgeted $6,814,593 by $4,992 or 0.1%). ∙ Overall Gross Profit was up $106,194 or 2.3% at $4,762,720 vs. $4,656,525 last year (over budgeted $4,758,878 by $3,841 or .10%). Gross Margin was 41.1% vs. 41.1% last year (over budget). ∙ Total Expenses were up $206,911 or 4.8% from $4,273,964 to $4,480,875 (under budgeted $4,552,834 by $71,958 or 1.6%).

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

January 2020

Honest Slate

Member-Owners and Staff: Have you seen this sign at a computer in the store?

Member-Owners:

Please do not walk away without confirming your time after staff enter their code to sign you out. Make adjustments on pink sheet if necessary. Thanks!”

“Member-Owners: Please do not walk away without confirming your time after staff enter their code to sign you out. Make adjustments on pink sheet if necessary. Thanks!”

When

Member-Owners are signing out, please be sure to check the name and time invested for the person who just signed out.

If the name or time is not correct, please fill out all info on the Member-Owner Missed Punch sheet (the pink sheet—don’t worry, it’s quick) before leaving.

This

is critical for bookkeeping since we may not discover a mistake until long after the date in question—leaving everyone doing their best to guess at what the actual shift was. Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

January 2020

Honest Slate

Happy New Year ! Meet the

2020 marks the start of Honest Slate’s 2nd full calendar year.

Courtney creates copy cooperatively

Stephanie swiftly sums up synopses.

Courtney Semoff has been with Honest Slate since Day 1, stopping momentarily only to have a baby last winter. She interviews, writes, and participates with avid commitment and perspective. Courtney also runs a professional writers group.

Stephanie Conde covers Committee Corner, summarizing all monthly Committee activities as reported to the Board of Directors—no small task. In this case, one picture would not be worth the 1,000 words needed for each month’s column.

Elisa edits efficiently

Annette assists administratively

Elisa Grimm first volunteered in fall 2018 to handle the tricky task of converting handwritten suggestions to page-ready copy for our popular Q&A section. Now she is stepping up to edit and write, too; her first article appears in this edition on page 3.

=:)

You may have noticed

that our monthly contributor list (see below) is presented generically—without formal titles distinguishing editors, writers, and others. This is done so purposely, because as a team we all cross-train to learn new skills as well as specialize. That way no one is pigeonholed to any one position; plus, we do not consider our qualifications to be the focus of our work.

So this month, we invite readers to take a peek behind the scenes and meet all the folks on the Co-op’s Communications Committee (aka “Comm Comm”) who make this project happen.

Don deftly drafts decisions

Don Kennnison joined Comm Comm right after our June 2019 Membership Meeting presentation to expedite editing. As a professional copy editor he knows the difference between en-dashes and hyphens, and his work is a sight for sore eyes.

Erin educates effectively

Erin Donahue writes regular features on grains and goodies, submitting recipes for readers to try. She also writes for the Marketing Department’s magazine, the Coop Scoop. We’re happy to share her talent.

january 2O20

Editors & Contributors: Yevette Buddeau Nicole Collins Stephanie Conde Elisa Grimm Morgaen Hansen Georgia Julius

Don Kennison Annette Kramer Carol Ostrow Courtney Semoff Janet Sorell Tyler Varese

Team...

Submissions Policy: We welcome articles & contributions. Preferred maximum length is 500 words. Material is published at the discretion of the Honest Slate team; only signed work is accepted; and items are edited for length, grammar, and style. We may consider unsolicited material but encourage individuals to submit ideas or outlines first. Letters to the Editors do not require preapproval. Contact honestslate@honestweight. coop with questions, comments, or suggestions.

Annette Kramer handles fact-checking, research, and assorted editorial needs as they arise.

Susan sorts statistics superbly

Susan Flack is our resident statistician and contributes insight into surveys, polls, and ways to canvas the community. She provides valuable technical support for recordkeeping.

Carol coaches coherently

Carol Ostrow combines lifelong journalism and publication experience to coordinate, schedule, plan, and design each issue as well as serve as committee chair.

We are also graced with support

from Member-Owner Coordinator Yevette Buddeau, whose knowledge of our membership and the Co-op goes a long way toward preserving our vision; and Board of Directors liaison Janet Sorell, who helps connect the dots on many levels. As always, we welcome your ideas for enhancing our community.

Statement of Purpose: Honest Slate is a platform for HWFC Membership, Staff, Management and Governance: promoting transparency, reporting news without bias and sustaining community. Honest Slate articles are for informational purposes and are not intended to diagnose or treat disease. Opinions expressed in Honest Slate do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Honest Slate or Honest Weight Food Co-op. All contents ©2020 Honest Weight Food Co-op; no material appearing in Honest Slate may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of HWFC.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

January 2020

Honest Slate

Board Decisions HWFC Board Meeting Decisions January 7, 2020 - 6:00 pm The following decisions were made: • The Board affirmed the approval of the January 26, 2020 Regular Membership Meeting Notice. • The Board approved the proposed addition of 15 hours to the Elections & Nominations Committee work plan. • The Board approved the Environment Committee work plan amendment as proposed and amended.

Food Pantries: The Final Tally CHEERS TO ALL OF YOU! This year we raised an astounding $19,414.74. This blew away our goal of $10,000, and we actually even doubled what we raised in 2018! So many of you participated, and every single $1 raised made a difference. We’ll be writing a check to the Food Pantries for the largest amount ever donated, and that should make each one of us feel good. The amount we donated by our customers is equivalent to over 120,000 pounds of foods that will feed our food insecure neighbors. As promised those cashiers who raised the most (three staff and three members) will be awarded a gift card for their extra efforts.

Congratulations to: Staff: Joseph C. raised $3,601.17, and will receive the $25 gift card Susan F. raised $3,346.59, and will receive the $15 gift card Sherylyn F. raised $2,04023, and will receive the $10 gift card Members: Al D. raised $746.94, and will receive the $25 gift card Donna G raised $227.00, and will receive the $15 gift card Deb E. raised $137.19, and will receive the $10 gift card Thank you all so very much for doing such a tremendous job with this! —Morgaen Hansen

Corridor Cheer, Hallway Hellos

do we owe you? The Co-op has money waiting for a number of individuals who we cannot locate. If you or anyone you know appears on the following list, the Finance Department urges you to contact the Co-op at your earliest convenience: finance@honestweight.coop. Gillian Eastwood Eva Foitzik Timothy J. Cowper Maria Kuhsel Oliver Holecek Stephen Dornbush Hank Adams Alyssa Gallagher Estelle Fach Susan Fuss

Laurel Holden Druis Beasley Mark Pranys Nishi Beharry Lily Ringler Joseph Gietl Kimberly Truitt Elias Saifan Timothy Long

Dec. 16: Emerging from a Comm Comm meeting at 8 pm, I see that the store is pleasantly busy. In the exit foyer I stop to read notes and cartoons scrawled on a large whiteboard. A shopper leaves an optimistic message on the whiteboard in the exit foyer.

A woman approaches, says hello, sizes up the situation, and writes a hopeful message. As she describes how the Co-op is her best resource for becoming healthier, she radiates joy and hope. I tell her I think she will succeed, and she agrees.

Then Rich N. comes along and points out that we’re keeping the exit door open and letting cold air in because we’re standing too close to the vestibule.

On my way out I spot Irving, the gregarious guard, just inside in the entryway so I step in to chat. We talk about how welcoming an environment the Co-op is. He mentions the palliative properties of clove. We muse about spices. Everything is beautiful.

Of course, it is merely a matter of minutes since our committee discussed this very topic. We all bid our goodbyes, and I retreat into the night, humbled for having momentarily overlooked sustainability, but, as always, better for belonging right here.—C.O.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

January 2020

Co-opportunities: memBer-owner Announcements by Yevette Buddeau, Member-Owner Coordinator (MOC)

Congratulations

Great news everyone— This year we will all have great vision in the things we do… 2020!! Hahaha, I’m going to tell that joke all year. But seriously, Happy New Year to all of you and thanks for all the energy and personality you bring to our cooperative. Let’s see how many Owners made it a New Year’s resolution to come to the Co-op more! In late 2019 we ran our new 10-in-10 incentive during our busiest days in both November and December and the turnout was amazing! We had 53 Member-Owners who invested 10 hours or more leading up to Thanksgiving; and 19 Member-Owners who invested at least 10 hours in the 10 days leading up to December 25. This was a huge help to all who came to the Co-op since we all had more hands pitching in together and the shelves were wonderfully stocked for the shoppers. Thank you! Congratulations to the winners of the 10-in-10 raffle: Ken von Geldern in Grocery, Stephen Antonelli from the Parking Lot Attendant group, and Al DeSalvo in the Front End. Our Membership Meeting is on Jan. 26 at the Ramada and we hope that all eligible MOs will try to make it to cast their votes on the Member-Owner Manual and Bylaws revisions being proposed. We will have additional discussion (not to be voted on) about Member-Owner Accountability at the Co-op. The topic of accountability in the Member-Owner Manual has been referred to the Membership Committee by Member-Owners and Staff alike, and as we work through the proposal-to-be, it’s extremely important to include as many voices as possible. Voters—please come be part of this important and cooperative discussion. PLUS we will be having our pre-meeting potluck at the Ramada this time—bring a snack or dessert and enjoy each other’s

company from 5 – 5:45 pm. The Membership Meeting starts at 6 pm; Member-Owners do receive credit for attending the meeting. January brings great opportunities to be part of the Co-op with your time and efforts. We could use help with tasks at the Membership Meeting Jan. 26, and we have openings for Café Attendants, Greeters, and Parking Lot Attendants throughout the month.

Interested in joining Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Team as an Employee? Check out our Employment Page.

Looking further ahead, we will need help from MOs in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day for dipping beautiful strawberries into melted chocolate with the Produce department.

10-in-10 raffle winners! Ken von Geldern • Grocery Stephen Antonelli • Parking Lot Attendant group Al DeSalvo • Front End For info or to sign up for any of these, contact Yevette at memberservices@honestweight.coop. Our department of greatest need for Member-Owner help right now is the Deli; if you have kitchen experience and time to invest then reach out to deli manager Dan at DanH@honestweight. coop to talk about scheduling. Spring is just barely around the corner. Our gardening group takes care of the flower beds; our Plants department sells seedlings and soil amendments; and both will be growing in numbers and tasks in just a few short months. Wonder which is right for you? Reach out to Yevette at memberservices@honestweight.coop to talk about it. We always love to see you!

Calling all local

Business owners: Are you a fan of HWFC’s values and want to join our Community Connections program? This is a great way to grow connections and goodwill between our businesses. We are seeking more local, community-minded and independent businesses that are interested in offering perks of their choice to our Owners in trade for us sending people their way by promoting them on our website and through Co-op channels of communication. Click here to check it out, We have some great participants!

HWFC Owners, let’s all visit

these businesses and show them how much we appreciate their participation; remember to bring your HWFC Ownership card and enjoy the perks.

Go community!

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop