FROM THE BOARD
Call for Board Candidates The Board of Trustees of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op has always been fortunate to have a good group of qualified, involved member-owners who have been willing to volunteer their time and varied expertise in serving on the Co-op Board. This has provided the governance necessary to allow the Co-op to broaden our offerings of high quality, healthy food, support our environment, support our community with relevant education, and support local farmers, international fair trade, and other co-ops. We have been able to manage our finances appropriately to provide a base for growth and a cushion for harder times while still providing support to members of our community in need. Each year, two positions are open for candidates from the community. (The dedicated Staff Board Position is elected every third year.) The election runs through the May Annual Meeting, and we hope for a good turnout. We are especially interested in bringing in member-owners with skill sets that will enhance our role. As the Co-op is a business, business, finance, and leadership skills are always welcome. We work collegially and are looking for people who understand working within a group towards consensus while bringing their own experience
and viewpoint to the table. The Board is hoping to increase its representation of the diversity of our community, and we encourage member-owners of all backgrounds and lived experiences to run for office, especially those from underrepresented groups. If you are interested in being on the Board, we ask you to fill out the Notice of Intent (available on the Co-op website) and submit to: board@skagitfoodcoop.com We ask that interested member-owners also attend at least one board meeting and meet with current Board members to go over what the Board does and what you could expect if you joined. The deadline for the next Board election is fast approaching. If you are interested in being on the ballot, you’ll need to submit this paperwork by February 2 and complete the meetings prior to February 16 in order to have your name and info included in the Notice of Election in the Natural Enquirer and online. (We’d also like a photo for the publication.) If you are interested in being considered for Board vacancies that might arise between elections, the timing isn’t quite as urgent, although it would still be valuable to get the process started.
Doubling Down on Good
Our Current Co-op Board Members
Note to Spanish-speaking member-owners: Si usted desea ser candidato para la Junta Directiva de Skagit Valley Food Co-op, por favor visite: skagitfoodcoop.com/our-board
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Bringing the Barn to Life: An Update from Viva Farms Happy New Year! An energizing way to mark the beginning of a new year is to reflect on the previous one. At Viva Farms, we are lucky to have our work ahead bolstered by small and large accomplishments that fuel our commitment to what we do as farmers, as eaters, and as Skagit Valley community members. In 2023, thirty-two students graduated from our Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture classes. Some of these students will launch their new farm businesses at one of our incubator farms in the coming season. We supported thirty-three independent farm businesses who continued their operations onsite last year, farming all available land on Viva’s 119 acres. These incubating farm businesses grew beautiful, organic produce for the region, selling to partners like the Co-op, the Puget Sound Food Hub, and Organically Grown Company. As an organization, we renewed our commitment to furthering our land access efforts with funding from the USDA, working to ensure that this generation of beginning farmers will have somewhere to grow food for the future. With annual highlights like these, we are inspired to keep moving forward towards a just and resilient food system. And, like many of you, the team at Viva Farms is a bit surprised to find ourselves in the first week of 2024; we are thinking a lot about our goals and what we want the future to look like. As you may have heard by now, we dreamed up a big goal last year of replacing our old, dilapidated barn with a new multi-use farming facility that matches the scale and dynamic needs of the thriving beginning farmers in our valley. We begin 2024 busy making The Barn at Viva Farms a reality. A large-scale construction project is an interesting measure of time. It has been a long year of intensive collaboration with our fantastic local partners at Ika/Schell Architects, so many lessons learned about County planning and permitting, and consultations with our farmers, partners, and neighbors. And here we finally are at the start of the new year, witnessing daily progress, as those of you driving State Route 20 will soon see for yourselves. Our partnership with the Skagit Valley Food Co-op has been integral to this project and increasing our organization’s ability to support beginning farmers. In 2023, the Co-op donated $100,000, the biggest single donation we have received in our nearly 15-year history. And, kicking off 2024, they have astounded us by committing to do it again: the Co-op has donated an additional $100,000 to Viva Farms!
Barn rendering by Notion Workshop, architectural design by Ika/Schell Architects.
Building a farming facility with a Good Agricultural Practices-certified wash/pack space, extensive cold and dry storage, and the right infrastructure for accessible loading from the field and for large distribution, is expensive. The Skagit Valley Food Co-op and its members have made this costly endeavor possible via the Growing Good Fund. Together, we are securing a more viable future for our local food system. And, we are not done yet. We still have a gap in our fundraising to complete the project. We invite you to get involved and help us commit to the future of small-scale, organic farming in your backyard.
Help Build the Barn! We invite you to help make this rendering into reality with a donation.
Learn more at vivafarms.org/donate or scan the QR Code! For specific questions and further involvement, please email Viva’s Development Manager, Danielle Halstead: danielle@vivafarms.org
EDITOR | Nicole Vander Meulen CONTRIBUTING EDITOR | Leigha Staffenhagen LAYOUT & DESIGN | Megan Young STAFF CONTRIBUTORS | nancylee bouscher, Ben Goe BOARD OF TRUSTEES | Tom Theisen, Brad Claypool, Kristen Ekstran, Laura Bady, Casey Schoenberger, Rob Smith, & Genaro Gomez The Natural Enquirer is a quarterly publication of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and may not reflect Co-op policy. No articles are meant to be used for diagnosis or treatment of illness. The Co-op does not endorse the products or services of advertisers. Copyright 2024. Reprints with permission.
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SKAGIT VALLEY FOOD CO-OP • THE NATURAL ENQUIRER • JANUARY – MARCH 2024
