2022 Board Election

After being on the Board for the last two years, I am eager to continue for the next three years. I am running to ensure that there is some continuity during the move for the Co-op. I hope that as the Co-op moves into its forever home, it is a place that is welcoming to all, on the cutting edge with green practices, and provides the best local produce; that is why I am running for the Board.

Along with being on the Board for the past two years, I have worked in customer service, warehouse management, and nonprofits.

Growing the Co-op means focusing on how it can encourage its members and the community to be more green by offering a wide range of bulk items and local items that reduce the impact on the globe. I will be a consistent voice for more changes that encourage less waste and more green practices.

My most important contribution has been encouraging the Co-op to look for more eco-friendly opportunities, and when looking for sites for the new store, ones that were bike path accessible.

I am a recently returned Nebraskan looking for ways to volunteer my time in the local community. I strongly believe in the mission of Open Harvest and that serving as a board director is a good fit for my skills, background, and interests. I studied Peace and Conflict Studies and worked for many years in community development, peace education and refugee resettlement. My experience led me to understand the essential role of health, of access to healthy and local food and herbs, and of local business – including alternative structures such as co-ops – in the overall goal of a just and sustainable society. In response I studied to become a clinical herbalist and am in the process of starting my own small business establishing a herbal clinic, growing herbs and vegetables, and providing space for events, retreats, and hospitality on a historic springfed prairie property.

Open Harvest is a cornerstone of the Lincoln community, providing an important place for the reciprocal relationship between local growers and producers and the members looking for those goods. I hope to be a board director in order to help it to continue to thrive, grow and serve this community.

I have experience serving on boards and committees. I was a board member of the nonprofit Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, which was undergoing a new build and relocation during my tenure. I also helped found and served as the chair of the Students and New Herbalist Subcommittee of the Ontario Herbalists Association, the most active committee in the organization with multiple activities organized per month alongside reviewing and rewriting internal documents.

I used to live in a cooperative housing community called Bread and Roses, where I was an active participant in co-op meetings and served on the grounds committee. In addition I worked several years at a health food and supplements store in Ontario. I have on the ground knowledge of the daily workings of such a store and an appreciation for the staff, customers and products. Finally, as someone in the process of starting my own small business, I am invested in learning and applying business financial details and other leadership skills that would benefit Open Harvest.

The relocation of the store is likely both the primary challenge and opportunity currently facing Open Harvest. I have always believed things happen for a reason and even difficult situations can serve a purpose in a life, family or community. I see an exciting energy coming out of this forced move, with a focus on how Open Harvest can be even better. It would be an honor to be a part of this transition and to put my problem solving skills and initiative toward this task.

All members of society are being asked to exam our role in systemic discrimination due to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, etc, and our role as settlers on Indigenous land. A cooperative such as Open Harvest, where the community is the owner, has a huge opportunity and responsibility to help lead the way in how this can be done.

I realize that as a board, our main responsibility is walking the line between serving the community while operating as a business that needs to balance the books at the end of the day. I also recognize that I am new and need to listen, watch and learn.

I think the Open Harvest Board is a volunteer opportunity where I can offer a unique set of experience and skills to truly serve well, while also meeting some of my own interests. My family has been shopper/owners at Open Harvest for years and I am motivated to see its operations continue. I believe that access to healthy, organic local food and wellness products, foods for special dietary needs, and waste-free bulk options are so important in a community. I worked in a similar store in Canada during COVID and cannot count the number of times customers told me how important it was for their lives that our store remained open during the many closures. I am excited about the cooperative structure and am interested in learning more about it and how this structure can be further used in the community. I believe it is a good option to encourage and create support for locally owned businesses that actually care about people and our relationship to the earth. I am also looking forward to meeting like-minded people and building relationships and a stronger community here in Lincoln.