July Board Reflection
Calling-in all Member Advocates,
This spring the Open Harvest Board, along with our General Manager, ramped up planning the relocation and our vision for the future of Open Harvest. To meet our goal of providing access to healthy, organic and local food for another 46 years and beyond, we must start making ardent strides with our work to relocate our beloved store. To be successful with this project, it will take the support and engagement of our entire board, team members and our member owners. If you are passionate about shopping at Open Harvest, supporting a strong local food system, and strengthening our local economy we would love to hear from you. A variety of opportunities for member engagement, investment, and volunteering are on the horizon. If we work together, we will achieve these goals.
On July 7th, the board and some of the store leaders met for the monthly board meeting in a new and different way. Some of us met in-person at the Hub Cafe and some joined the meeting virtually. We are conscious that we are all experiencing different levels of comfort at this time and tried our first hybrid meeting. It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly effective and impactful. During the meeting we reviewed our business plan for the year, the relocation project and our continued efforts toward creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive community.
July wraps up our second 6-month session of the Abolitionist Challenge with LaDonna Sanders Redmond. LaDonna provided us with a robust monthly study guide focused on abolishing white supremacy in cooperative spaces and in the greater society. Our DEI Committee is committed to the lifelong learning of anti-racist work. We are holding each other accountable to continue to learn and take action for a more just and equitable world. Some of us will continue this work with Inclusive Communities and some of us are moving forward with a 10-week White Identity Culture and Anti-Racist class with Stand In For Nebraska.
We are calling you in and would love for more member owners to join us in our mission!
With love and light,
Anna Hernoud
Board Member and Open Harvest Advocate
Has access to healthy, organic, and local food
Supports economic justice and strengthens the local economy
Upholds inclusive, socially responsible practices
Contributes to a strong local food system and a sustainable environment
Embodies cooperative principles
