Seward Co-op will sustain a healthy community that has:

• Equitable economic relationships;
• Positive environmental impacts; and
• Inclusive, socially responsible practices

From the Board
By Miriam Holsinger

During a day and a half in February, when many are dreaming of seedlings and gardens, the Seward Co-op Board of Directors gathered for our annual retreat to envision and plan for the year ahead. Every year, we look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Our last several retreats have led us to explore topics such as the Farm Bill, food deserts, and the cooperative business model, all with an eye towards what we, as the co-op, need to know in order to continue serving our members. It was at this retreat years ago that we solidified our goal (frequently called our "Ends") to sustain a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships, positive environmental impacts, and inclusive, socially responsible practices.

This year, we revisited this goal to ask ourselves: "Is this still what our community needs? Is there anything missing?" We know from talking with you that health is of prime importance — health of individuals, of our families, of our community, and our environment. We know our co-op, even while it continually seeks to improve its ability to meet the needs of our expanding community, also does a pretty good job of helping us stay healthy. Our co-op provides recipes, delicious ingredients, knowledgeable staff, and classes on everything from how to hunt and cook to how to shop at the co-op on a budget.

And a healthy community does not stop at the individual shoppers and member-owners. Through the SEED program, customers are able to round up and add their spare change together to create a big difference for nonprofits that make our community a healthier place to live. Thanks to the 200-plus employees who work at the co-op and the large amount of local, organic, and fair trade products and services the co-op utilizes and sells, the benefits of our co-op ripple out into the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and Wisconsin, and beyond.

In evaluating our progress and success at nourishing an ever-larger community, we find our member-owners and directors asking each other "what is the ‘community’ of Seward Co-op?" Is it our members, our customers, our suppliers, distributers, and farmers? Is it anyone who lives in a certain geographic area around the co-op?

We’ll be talking with you, Seward Co-op member-owners, about these and other big-picture questions in the coming year as we look to the next step our co-op takes. We’ll sit at a table at the co-op at least once a month, and we’ll be at the Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair on Saturday, April 21, which many are looking forward to attending. As much as we may dream about seeds and seedlings in February and March, it is with April, and the CSA Fair, that we know spring (and fresh local vegetables) are truly on their way. At the CSA Fair, we can meet the farmers who grow our food; talk to them about the practices, joys, and struggles of farming; and plan how we can keep working together to build a healthy community — however we define it.