October 2026

October Board Meeting Recap

Fall is in full swing, and we're continuing to learn more about the community our Co-op calls home.

Community Engagement

This month, we welcomed Shawn Tiegs, Superintendent of the Moscow School District, to share updates about our local schools.

One of the topics Shawn discussed was a proposed seven-year levy to help address the district's aging school buildings and transform certain spaces, with an emphasis on technical education programs and student safety.

These conversations are an important part of the Board's work. The Co-op is more than a grocery store; we're part of a larger community, and understanding what's happening around us helps us think about the role we play within it. Taking time to listen and learn from local organizations helps us stay connected to the people and community we serve.

Co-op Business

We took a look back at our September Annual Meeting, and Melinda shared an overview of her monthly General Manager's FYI report.

The Board also had a roundtable discussion about the pros and cons of continuing our work with Columinate in 2027. These conversations help us reflect on the resources and support available to the Board as we continue our governance work.

As a reminder, the Board's role is to govern and provide oversight on behalf of our Owners. We don't run the Co-op's day-to-day operations. Instead, we work with the General Manager to set direction, establish policy, and think about the Co-op's long-term health and future.

Grocery Story

We continued our group reading project of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants by Jon Steinman. This month, Joseph and our Board Admin, Sarah, led our discussion on Chapters 9 and 10.

Reading and discussing the book together gives us an opportunity to step back from our regular Board work and consider the bigger picture: what makes food co-ops distinctive, what responsibilities come with being a cooperative, and how we can continue putting our values into practice here in Moscow.

Learning together helps us ask better questions and make more thoughtful decisions as stewards of the Co-op.

Looking Ahead

We ended our regular meeting with an Executive Session focused on future planning.

Our next Board meetings are November 3rd and December 1st.

Thank you to Shawn for sharing his time and perspective with us, and to our Owners for being part of this cooperative community. Listening, learning, and staying connected to our community are all part of helping the Co-op remain healthy and true to its purpose.

September 2026

September Board Meeting Recap

Fall is finally here, and we're getting ready for our 2026 Annual Meeting! At our September 1st board meeting, we reviewed the plans for our annual meeting, talked about community engagement, and started thinking ahead to the 2027 Board of Directors elections.

Community Engagement

This month we heard from Holly Greystone, Executive Director of SPIN, Suicide Prevention of the Inland Northwest, about QPR: Question, Persuade, Refer.

While QPR can help someone experiencing a medical crisis, QPR gives people simple tools for supporting someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. I liked the comparison to QPR: you don't have to be a medical professional to learn skills that could help someone in a crisis.

It was a good reminder that community is about more than sharing a neighborhood or a grocery store. It's also about noticing each other and being willing to show up when someone needs support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or suicide-related crisis, you can call or text 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org to connect with a trained crisis counselor, 24/7.

Annual Meeting

Our 2026 Annual Meeting is Sunday, September 13, from 5:30 pm–7:30 pm at Shattuck West. All Owners in good standing are welcome.

The Communications and Elections Committee has finalized the plans for this year's meeting. We're also working on some new ways to reach and educate potential Board candidates about what it means to serve on the Co-op's Board.

The Board approved some updates to the Communications and Elections Committee charter as part of this work.

Grocery Story

We continued our group reading project of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants by Jon Steinman. The book looks at the history and role of food co-ops, asks what makes them different, and also what that can mean for the communities they serve.

Each month, we’re reading a couple of chapters together and talking about how the ideas connect to our own Co-op.

This month, we discussed Chapters 7 and 8, which look at food co-ops as community spaces and their role in food access and affordability. We talked about what those ideas look like here in Moscow and how we can continue thinking about the Co-op as more than just a grocery store.

Looking Ahead

We ended our regular meeting with an Executive Session for future planning.

Our next Board meeting is October 6th.

In the meantime, I hope to see you at the Annual Meeting on September 13th. It's a great opportunity to learn more about your Co-op, ask questions, and be part of shaping its future.

Thanks for being part of our cooperative community!