May 2020 Letter to Members from the Board of Directors

Dear Fellow Members,

For Members’ safety and to comply with legal ordinances it was necessary to suspend both the March and April General Meetings.

During this interim period, the Board of Directors has been meeting weekly on video conferences to discuss both the financial and operational status of the Coop. The Board of Directors has been receiving updates from Joe Holtz, the General Manager of the Coop and ex Officio member of the Board of Directors. Minutes of these conversations will be made available.

The Board of Directors is committed to maintaining the General Meeting as the democratic decision-making body of the Coop.  The Board is in the process, along with both the Agenda Committee and Chair Committee, of organizing remote General Meetings accessible to all Members.  The first remote Meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 26.

Temporarily moving the General Meeting to an online format is without precedent, there are many details to be worked out and the new format will remain a work in progress as we move forward. The first meeting agenda will be simple and focus on a presentation of the Coop’s current finances and the challenges the Coop faces in the months ahead.  Be assured that all efforts will be made for Members to raise questions, voice concerns, and make comments.  There will be no proposals to be voted on at the first remote General Meeting.

We ask for your patience and understanding. The Board is unanimous in its urgent desire to facilitate a forum for Members to once again participate and contribute its many skills and passions during this especially challenging time for our shared community.

In Cooperation,

The Park Slope Food Coop Board