From the Desk of our Board President

Fall is my favorite time of year! I can’t imagine living anywhere without four seasons, but fall is the best. The air dries, turning humid dog days of summer into crisp cool sweater weather. It has been a strange summer, too much rain and smoke-filled skies, too many mosquitoes. And yet so many awesome events–music, arts, theater, our great outdoors, local food, community gatherings. I am so ready for the change of seasons here in our Magical Berkshires!

This is the time of year that we celebrate our Co-op owners in a special way by bringing you together for our Annual Meeting–this year on Friday, October 20th, from 5:30 to 7pm, at the Guthrie Center. Mark your calendars now! 

Come and enjoy a unique way to kick off your weekend–mingling with your Co-op community. This year, food will be provided by our own Co-op, showcasing items from every department. You will hear about the state of the Co-op and we will highlight the importance of supporting and buying local with a special panel of speakers. There will be plenty of space open to just enjoy being together.

The Co-op’s Annual Meeting is also an opportunity to hear from our candidates for the Board of Directors. A Board of nine opens the opportunity to fill three seats every October. We have had such a great group leading the way. This year we started the nomination process earlier by using our weekly e-blast to encourage people to get more involved. We had a wonderful outpouring of interest. Interviews were set up to meet with each potential candidate to learn more about their backgrounds and to share an overview of what to expect as a member of the Board. I am thrilled to have four incredibly qualified applicants, and hope that you will take the time to learn about each one through the information available at the store or on our website. 

Voting for the new Board members starts October 10th and continues through our Annual Meeting. Owners get their say on who will best represent their vision for the future of the Co-op. I urge you to learn about each candidate and cast your votes. You can vote for three. Your voice is our heartbeat–as a Board, we represent you! Read more on our website at 

www.berkshire.coop/election.

It’s time to harvest–I have the best cucumber garden ever, and my dahlias are dreamy–but I also look forward to putting the gardens back to bed with our own compost and mulch. I don’t even mind the shorter days. We will eat dinner at a more reasonable time, soon the wood stove will warm the house, and overlooked indoor chores will be tackled.

I will miss the amazing taste of Sungold cherry, vine-ripened Beefsteak and Marzano tomatoes from local farms; the crunch of heirloom cucumbers; local sweet corn, blueberries, peaches, etc. Thankfully, we have access to high quality, thoughtfully-sourced food all year long at the Co-op. 

And, as always, please feel free to reach out any time with questions, happy news and concerns–my email is 

pwebb@berkshire.coop 

See you in the aisles!