Your co-op, April 2008

This article was originally published in April 2008

2008 board election begins this month

Vote in stores and by mail April 29 to May 23

This year’s ballot will present candidates for the board and nominating committee, as well as a board proposal to update PCC’s bylaws.

Four PCC members will be asking for your votes in the board election: Buzz Hofford (incumbent), Carol Binder, Julianne Lamsek and Amy Pennington. Nominating committee candidates are Diana Crane, Janet Hietter, Don Nordness and Mary Simon.

Look for the special election insert inside the May Sound Consumer, which will be mailed to active members in the last week of April. It will feature photos and biographical information on the board candidates, along with campaign statements. Your insert also will contain your ballot.

The bylaws proposal and candidate information is available now on our Web site and includes brief video interviews with each candidate.

Election kiosks will be placed in our stores by April 29. You’ll be able to vote in any PCC store or by mail. Ballots will be counted at a public meeting on May 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the co-op office.

Candidate forums
We’ve designated four dates when you’ll be able to meet all the board candidates up close and personal — with two visits on the east side and two on the west side. Make plans to come out and ask questions! As an added inducement, the PCC demo staff will be on hand at each candidate forum with great food and recipes.

  • Wednesday, May 7, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
    PCC View Ridge
  • Thursday, May 8, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
    PCC Fremont
  • Wednesday, May 14, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
    PCC Redmond
  • Thursday, May 15 , 6 to 7:30 p.m.
    PCC Issaquah

Notice of annual PCC membership meeting

Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 5:30 p.m.
St. Demetrios Hall
2100 Boyer Ave., E, Seattle, Wash.

Free parking • Directions are available at pccnaturalmarkets.com or by calling 206-547-1222 • Accessible by Metro Bus: http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov

We’re in for a fantastic seasonal meal at our annual meeting

Each table also will have a board trustee or management team member to lead discussions and answer questions. After dinner, the board and management will report on the state of our co-op and members will have an opportunity to ask questions. The four candidates running for election to the board of trustees also will share their thoughts about board service and answer members’ questions.

The featured speaker will be Michael Funk, CEO of United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), the largest natural foods distributor in the nation. Funk will talk about what UNFI is doing to help reduce its carbon footprint and the relationship with PCC that helps us move toward sustainability.

Board report

There was no board meeting in February. The March 25 board meeting report will be published in the May issue.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be Tuesday, May 27. The public session begins at 7 p.m. The agenda will be posted on our Web site approximately one week before the meeting.

Also in this issue

Gather, eat, nourish

The dinner bell rings. Family members scoot their chairs up to the kitchen table to share a home-cooked meal made from fresh food. This iconic scene has faded some in the last few decades.

Letters to the editor, April 2008

Ingredient integrity, animal cloning; Global warming and food choices; Value in PCC membership; and more

The hands that feed us.

When we think about the food we eat, we may wonder about how and where the food was grown. But rarely do we think about the two million farm workers nationwide — and the 300,000 here in Washington — who tend and harvest the fruits and vegetables we enjoy so much.