It was a busier than usual week at the Monashee Community Co-op September 16 -21st as volunteers and board members hosted a number of activities to celebrate 10 years of operation in the community.
Events included in-store samples and birthday cake, daily customer discounts, volunteer appreciation party and recognition events, workshops, kids activities, and an official ceremony.
On Saturday at the public market, the Co-op gratefully acknowledged a $70,000 Community Works grant received via the Regional District of the North Okanagan from Rick Fairbairn, Area D representative and welcomed congratulatory comments from provincial political candidates, Harwinder Sandu and Kevin Acton. The funding is earmarked for renovations in space generously vacated by Westland Insurance, and for exciting future expansion plans. Also, on Saturday, we had a very touching and special ceremony to honour Charlie Ashmore who was a dedicated volunteer at the Co-op until his passing in 2023. In his honour, the Co-op, along with Charlie’s daughters, commissioned the CBSS forestry class under the leadership of Nathan Bartel to construct a bench made of local cedar which will be placed in front of the store. Charlie’s daughters came from Halifax and Vancouver for the event. Charlie’s daughters, Co-op Board President Chris Bauman and store manager Sharon Greenwood gave heartwarming tributes to both Charlie and volunteers everywhere.
The Co-op thanks all the volunteers who put on the special activities including Director Brandi Smith of Bessette Creek Farms for pizza shells and butter tarts, and along with Director Khaylie Hazell for organizing the kids games; founding member Maureen Ziemer and Carolyn Sabell for staffing our booth at the market and Carolyn for her tarts; co-op member Debra Holmes and Kathy Munz for hosting the Single Malt Tasting event; Sonja Peters of Greenbush Greenhouse for the Winter Gardening Workshop; Lorelei & Randy Rauck for preparing food for dozens of volunteers and hosting the appreciation evening; Nicole Winland for baking the birthday cake; Geoff Hannah for his delightful Bubble Wonders show; the Okanagan Regional Library Lumby Branch for its story walk; Jeannette Wilding for coordinating our workshops; all our vendors and suppliers and volunteers who jumped in whenever needed. Finally, we thank Board President Chris Bauman and volunteer Lorelei Fiset for planning the week’s activities.
The inspiration for the Co-op’s beginning was in 2013, when passionate Lumby and area residents came together to discuss how to serve the growing interest in buying organic food products in bulk at affordable prices. Meetings were held with growers, producers and consumers. Our first storefront began selling bulk orders and a year later, Monashee Community Co-op was incorporated. In 2016, we became a Community Service Co-operative meaning we re-invest all profits into the co-op and are eligible for grants as a not-for-profit enterprise. This helps keep us strong and focused on community priorities.
While you don’t have to be a member to shop at our co-op, membership is just a one-time cost of $50 per household and offers many benefits like special and bulk order purchases and discounts on workshops. Co-op Members are owners of the co-op and so have a say in our priorities and major decisions. We now have over 60 suppliers, 50 volunteers and 5 paid staff.
Thank you to everyone who shops and supports the Monashee Community Co-op. We are proud of what we have done together over this past decade and look forward to continuing to serve our mandate by providing local, healthy, environmentally and ethically responsible food and products.
