May 8, 2020 - Letter from the President

​Hello Everyone and Happy Spring!

I love Spring!  I love the flowers, the bees, the new growth on plants, and most of all, the birds singing early in the morning.  If we have to stay home at least it’s during such a beautiful season.  Each beautiful day brings us closer to reopening our communities. 

Speaking of normal, I sometimes wonder how this worldwide event will change our ‘normal’?  What impact will this have on our local communities, businesses, farmers, and residents and how long will it take to financially recover?  These are the questions I ask myself while sitting in my backyard, reveling at all the yard work I have accomplished so early in the season.  My prayer is that this has given us a chance to stop, reassess, rethink the way we do things, and open back up with more creative and effective opportunities to work and play.

We have discovered the power of virtual connections, yet the isolation has also made it clear that we need human connection.  Just talking with someone from sidewalk to porch is exhilarating these days.  I like technology and am grateful for the IT folks that have worked diligently to keep our services working with the immediate increased stress on bandwidth.  I am grateful for the downtime and virtual connections but yearn for the ‘good ole days’ of hugging my friends again.

What do you see when you look to the future?  I see a food co-op store open to everyone. I see the financial and social impact that it will have on our local economy. From having consistent, living wages for our employees to continuous support of our local farmers.  I see an array of local, healthy food that feeds our children and residents. I see it supporting local businesses and programs.  I see it educating and giving people a place that is supportive and purposeful.  I see fun and informative events that entire families can participate in. Our co-op will do all of that and more, but it takes all of us to make it happen.  Anywhere from serving on the board or a committee, to donating and investing money to the opening of our store.  

Our Capital Campaign is up and running! This is the campaign that raises money to open our store. You will be hearing more about it in the upcoming months as we prepare to launch a formal campaign. Please see our website for the information about making your investment now!   

We are all in this together and together we can open a great store!  

Kelly Hilton
Silverton Food Co-op President