Looking Ahead to a New Year

Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!

Shared values, shared truths, shared community. These are the things that really struck me as important throughout 2020. What a year. How many hoops have you and your family jumped through this past year? If yours is anything like mine, the answer feels like it’s infinite.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the answer seemed to be, just make do. Do what you can, day after day, and just get through it. Simple, right? After one too many days working from home with children not in school, or working a public-facing job with customers refusing to wear a mask, you’ve probably thought, we can’t keep doing this. As a farmer selling directly to the community, I’ve felt that anxiety creep in. Can I keep my family safe? Will we be able to make ends meet this year? Something’s got to give, right? Unfortunately, we’re not out of the woods yet. But, there is hope, a bright spot on the horizon.

We know our owners share the value of supporting a vibrant community here at Menomonie Market Food Co-op. One of the principal ways we strive to do this is by providing a safe, welcoming, and secure place to not only buy your groceries but to provide a source of financial capital and stability in our community. Our management, staff, and board will continue to be proactive because that’s what is necessary in order to live out the co-op values.

At Menomonie Market Food Co-op we have forged ahead to 2021 more prepared than ever. We are here for you and your family. Online ordering with curbside pickup? Done. Enforced mask compliance in the store? Done. Double Dollars to make EBT credits go further with wholesome food? Done. Grant programs to support local farmers and producers? Done. 2020 was an all around tough year. In 2021, we will continue to rise to this challenge so that our owners and wider community can weather this storm. We will do this through our shared value that our co-op be central to a thriving and healthy community, through our shared truth that COVID-19 is a global pandemic requiring local action, as well as our belief and understanding that we share the burdens and successes of our community. Menomonie Market Food Co-op is looking forward to 2021 and how we can continue to support you and your family. We thank all of you for your kindness and generosity this past year. We will pay it forward.

This article was originally published in the January/February 2021 issue of our bi-monthly newsletter, The Morsel. If you’d like to read more stories like this one and stay up to date on the latest co-op news and events, pick up a print copy in-store on your next grocery run or find more news on our website here.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.