Annual Meeting Minutes


Massachusetts Local Food Cooperative Annual Meeting Minutes

February 27, 2011

Present: ___ voting members
Absent: ___ voting members

Quorum Present? Yes

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY KELLEY O’CONNOR AT 2:10 P.M.

  • All present approved the 2010 annual meeting minutes.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Kelley O’Connor

  • Kelley expressed much gratitude for the people who have helped make the co-op a success: the Board of Directors, the various committees, the website team, the e-mail list manager, and the numerous other volunteers who help on Distribution Day and behind the scenes.
  • In 2010, the co-op enjoyed 100% growth: Membership doubled from 130 in January 2010 to 260 in December 2010; orders rose from 45 in January to 75 in December; food sales rose from $2,900 in January to $7,100 in December.
  • Other accomplishments include moving the sorting site from the Finnish Farmers Co-op building to Johnson & Sons Poultry Farm; the launch of a new website that gives the co-op a strong online presence; the launch of the Holden pickup site in February 2010 and the Worcester pickup site in February 2011.
  • The producer committee works tirelessly to ensure that our producers conform to our producer procedures. The publicity committee has done an outstanding job getting us visibility in the press. The e-mail list manager will need help with all the new interest pouring in. Each month the distribution day team manages the growth in orders and gets them sorted and efficiently delivered to our pickup sites.
  • In spite of inevitable challenges and surprises, we all want this co-op to work, and we will work together to resolve the problems, to compromise, and to help each other.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Finance (reported by Kelley O’Connor)

  • Total income in 2010 was $71,000; gross profit was $6,500, and net income was $131.
  • Our total expenses for the year was $6,400
  • As of December 2010, our membership shares total was $9,975. Our checking account balance was $10,740.
  • As of January 31st, our newest member ID was #300: we have 216 members paid in full; 14 members have left the co-op; 61 members have pending dues; 22 new members have joined since Feb1st; and 9 member IDs are used for other purposes.

Publicity (reported by Sheryl Vaillette)

  • The committee currently has four members and met just a couple of times in 2010. It hopes to add members and meet at least four times in 2011.
  • Focus has been on getting the word out about MLF, building membership, and recruiting a volunteer site manager for the Worcester pickup site and a driver for the Berlin pickup site. Most of the work was accomplished through e-mail.
  • Other publicity-related work (within and outside of the publicity committee) has included revising the text on some of the co-op’s print material; developing and launching the website; and creating new business cards and info cards.
  • The committee wrote and sent press releases and public service
  • One committee member is a freelance writer and has written stories about MLF for this summer’s issue of Worcester Living Magazine and the March issue of Edible Boston.
  • Committee members have tabled at conferences and attended food- and sustainability-related workshops and events. Kelley and one committee member were recently interviewed on Fitchburg Cable Access TV.
  • Sheryl invites anyone who would like to join the publicity committee to e-mail her.

News and Alerts (Feb/Mar)

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day locally
Mass Local Food producers have all you need for corned beef and tasty leftovers. Check out the Shop page for suggestions.

Welcome University of Massachusetts Medical School
The latest Mass Local Food pick-up site in Worcester opens this month.

A local gift that keeps on giving
For that special locavore, how about a gift certificate for membership in Mass Local Food? You can find gift certificates on your order form. We will include the certificate with your order and the cost will be added to your invoice.