MARSH Canvassing and Member Meeting

MARSH has been busy undertaking the task we set for ourselves beginning with the launch of our online co-op in March of 2020, our participation in mutual aid efforts through the COVID lockdowns of that year, and continuing through the opening of our storefront in July of 2021. That task can be described as an effort to create broader, just, and more equitable access to quality food by using a cooperative economic model to:

1. Address both the geographic and economic barriers that prevent nutrition from reaching more people
2. Subvert the profit paradigm that reinforces the damaging inverse connection between cost and nutrition
3. Expand concerns for human health to include attention to ecological well-being
4. Restructure traditional labor hierarchies to operate horizontally with democratic decision-making, new forms of leadership, fair wages, and emphasis on shared principles that help to redress the harm of inequitable, exploitive, and extractive economies
5. Replace “producer-consumer” relationships with cooperative economic practices that thrive on patronage, participation, and collaboration.  

Our next step, designed to capstone the last 2+ years AND create a foundation for ongoing efforts, is to extend the invitation to participate. Thus, our December 10 activities will begin with neighborhood canvassing to let more people know about MARSH and to build a network for an effort we hope will result in a truly grassroots-generated Climate Charter for community resilience at the end of next year.

We’ll return to MARSH after our canvassing activities, share snacks and beverages, then convene a Members Meeting to review the last year and make plans for the next.

Not a member yet? No worries. Everyone is invited to participate, though not-yet-members can’t nominate, serve as, or elect board members or vote on policy initiatives.

We are not necessarily asking for pre-registration though, if you are so inclined, it would be helpful to have a general idea of who will be available on the day for canvassing or during the previous week for phone banking. Also, if you have a group – friends, family, place of worship, organization – that you think might like to participate, we would love to have that information ahead of time.

Note: there are two ways to join the co-op. You can pay $100 (sliding scale options available) one time for a lifetime membership OR receive a patronage card and shop at the grocery 10 times. Pay or ask for your card at the register or JOIN HERE!