The Sitka Food Co-op will host its annual membership meeting and potluck dinner from noon until 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21, at Sprucecot Cabin (308 Peterson St.). The meeting is open to all Sitka residents, regardless of co-op membership.

This meeting will give members and prospective members a chance to learn what the co-op is doing, where its going and how it plans to get there. There also will be elections for the board of directors (several seats are open and you must be a co-op member to run or vote), amendments to the by-laws, and there will be several new and important committees created. Co-op officers encourage people to attend and take part in building the co-op to the next level.

The Sitka Food Co-op was incorporated on Sept. 26, 2011, as a way to bring good food and community together. The purposes of the Sitka Food Co-op are to:

• Create a community-based, member-owned buying service;
• Make available wholesome natural and organic foods and products as inexpensively as possible;
• Support and encourage local growing of fresh organic foods;
• Purchase and purvey, whenever feasible, the goods or services of local and regional growers and producers; and
• Serve as a center for activities and services which otherwise enrich the life of the community.

Please note that the Sitka Food Co-op is a separate organization than the Sitka Local Foods Network, even though we share some of the same goals.

To learn more about the Sitka Food Co-op and its annual meeting, email sitkafoodcoop@gmail.com or go to http://sitkafoodcoop.org/. Potential board members should submit an online candidate application form by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19, telling a little bit about yourself and why you want to serve on the board of directors.

Here is the tentative agenda:

• Annual report overview – actions and accomplishments
• Budget and financial report
• Committees
• Bylaw Amendments (all co-op members in good standing are eligible to vote), the following are proposed:
  • Increasing from a 5-member board to a 7-member board to increase our capacity and spread out the workload.
  • Allow for board members to receive a stipend for their services and reimbursement of expenses. It is common practice for co-ops to provide some level of compensation or stipend to Board of Directors in recognition of their service and contributions. Board members have been giving over 1,000 hours of time annually to the Sitka Food Co-op to help our organization grow and succeed. This change may also help with recruitment and retention of board members, which has been an ongoing challenge.
• Election of Directors (all co-op members in good standing are eligible to vote)
• 2016 Program of Work: transition to a member equity fee structure, establish a formal policy governance structure, formalize a donation policy, clarify our vision of a ‘Sitka Community Marketplace,’ and more!
• Membership Feedback/Discussion