LAEV Food Lobby Meeting Minutes March 21, 2010
Introductions/Attendees:
Ann, Jonny, Lois, Robert, Jessica, Becca, Jeremy, Michelle, Leslie, Julio, Andrea, Jocelyn, Laura, Nicole
Waiter/Greeter Position (Lois)
• Break-in in one of the units close to the front door, important to tighten up security. Co-op could help on Sundays with security by:
o Once truck drops off produce, move rock so the door isn’t wide open
o Have someone (the waiter) wait for folks to come pick up their boxes
• Question is if we have enough additional members to support this – though you wouldn’t have to show up until 3:30 or so.
• Jocelyn and Cathy are both moving out of the LAEV in coming months, and they are usually who is on call to let folks in to pick up their boxes, so there will need to be some sort of replacement for them
• Jeremy asked what the membership is right now, and how many can work shifts. Ann said most have shifts, except for folks who haven’t been active for a while or just joined (probably close to 5-10)
• Jocelyn added that those who haven’t worked their shifts are on a list on the bulletin board in the bulk room, so accountability is getting better
• Jocelyn thinks it would be strange to have a greeter assigned to just be seated and waiting for folks to pick up boxes while others are sorting veggies.
• Ann summarized: people think this is a good idea, if we have the capacity to do so. Jeremy added that it sounds like we will need to replace Jocelyn and Cathy as greeters once they move out.
• Ann proposed that someone sits down with her to go over people who haven’t been coming to workshifts but are active members and see if they can come in. Jocelyn suggested that cell leaders appoint a greeter while sorting is going on.
• Nicole wanted to know when veggie sorting generally happens. Ann said that it varies, though usually the veggies arrive around 2:30 and the sorting is done by around 3:30. The bulk room is open from 3:30-5:30.
• Jonny mentioned that there’s no need to have a greeter for the time when the veggies come, since no one in the food co-op will be coming to LAEV except folks who live here or are working shifts.
• Jocelyn proposed adding this to the bulk cell instead of the veggie cell since there should be three people assigned to the bulk shift. Jonny mentioned that they need to be serious in implementing that there need to be people in the bulk room and outside for the full two hours of the shift.
• As coordinator of cells, Ann will try to work this out by emailing the heads of cells.
• Lois volunteered trying to fill in from 5:30-6:30 if folks come late, in the wake of Jocelyn and Cathy’s departure. Though Ann proposed discussing replacing Jocelyn and Cathy at a later time.
Summer Food Co-op Reorganization (Jocelyn)
• Jocelyn recommended that the Co-op join the Echo Park Time Bank as an organization. This would allow any time you spend working on the co-op would lead to time dollars at the EPTB. You can spend those in the EPTB if you are a member. There is no limitation on the number of hours we dole out – the idea of a time bank is having an excess of time dollars floating around in the economy.
• People from the EPTB couldn’t buy food unless they signed up for a work shift, and Co-op members would have to join the EPTB to exchange the hours.
• Several Co-op members are already a part of the EPTB.
• This could also work out since Kathy will give up her bookkeeping for the bulk room when she moves, and would allow for greater distribution of work (including possibly staffing the waiter/greeter position talked about earlier).
• Lois likes the idea, but wants to point out that one of the issues that come up in local currencies like this can occasionally co-op the spirit of volunteerism.
• Jocelyn pointed out that they have even more volunteers than ever before, but they keep expanding the scope of the workshifts.
• Jocelyn added that the EPTB already has something similar to their current veggie box, so it likely wouldn’t greatly increase their veggie orders – most would likely be buying from the bulk room.
• Ann asked Jocelyn to be the point-person on this and keep the rest of the co-op informed. Jocelyn will go to the next monthly EPTB board meeting and explain the co-op to them. They are actually under the same financial umbrella as the Co-op (CRISP).
• Jeremy asked who does the accounting for the EPTB. Jocelyn will talk to them about that in detail at the board meeting. It’s possible that the co-op could get someone to do bookkeeping from the EPTB, as they have an excess of time dollars.
Monday Night Workshift Report (Becca)
• Yuki, who is out of the country, says via email that there are a lot of Monday shifts that need to be filled in, as you can see from the wiki.
• Ann says she knows of two folks who are interested – George (who would like to be a fill-in person) and Josh (who is assigned to a Sunday but would prefer a Monday).
• Jonny asked if we would continue to fill it as we have been (folks sign up for it themselves), and if we should expand the hours. Becca said she’s not sure that there’s the capacity to increase hours.
• Nicole asked if, since it’s on a 5-week rotation, if it should be cell A/B/C/D/E, but Monday night folks said it was better to sign up for when they’re available. However, if only Becca and Yuki are on the Monday night shift, that’s unsustainable. Becca asked if Ann could be on the lookout for a fifth person, and she will. Ann asked that we get through this month as best we can, and she’ll try to find others in the meantime, and that this should be discussed at the next meeting.
Announcements
• Michelle has been involved with the garden project across the street sponsored by the Beverly/Vermont Community Land Trust (it’s a joint use project with LAUSD), but in the meantime she thinks it would be a good time to do grant research for this, and was wondering if the LAEV Food Lobby would be willing to be a partner as she’s writing grants. The concept is to provide education not just for the school right next door, but to the eight schools within walking distance. Ann asked for her to bring more specifics to the group. Becca stated that last month the group agreed to give Michelle the allowance to say that the Food Lobby is supportive of the project, but in the future with specific proposals, Ann asked that Michelle give specifics on each individual grant at future meetings.
• Jocelyn wanted to point out the great new bulletin board in the lobby, and to make sure that folks point it out to new members.
• Michelle announced that on April 16 she’s looking for volunteers to plant a small community garden space at Bresee. Also, there’s a showing of a movie called Raw World at Elevate Films tonight at 7 p.m. It’s downtown in a loft at 7th and Olive.
• Ann announced that Kathy is having a fundraiser or the LAEV emergency preparedness committee – and it’s her birthday!