IN THE SPIRIT OF REFLECTION

Rachel Dakarian
Board Secretary

Now more than ever, we are focused on the comforts of home and Wheatsfield means just that for so many of us. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The challenges of this past year have transformed every aspect of our lives. In the spirit of reflection, I want to highlight a few milestones and memories of how the Wheatsfield community has come together in new and unprecedented ways.

The launch of curbside pick-up at our store was one of the most immediate changes to how we do business. Accessibility is of utmost importance and we developed a robust curbside pick-up operation to allow folks the opportunity to continue shopping with us. That continued engagement is driven by the loyalty of our members. Sales to members have comprised approximately 79% of total sales over the past 12 months – a point of pride for Wheatsfield!

In August, we literally weathered a storm together (who could forget?) when we faced the impact of the 2020 Midwest derecho on our store and our home communities across Central Iowa. The loss of power resulted in an unexpected temporary closure of the store. Rest assured that the board is exploring possible strategies to mitigate the effect of extreme weather and outages in the future. Staff worked hard to ensure we were able to re-open our doors as soon as possible and you were there, ready to fill your baskets and share a kind word of solidarity with your fellow members.

It cannot be overstated: Thank you for your support and continuing to shop the co-op. And – most importantly – thank you for wearing your masks in the store. Keeping our staff members and each other healthy is our top priority. Recently, we have been featuring the stellar individuals of our staff on social media. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, if you aren’t already! It’s a fun way to engage with the Wheatsfield community at large and keep up to date on the daily happenings in the store.

A recent exciting development is the return of (a personal favorite) our self-serve kombucha station! Remember that March is a Member Appreciation Month! Take advantage of all the special promotions this month-long celebration has to offer.

See you in the aisles …