Thanks a Million, Upper Valley

To Our Community,

This year our popular round-up program, Pennies for Change, hit a huge milestone—more than $1 million donated directly to Upper Valley nonprofits since June 2016.

This is not money the Co-op has raised and given away. This is money our customers have donated. It represents the largest donation in Co-op history.

Thanks to our employees, members, and shoppers, 100 percent of the donations go to the intended purpose.

Why did we launch the program? For many years, our Co-op provided change boxes at the registers to collect donations for our nonprofit community partners. Though the program itself was very popular, over the years people simply stopped carrying change. The donations greatly dwindled over time.

In 2015, our innovative teams came up with an alternative: give shoppers the option to round up their orders to the next full dollar amount at the registers. The Co-op would then donate the extra change to area nonprofits. We launched the program the following summer, calling it Pennies for Change. It was a great example of being creative and responsive in order to meet our communities where they are.

In less than 5 years, we have collected more than $1 million! This is an extraordinary achievement by any measure.

My thanks to all of our shoppers who have contributed for your kindness and generosity. This program is a success thanks to you.

What can you do now? Help us reach another million. Round up your change in stores, add to your online order, or consider donating directly to our three main food access partners. Learn more here.

Co-op Learning Center

Our Co-op Learning Center (CLC) staff has diligently looked into summer camp locations, unfortunately to no avail. As a result, the CLC will not be able to offer kids camps this summer.

That said, I would like to thank our CLC employees and loyal class participants. The CLC has proven to be highly adaptable in class delivery during the pandemic.

Voting

Finally, our annual Board of Directors election is coming soon. The Co-op Board of Directors is made up of 12 volunteer Co-op members, including up to two employees. Elections are held the entire month of April and a mailing with election information is sent to all members that have provided us with a mailing address. Voting takes place online and in-stores.

Look for more information coming soon. In the meantime, if you are a Co-op member, please make a note on your calendar and don’t forget to vote!

Wrap Up

Thank you to our members and shoppers for the continued loyalty and support. As always, I welcome your comments and questions. Please reach out to me anytime, and remember to be kind to one another and to yourselves. Wee look forward to serving you in our stores and at the curbside.

Onward and upward,

Thanks,

Paul

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Paul Guidone

Paul Guidone, CFA, spent the better part of four decades in the investment management business here and abroad. He held positions ranging from analyst through Deputy Chairman and Group CEO, at organizations such as Citigroup (US) and The HSBC Group (London and Hong Kong). He joined the Co-op in 2016 as the CFO and in 2018 became Strategic Advisor to the General Manager. Paul was appointed by the Co-op Board as interim General Manager in March 2020 and General Manager in September 2020. To contact, email PGuidone@coopfoodstore.com.

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