Help Shape the Future of Our Co-op
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op is beginning an important new chapter in planning for its future, and we want our community to be part of that work.
Over the years, our Co-op has continued to grow in membership, sales, and community impact. That growth has allowed us to provide healthy food to more people, support more local producers, create good jobs, and invest more deeply in our community.
It has also created new challenges. Our store and workspaces are increasingly crowded, storage space is limited, our parking lot is often full, and some staff work areas no longer meet our needs as well as they should.
For the past year, members of the Board of Directors and the General Manager have been learning more about these challenges, exploring how other co-ops have approached similar questions, and beginning to think about what the future could look like.
Now it is time to broaden that conversation.
What is the Community Engagement Committee?
The Long-Range Planning Community Engagement Committee will help the Co-op design and lead a thoughtful, inclusive process for hearing from our member-owners, staff, customers, and broader community.
The Committee will help people understand the opportunities and challenges facing the Co-op, create meaningful ways for people to share their ideas and perspectives, and bring what it hears back to the General Manager and Board of Directors.
Community engagement may include listening sessions, focus groups, surveys, town halls, and other opportunities developed by the Committee.
The Committee’s work will help inform a new Long-Range Plan for the Co-op.
What will Committee members do?
The work will take place in three main phases:
Learn and Prepare
Committee members will learn about the Co-op’s current opportunities and challenges, review work that has already been completed, and help design an inclusive community engagement process.
Listen and Engage
The Committee will conduct opportunities for people throughout the Co-op community and greater Middlebury region to learn, participate, and share their perspectives, concerns, ideas, and hopes for the future.
Gather and Share What We Heard
After the engagement process is complete, the Committee will organize what it learned and share its findings with the General Manager and Board of Directors to help inform the development of the Long-Range Plan.
The Committee will help shape how the Co-op listens. It will not decide what is ultimately included in the Long-Range Plan.
Who are we looking for?
We are seeking four people, including at least one current Co-op staff member, to join Board members and the General Manager in this work.
No special professional qualifications are required.
We are looking for people who care about the long-term success of the Co-op and are interested in helping us hear from a broad and diverse range of people.
We hope to build a Committee whose members bring different skills, experiences, community connections, perspectives, and relationships to the Co-op.
You do not need to be a Co-op member-owner to apply.
You might be a good fit if you:
- enjoy listening to and learning from others;
- work well collaboratively;
- are curious and open to different perspectives;
- have experience facilitating conversations, gathering information, or working with groups;
- bring a perspective or community connection that you believe should be represented in this process; or
- simply care deeply about the future of the Co-op and are willing to contribute your time and energy.
No individual applicant is expected to bring everything we are looking for. Our goal is to create a strong Committee through the different experiences and perspectives its members bring together.
Serving on the Committee vs. Sharing Your Ideas
You do not need to serve on this Committee to have a voice in the Co-op’s long-range planning process.
Committee members will help create and lead the process for gathering community input. They are not being selected to represent everyone’s views or simply to provide their own opinions about what the Co-op should do.
There will be opportunities for member-owners, staff, customers, and other community members to participate and provide input as the process moves forward.
Those opportunities will be shared widely in the coming months.
Timeline and Time Commitment
The Committee is expected to work from approximately November 2026 through June 2027.
Committee meetings will generally take place twice each month and will likely last about 60–90 minutes, with some additional work between meetings.
Meeting times will be based on the availability of the group and may include weekdays, evenings, or weekends. Meetings will likely take place remotely by Zoom.
The busiest period is expected to be March and April 2027, when most community engagement activities will take place.
Stipend
Each Committee member selected through this application process will be offered a $600 stipend in recognition of the time and effort involved.
The stipend will be divided into two payments, one near the beginning of the Committee’s work and one upon completion.
How Will Applicants Be Selected?
Applications will be reviewed by the Board of Directors’ Steering Committee.
Rather than selecting four people with identical backgrounds or qualifications, the Steering Committee will seek to build a group that collectively brings a broad range of skills, experiences, relationships, and perspectives to the work.
There are four available seats, including one seat designated for a current Co-op staff member.
How to Apply
The application is short and asks about your interest in the Committee, what you believe you would bring to the work, and some of the skills, experiences, and perspectives that may be helpful to the community engagement process.
Applications may be completed online or by paper form available at the Co-op’s Customer Service Desk.
Applications are due October 3, 2026.
All applicants will be notified of the Steering Committee’s decisions by October 16, 2026.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the full Community Engagement Committee Guidelines and Application Process to learn more about the Committee’s purpose, responsibilities, authority, expectations, and selection process.