From the Board of Directors: Change and Perspective

*Melissa Williams, Board President 2024 + 2025*

At my job as the church administrator for the First Baptist Church in Kansas City, KS, I create a newsletter that goes to our congregation every Friday. Since I have been serving as board president (2 years), I have copied and pasted the weekly specials and included them in the newsletter as a means to increase shoppers which is located just two blocks north of the store.

Sometime in October, I went to the Merc’s weekly email to gather the weekly special for the Kansas City store and it wasn’t there. My heart dropped as the reality hit me that the process had begun to close the store that I love to shop at and that I’ve loved to serve on the Board of Directors.

Change happens and it’s all in our perspective how we handle this change. I choose to look at the positive for my friends who will be continuing to serve on the board and for the new board members who will begin their journey of being a part of the guts of The Merc Co+op.

Policy governance is the foundation of the board. Promoting the positive activities and community collaborations is its flesh; the amazing work of the General Manager and his staff are the walking shoes; and you, the members and shoppers are the heartbeat of what makes The Merc Co+op special and unique and an asset to both communities it served during my term.

So, as my time in leadership has ended, I want to say, especially in these unstable times we live in, to stay strong and focused on what really matters—Providing access to healthy, local, organic food and products; Transforming and nourishing the health of our community; Creating a robust, sustainable local food economy; Demonstrating hospitality, generosity and care for the environment; and building a community based on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

I may live in Kansas City, but I’m holding on to my share for those times that I visit my alma mater and need to eat at a good salad bar or grab a sandwich to go! Oh, and I’ll probably say hi to Seth and his crew as well.

Thanks for the memories, Merc Family!