Interviews

—by Anne Holzman

When North Country Co-op closed its doors about two years ago, A. K. Vincent was a member of the board of directors. Now she finds herself again serving on a co-op board, this time at Hampden Park Co-op.

North Country had served Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood since 1971 and had nurtured many other Twin Cities co-ops. “It was a large piece of history,” Vincent wrote recently in an e-mail. “Many of the other cooperatives sprang up out of North Country."

“Many hearts were broken when [North Country] closed,” she wrote. “I will never forget NCC; however it mends my heart to be here at HPC.”

-by Anne Holzman

A shopper’s first glimpse of Matt Hass is likely to be around the corners of a box of vegetables, from behind which he might be calling instructions to a volunteer, answering a customer’s question, or exchanging quips with a passing acquaintance.

Assistant manager and produce manager Hass serves as Hampden Park Coop staff representative on the board of directors, a post he’s held for three years.

He shares with other managers the day-to-day buying, selling, recordkeeping, and coordinating of volunteers that keep the store running.

Hass grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, where he didn’t have any co-op experience but did work in a grocery store during high school.

—by Anne Holzman

Midway through her three-year term as board member and also halfway through three years of law school, Nicolet Lyon is spending a lot of time examining papers these days.

"It really is a sort of baptism in fire," she said of her experience on the HPC board. She learned early in her board term that the co-op might have an opportunity to purchase the building it has rented for decades. "I had no idea that was going on, but it was a great legal opportunity for me."

[Editor’s note: Previous profiles have featured board member Kjersti Hanneman interviewing other board members. In this profile, Jay Dregni chose to writeabout his participation at Hampden Park Co-op.]

Co-ops are an important part of food distribution with an emphasis on locally grown and organic options. My first connection with the co-op movement was in the 1960s, the early days of the Lakewinds Co-op in Minnetonka. Hampden Park Co-op has been my place of choice during the past five years, which include one year as a board member.

The co-op offers convenience to my wife Meredith and me, as we live across the park in a condo in the former St. Cecilia School. The co-op is also a neighborhood meeting place, where conversation abounds and community is fostered. When volunteering I have been impressed when tradespeople poke their heads into the kitchen area and ask what the soups are today and announce, "I’ll be back at noon." Another example of co-op life is the annual meeting, which encompasses many of the values of a co-op. At the meeting, members, families, staff, and board congregate, eat great food, and learn about new foods and products and how they are grown.

I am impressed with how well our board functions at the co-op, including the willing work done by board members. That also describes our exceptional staff. These combine for an organization that has captured a special place in the lives of many people in our community.